ᐅ Basement: Is the Laundry Room / Utility Shaft Still Up to Date?

We are currently working on the detailed planning for the basement. Based on experience and the habit from our parents’ houses, we assumed that a floor drain (or floor trap) is generally installed in the basement room where the dryer, washing machine, etc., are located. However, our builder has informed us that this is not standard practice and is generally no longer common or desired.

What is considered standard or typical nowadays? We have planned a room in the basement as a utility room, where the heating system (district heating), hot water storage tank (solar thermal system), and all other connections will be installed.

Question: In times of, for example, washing machines with aquastop devices, is it still necessary to include a floor drain? Additionally, the inspection shaft and the wastewater shaft are probably located under the main street at a higher level. Keyword: additional costs due to a sewage lifting station?

Hello,

whether this makes sense for you or is up-to-date is ultimately something you have to decide for yourselves.

It can’t be that “outdated,” since the benefit in case of an emergency is significant. During our house construction, the utility provider (district heating) even required that a floor drain be installed in the room where the transfer station is located.

If I were you, I would install the drain as well—unless it would require a lifting station just because of that.

It seems that the sewer pipe provided by the city is at a higher level than the basement. Isn't this generally a mistake on the city's part? Normally, this pipe should always be lower than the inspection chamber.

What costs can be expected for a lifting station, assuming it only needs to handle greywater, that is, no sewage? What costs should I anticipate for installing a shaft in the utility room/laundry room? It’s just a hole and a pipe, so it shouldn’t be too expensive, or am I mistaken?

As far as I know, a small lifting station is sufficient for greywater. Around €200 plus labor and minor materials.

Hello!
We also decided to install a floor drain (drain shaft) in the basement technical/laundry room. In our opinion, it is always a good idea to have a floor drain at the lowest point in the house.

After consulting with our general contractor, the issue is that the shaft would be located below the drainage level, so an electric backwater valve system would need to be installed for approximately 4000€ (including the shaft). This seems really expensive to me. What should be considered or recommended to properly and safely protect against water backing up during flooding or heavy rain when having a basement below the sewer line? A mechanical backflow preventer?