How do I find a drain on garage floor?

Al
by Al
I had my garage floor covered with an acrylic surface a number of years ago. Now I need to find the drain that was covered up when the floor was put down. How do I find the drain?

  6 answers
  • Michele Pappagallo Michele Pappagallo on Dec 12, 2017

    If you have a copy of the original floor plan, it may show the location. i am not sure what kind of acrylic surface you are talking about, but could you possibly tap in the area where the drain was and see if you can hear a hollow sound?

  • the drain would have been put in a slightly shallow depression. If you run/dump a little water near the center of the garage, does it pool/run in a particular direction? That would indicate where the drain might be.

  • GrandmasHouseDIY GrandmasHouseDIY on Dec 12, 2017

    Check out any old pics you might have so you can get the closest estimate possible on exactly where it was. Then I would try tapping around, there should be a difference in sound where the drain is

  • 27524803 27524803 on Dec 12, 2017

    If the acrylic surface was not a 'self leveling" one.. take a marble, ball bearing or golf ball and gently start it slowly rolling across the surface of your garage floor... it should circle and settle into the depression where the drain is.

  • Sharon Sharon on Dec 12, 2017

    I would use some sort of metal detector, like an electronic stud finder that has the extra light for finding metal. or you could try a strong magnet that might be able to find it through the epoxy. My client had a big circular one that we put on a string to drag across the ground to pick up screws from debri.

    I doubt the depression thing would work cause epoxy is self-leveling so it gonna be thickest where you covered the drain. Don't do that again. Next time take off the drain cover and put a roll of wadded up paper in there above the floor level, then you can put the cover back on when the floor dries.

  • Lyn28453705 Lyn28453705 on Dec 12, 2017

    Use a level, the drain should be at the lowest point. Alternatively, a hand held heat sensor, like for use when barbecuing might show a slight difference in where the drain is, especially if it is metal. But I can hardly believe that they covered it, since that would have been more difficult than to acrylic around it. If yours is like my garage, maybe a box is covering it ! :)