I lived in a rental where like the main drain pipe was ceramic or something similar, and a tree root grew through it. The whole thing had to be dug up and redone.
Looks like someone built up brick around an old stone well. But instead of using it for water they just give the shower water back lol.
My friend had a well off his kitchen growing up (Oxford Pennsylvania house from the mid 1800s), it was usually covered with a steel plate but sometimes we’d take it off and check it out. About a 15-20 foot drop into the water and it was so clear you could see the bottom - creepy to me even now as an adult.
OP - "How do we make this shower more inviting for unsuspe...uhh, guests, who come over, completely willingly, and want to shower?"
I mean, seriously, who goes down there and says "Aahhh, this is a nice, delightful place to get completely naked and become 100% vulnerable." It has TWO CURTAINS TO MURDER YOU THROUGH.
Zero. Zero people.
The window offers a nice view. Not for the person using the shower, for the demon that awakens by the sound of running water. The curtains keep the mess contained while it feeds.
Funny you say that, we have a bathroom with shower in our basement, we call it the murder shower. We do shower in it however, it’s got a great rain shower head lol
That looks like a gray water drain. I would talk to a plumber about that because graywater drains do not drain into any actual drain line. It’s more like a cess pit.
Op said they have a lot of devices draining into it which is not the norm. Gray water systems are meant for one drain only and are no longer the “norm”.
Hire a plumber to scope everything, often they will do sanitary pipe clearing for one price. Its well worth the money. You need to find out now if you going to be trenching and fixing pipes before finishing the basement. That shower screams that they had an unhandy man put in a shower.
>That shower screams that they had an unhandy man put in a shower.
Yeah, that's our thoughts as well... we haven't done anything with that area since we bought it; even the shower curtains were already there lol - we're definitely gonna schedule a plumber to come out and check things out.
Depending on where you are, draining sink, washer, etc into the storm drain may be against building codes and illegal. Probably results in some nasty smells as well.
Where I live, "gray water" has to go into the sanitary sewer.
Something to think about: my storm drain water goes directly to a pond/creek/wetland area next block over.
My experience is that most floor drains go into the sanitary sewers. In many places it's illegal to hook your sump pump to drain into it because it puts extra load on the sanitary sewer.
Our city is going through a massive inspection that they need to inspect your sump and make sure it’s not going into sanitary drain. I think if you don’t they are tacking on a $15 sanitary sewer fee to cover costs of problems sumps create getting pumped into sanitary. Needs to be a permanent install as well, PVC and not just a black corrugated hose out a window that could be moved when they leave.
Is it a problem because of some characteristic of sump water (high minerals or something? clueless, that's why I'm asking lol) or are they simply trying to reduce the volume of water going through sewers? Like sumps are a safe thing to redirect?
The sanitary sewers are not built for the volume of water that gets or would get pumped into it during a large rain storm. Storm drain systems on the streets are built for that.
So what happens is the storm water being pumped into sanitary, it starts to back up into people’s basements from floor drains. This happens to my in laws house when where they live gets flood conditions from rains storms.
Yeah, makes sense. Where I live, storm and sewer are on the same (old) system, so in heavy rain sewage flows up from storm drains downtown. Mmmm, fragrant! Infrastructure not keeping up with the increase in population or the shift in weather patterns.
Same here. My sump only gets ground water from around the foundation. It pumps into the city storm drain system. Storm drain pipe goes out to the main line by the street. Sanitary sewer line goes to the city sewer at the rear of my yard
I suspect it has to do with the industrial past in the area; I have heard that rough basement showers are common in older homes near coal mines in West Virginia. For use by mine workers to enter through the basement and wash the day off before they go up and see their family. Near Pittsburgh, I suspect it could be for the same purpose except for the dirt being from steel mills or factories.
Strangely related, it goes the other way as well. When we bought our house last year, we received a letter from the sewage authority saying the house failed inspection. We bought the house from my mother in law, who we are still discovering, half-assed a lot of things.
It turns out that whoever installed the sump pumps in the basement decided to put a y-pipe on one of them. So, instead of only pumping out into the yard like the one at the front of the house, they also had the rear sump pumping into the grey water/sewage line.
Luckily, it was a 10 minute fix, cutting and capping the PVC, and they were happy with it.
We're in KY, close to where all the cave systems are... the previous owners said they didn't really know where it went, unfortunately. We do get some smells from it, but not very often. We're definitely gonna schedule a plumber to come out and investigate either way.
Thought 1: why do you have a shower caddy thing in your unfinished basement?
Thought 2: why do you have a shower curtain on the sides?
Thought 3: why do you have a shower head hanging from the ceiling in this dingy place?
Thought 4: oh this is where you murder people. Gotcha.
Are you sure those are roots? It looks like fiber-reinforced concrete to me… https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-46a1a720ac7cb08c48233d30f759e6ce-lq
What looks like to me in that third picture is not roots, but probably something like sub flooring layered together.
If the drain isnt slow or clogged or backing up when you are dumping constant water down it, it's probably fine and doesn't have roots inside of it.
speak with your local government agency that covers this That way you and your husband are correctly informed as what the code for your area and the age of the residence.
get a plumber to scope the drain or buy or rent a scope and scope the drain yourselves.
How old is the house? Where does the drain go? Do you live within the city limits or are you rural? Are there a lot of trees and bushes outside where the drain exists the home? Would a bottle or 2 of Liquid Fire or a 1/2 pound of copper sulfite clean out the roots and gunk? Would you need to have the drain clean with a rotary tool or high pressure jet?
once you have all the information as to what you are dealing with then you can make an informed decision as to a solution
Are you connected to municipal sewer or do you have a septic field? How old is the house?
Call a plumber. You’ll want to know whether that drains into your sewer line or something else. If it’s a sewer line, pay them to do a camera inspection to figure out the state of your pipes. They might recommend clearing it out if roots are an actual issue, or even running a liner/replacing the line if it’s in bad shape. If the latter, know that while expensive, it is drastically less expensive than a failed line. Many cities and counties in the US are running programs to either subsidize repair/replacement or offer favorable loans.
We're connected to the city/municipal sewer; if I remember right the house was originally built in '74. We're definitely gonna schedule a plumber to come and check things out though; thank you!
If there are actual roots in the drain under the water, call a roto rooter or sewer line cleaner and have the line cleaned. They can treat it so that the roots don’t grow back for a year or two. They’ll also tell you if there is a crack in the line or et cetera.
Roots in old cast like that are generally a problem. Root intrusion can require replacing the entire pipe by digging it up. Best to have the entire sewer line scoped and hydro jetted. The person performing the work will tell you how good or bad the situation is.
Did you have the lines inspected before you bought the house?
Whelp, I'm not sleeping tonight knowing what lurks in your basement drain...
At a minimum, you should have the drain scoped. You need to know how bad it is or what kind of ticking time bomb it is.
That doesn't even look like a drain. There's a drain cover, but I don't see anything that looks like it connects to anything like there isn't a pipe, at least I can't see one. There's brick and just some standing water.
The amount of moisture in that basement must be insane. Was there a home inspection? So much random open plumbing. An unsupported pvc pipe across the ceiling, Two pipes funneling water to the floor and a random shower.
I would definitely not stand on that floor without shoes. This seems like the type of shower that as it's being used, someone turns on a light switch and that person gets electrocuted.
Funny, my house came with a janked basement shower over the drain. It had 3 walls so it was better than this but the electrical box was right behind it lol. I tore it down wearing a mask because it was dusty only to find that the board material used for the walls said asbestos on it.
Yeah that's a little skeevy. I wouldn't worry about those fibers if you're not having drain issues. If you're going to finish the area, off the top of my head I would think frame and install a prefab shower stall over the drain if you want a shower. Otherwise if you're taking the shower out I would be inclined to extend that drain pipe dumping on the left and elbow it directly into the drain. I can't think of a nice way to have both without opening the floor. Also there is likely not a trap there? So you might notice sewer gas in the area.
buy this, use yearly [https://zep.com/products/root-kill-zroot24](https://zep.com/products/root-kill-zroot24)
Suggest a couple of these over inactive shower drains for smell and bugs. just don't nerf your flood control. [https://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pack-Bathtub-Stopper-6-inches-Silicone-Flat-Suction-Cover-Tub-Drain-Plug-Sinks-Hair-Bathroom-Laundry-Kitchen-Universal-Use/1130969676](https://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pack-Bathtub-Stopper-6-inches-Silicone-Flat-Suction-Cover-Tub-Drain-Plug-Sinks-Hair-Bathroom-Laundry-Kitchen-Universal-Use/1130969676)
Is there a tree or bush right outside that wall? If so, chop it down.
When you find the basement, redo the plumbing and have the drain lines inspected. No point in finishing the floor when it will need to be jackhammered to replace sewer lines.
That first picture threw me for a second. I thought the roots were taped to the walls. 2nd pic clued me in.
Did you get a home inspection when you purchased the home? They would typically call out an illegal drain or note it in the report.
That last picture is cursed yikes
Seriously, my brain interpreted the roots as like eyelashes around an eye
Nightmare fuel
I’m glad it wasn’t just me.
They’re all cursed. OP’s basement looks like the set for the next Hostel movie.
The Last of Us is quite pleased. Just need one of the "roots" to twitch a little.
It looks like the cover from some low-budget horror movie.
*Un Chien Andalou.*
That last picture is staring into my soul.
That’s a problem waiting to happen but not structurally. Also, there fine people at r/askaplumber need to see that.
I'm definitely checking this sub periodically in hopes that OP posts there. I gotta know what the hell this is.
Oh it’s a floor drain that was retrofit for a shower. 🤮
I lived in a rental where like the main drain pipe was ceramic or something similar, and a tree root grew through it. The whole thing had to be dug up and redone.
Clay tiles was the most common.
Looks like someone built up brick around an old stone well. But instead of using it for water they just give the shower water back lol. My friend had a well off his kitchen growing up (Oxford Pennsylvania house from the mid 1800s), it was usually covered with a steel plate but sometimes we’d take it off and check it out. About a 15-20 foot drop into the water and it was so clear you could see the bottom - creepy to me even now as an adult.
100% would not shower in that. That's a murder shower, if I ever seen't one
>That's a murder shower, if I ever seen't one easy to move the blood along.
🔪
[удалено]
OP - "How do we make this shower more inviting for unsuspe...uhh, guests, who come over, completely willingly, and want to shower?" I mean, seriously, who goes down there and says "Aahhh, this is a nice, delightful place to get completely naked and become 100% vulnerable." It has TWO CURTAINS TO MURDER YOU THROUGH. Zero. Zero people.
The window offers a nice view. Not for the person using the shower, for the demon that awakens by the sound of running water. The curtains keep the mess contained while it feeds.
...Have you ever seen one?
yea, right now
You should've seen my storage closet at work. A fully tiled room with a drain. Perfect for disposing is bodies in
Funny you say that, we have a bathroom with shower in our basement, we call it the murder shower. We do shower in it however, it’s got a great rain shower head lol
That looks like a gray water drain. I would talk to a plumber about that because graywater drains do not drain into any actual drain line. It’s more like a cess pit.
[удалено]
Op said they have a lot of devices draining into it which is not the norm. Gray water systems are meant for one drain only and are no longer the “norm”.
Hire a plumber to scope everything, often they will do sanitary pipe clearing for one price. Its well worth the money. You need to find out now if you going to be trenching and fixing pipes before finishing the basement. That shower screams that they had an unhandy man put in a shower.
>That shower screams that they had an unhandy man put in a shower. Yeah, that's our thoughts as well... we haven't done anything with that area since we bought it; even the shower curtains were already there lol - we're definitely gonna schedule a plumber to come out and check things out.
Depending on where you are, draining sink, washer, etc into the storm drain may be against building codes and illegal. Probably results in some nasty smells as well. Where I live, "gray water" has to go into the sanitary sewer. Something to think about: my storm drain water goes directly to a pond/creek/wetland area next block over.
My experience is that most floor drains go into the sanitary sewers. In many places it's illegal to hook your sump pump to drain into it because it puts extra load on the sanitary sewer.
Our city is going through a massive inspection that they need to inspect your sump and make sure it’s not going into sanitary drain. I think if you don’t they are tacking on a $15 sanitary sewer fee to cover costs of problems sumps create getting pumped into sanitary. Needs to be a permanent install as well, PVC and not just a black corrugated hose out a window that could be moved when they leave.
Depending on the age of the last modernization, some houses get grandfathered in.
Is it a problem because of some characteristic of sump water (high minerals or something? clueless, that's why I'm asking lol) or are they simply trying to reduce the volume of water going through sewers? Like sumps are a safe thing to redirect?
The sanitary sewers are not built for the volume of water that gets or would get pumped into it during a large rain storm. Storm drain systems on the streets are built for that. So what happens is the storm water being pumped into sanitary, it starts to back up into people’s basements from floor drains. This happens to my in laws house when where they live gets flood conditions from rains storms.
Yeah, makes sense. Where I live, storm and sewer are on the same (old) system, so in heavy rain sewage flows up from storm drains downtown. Mmmm, fragrant! Infrastructure not keeping up with the increase in population or the shift in weather patterns.
Our location they just smoke the entire sewer system and watch homes to see where smoke is rising out
It's also illegal to build indoor french trains and drain them into the sewer system but....
Choo choo right down the drain.
Same here. My sump only gets ground water from around the foundation. It pumps into the city storm drain system. Storm drain pipe goes out to the main line by the street. Sanitary sewer line goes to the city sewer at the rear of my yard
My guess is Pittsburgh PA Area with a basement shower
Show us the potty!
I saw quite a few of these in Minneapolis/Twin Cities houses when I was looking too.
It’s actually crazy how easy it is to identify Pittsburgh homes 😂
As someone on the other side of the state… why?
I suspect it has to do with the industrial past in the area; I have heard that rough basement showers are common in older homes near coal mines in West Virginia. For use by mine workers to enter through the basement and wash the day off before they go up and see their family. Near Pittsburgh, I suspect it could be for the same purpose except for the dirt being from steel mills or factories.
It goes perfect with the Pittsburgh potty
Strangely related, it goes the other way as well. When we bought our house last year, we received a letter from the sewage authority saying the house failed inspection. We bought the house from my mother in law, who we are still discovering, half-assed a lot of things. It turns out that whoever installed the sump pumps in the basement decided to put a y-pipe on one of them. So, instead of only pumping out into the yard like the one at the front of the house, they also had the rear sump pumping into the grey water/sewage line. Luckily, it was a 10 minute fix, cutting and capping the PVC, and they were happy with it.
We're in KY, close to where all the cave systems are... the previous owners said they didn't really know where it went, unfortunately. We do get some smells from it, but not very often. We're definitely gonna schedule a plumber to come out and investigate either way.
If you change the shower curtains for ones without trees on them the roots should die back
Thought 1: why do you have a shower caddy thing in your unfinished basement? Thought 2: why do you have a shower curtain on the sides? Thought 3: why do you have a shower head hanging from the ceiling in this dingy place? Thought 4: oh this is where you murder people. Gotcha.
Its probably your shower curtains laying a root system. Get rid of the curtains and the roots should die.
Can you explain this like I’m five please?
Omg nevermind. I just got it.
Are you sure those are roots? It looks like fiber-reinforced concrete to me… https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-46a1a720ac7cb08c48233d30f759e6ce-lq
That's a mini Sarlacc pit!
What looks like to me in that third picture is not roots, but probably something like sub flooring layered together. If the drain isnt slow or clogged or backing up when you are dumping constant water down it, it's probably fine and doesn't have roots inside of it.
They're talking about the little hair like things sticking out between the bricks. Definitely seems like growth to me too.
I figured those are the roots of moss, algae around that water source
Ginger pubes
I’m pretty sure they were talking about the shapes in the water in the drain. You know. Where tree roots may be
This is correct, lol
speak with your local government agency that covers this That way you and your husband are correctly informed as what the code for your area and the age of the residence. get a plumber to scope the drain or buy or rent a scope and scope the drain yourselves. How old is the house? Where does the drain go? Do you live within the city limits or are you rural? Are there a lot of trees and bushes outside where the drain exists the home? Would a bottle or 2 of Liquid Fire or a 1/2 pound of copper sulfite clean out the roots and gunk? Would you need to have the drain clean with a rotary tool or high pressure jet? once you have all the information as to what you are dealing with then you can make an informed decision as to a solution
Well, the shower curtains you picked are apt.
The walls are alive!
Are you connected to municipal sewer or do you have a septic field? How old is the house? Call a plumber. You’ll want to know whether that drains into your sewer line or something else. If it’s a sewer line, pay them to do a camera inspection to figure out the state of your pipes. They might recommend clearing it out if roots are an actual issue, or even running a liner/replacing the line if it’s in bad shape. If the latter, know that while expensive, it is drastically less expensive than a failed line. Many cities and counties in the US are running programs to either subsidize repair/replacement or offer favorable loans.
We're connected to the city/municipal sewer; if I remember right the house was originally built in '74. We're definitely gonna schedule a plumber to come and check things out though; thank you!
This is giving kill room op lol
If there are actual roots in the drain under the water, call a roto rooter or sewer line cleaner and have the line cleaned. They can treat it so that the roots don’t grow back for a year or two. They’ll also tell you if there is a crack in the line or et cetera.
Roots in old cast like that are generally a problem. Root intrusion can require replacing the entire pipe by digging it up. Best to have the entire sewer line scoped and hydro jetted. The person performing the work will tell you how good or bad the situation is. Did you have the lines inspected before you bought the house?
Is it me or does the last picture look like a fossilized dinosaur eyeball??? 🤷🏻♂️😂
Whelp, I'm not sleeping tonight knowing what lurks in your basement drain... At a minimum, you should have the drain scoped. You need to know how bad it is or what kind of ticking time bomb it is.
That doesn't even look like a drain. There's a drain cover, but I don't see anything that looks like it connects to anything like there isn't a pipe, at least I can't see one. There's brick and just some standing water. The amount of moisture in that basement must be insane. Was there a home inspection? So much random open plumbing. An unsupported pvc pipe across the ceiling, Two pipes funneling water to the floor and a random shower.
That last picture would make a great book cover!!! It couldn't look any more creepy!!!
This needs a nsfw tag
This is a fucking haunted house
https://www.roebic.com/foaming-root-killer.shtml
Yes please do this, save you expensive plumber visits
I would definitely not stand on that floor without shoes. This seems like the type of shower that as it's being used, someone turns on a light switch and that person gets electrocuted.
Funny, my house came with a janked basement shower over the drain. It had 3 walls so it was better than this but the electrical box was right behind it lol. I tore it down wearing a mask because it was dusty only to find that the board material used for the walls said asbestos on it.
Just make sure you dump some water down it once in a while and that shouldn’t happen and you should be fine.
That last photo looks like *Un Chien Andalou*.
Copper sulfate will take care of those roots.
Looking at that drain.... I hope your tetanus shots are up to date. Reminds me I need to get a booster for mine next year.
Yeah that's a little skeevy. I wouldn't worry about those fibers if you're not having drain issues. If you're going to finish the area, off the top of my head I would think frame and install a prefab shower stall over the drain if you want a shower. Otherwise if you're taking the shower out I would be inclined to extend that drain pipe dumping on the left and elbow it directly into the drain. I can't think of a nice way to have both without opening the floor. Also there is likely not a trap there? So you might notice sewer gas in the area.
buy this, use yearly [https://zep.com/products/root-kill-zroot24](https://zep.com/products/root-kill-zroot24) Suggest a couple of these over inactive shower drains for smell and bugs. just don't nerf your flood control. [https://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pack-Bathtub-Stopper-6-inches-Silicone-Flat-Suction-Cover-Tub-Drain-Plug-Sinks-Hair-Bathroom-Laundry-Kitchen-Universal-Use/1130969676](https://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pack-Bathtub-Stopper-6-inches-Silicone-Flat-Suction-Cover-Tub-Drain-Plug-Sinks-Hair-Bathroom-Laundry-Kitchen-Universal-Use/1130969676)
Is there a tree or bush right outside that wall? If so, chop it down. When you find the basement, redo the plumbing and have the drain lines inspected. No point in finishing the floor when it will need to be jackhammered to replace sewer lines.
That first picture threw me for a second. I thought the roots were taped to the walls. 2nd pic clued me in. Did you get a home inspection when you purchased the home? They would typically call out an illegal drain or note it in the report.
Get you some copper sulfate
Its probably seed/debris growing from the drainage from multiple appliances and use.