Central Air condensate is pumped into a hole in the basement floor?

Question

I’ve tried to do some research on this topic but am a little confused and would like to know if I’ve got a problem here that I need to remedy.
I think I want to install a self-draining dehumidifier in my basement. My only reason for doing this is the presence of efflorescence. Not sure if this helps that issue at all or if it will be a non-issue after I seal all the concrete, but I digress. Because I want a self-draining dehumidifier with no sink in the basement, I figured I could see where the AC condensate is being pumped and have the dehumidifier do the same, so I followed that line and found that it just empties the condensate into a hole in the floor. (Picture attached)
Some googling lead me to reading up on slumps but I’m really confused. This hole currently has water in it and I’m not sure how deep it goes. There’s no pump to pump it out of the house if it gets too high
Is this normal? Do I need to do something about it? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated

isherwood · Accepted Answer

It's just a typical floor drain, and it's the ideal place to drain your dehumidifier. What you see is the water trap, which prevents sewer gas from escaping. It presumably connects to your sanitary sewer, so be conscientious about what you dump into it.
Here's a modern drain just to illustrate the trap concept:

image source

JACK · Answer

This is a regular basement floor drain. there is a trap below the slab and that's why you see the water... that's a good sign. You should get a drain cover from your home store similar to the one below. Measure the diameter of the drain and hit the home store or a plumbing supply store for the cover.

Ed Beal · Answer

My first thought is it’s a floor drain until I notice it is close to the wall.
This is a location for a clean out. Can you see standing water?
If it is a clean out and not a floor drain it should not be left open.
If you see standing water indicating a p trap below the floor it is a standard floor drain and would be fine to continue to use for the dehumidifier drain.
If you see water flowing , no standing water it is a clean out and should be sealed.
You can probably still use it by having a trap on the drains into it but it should not be open if there is no trap.

Central Air condensate is pumped into a hole in the basement floor?

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