I recently purchased a 40 year old home with a finished bsmt. I have had 2 minor floods in the bsmt since the purchase. I was looking for the floor drain and was unable to locate it due to carpeting. My home inspector wasn't able to locate it either (he didn't look very hard.) Things to consider: I have a complete wet bar with commercial fridges. The piping from the sink is directed towards and behind the wall. I have a full bathroom with stand-up shower. The drain for the shower appears to drain straight down. Is it possible that the previous owners utilized the floor drain for either of these upgrades and left no emergency drain? Or is it a possibility that there exists another drain elsewhere, if so how do I locate it?
Answer:
My hope is that you live in a jurisdiction where a "statement of disclosure" is pre-requisite to sales of real estate. Both your suggestions are possible but that inspector should have been able to point that out to you. Concrete basement floors are poured in a manner that slopes toward the floor drain and if that drain is covered by the shower or some other fixture, it should have been noted in the "Statement of Disclosure" by the vendor.
