If it were intended as a sump (unlikely given its location), it would probably be filled with gravel instead of sand. Filling it with sand sounds more like a old pipe or well that was decommissioned (poorly).
Where did the OP give us a picture?
Thank you!
And, thank you!
The thousand injuries of Handsomeharry I had endured…:dubious:
Now I’m expecting the OP to report hearing a jingle of bells from the pipe…
That refers to a Stephen King novel?
And the floor was wet no more.
But I still heard the damned cat.
I’ve seen sump pits in the middle of a modern home basement. But it was obviously tied to a water drain system where softeners and other water lines might back up and flood a basement.
Approximately what year was the house built?
What area of the country (US, I presume?)
What’s the pipe made of (cast iron? PVC?)
You people suggesting to just throw some shit over it to seal it up…No. Just, no.
Might be access to a whole house trap clean out plug. Had one in the basement of the house I grew up in. Sunk about a foot under the floor surface in a one foot square hole.
OP: lots of options. You won’t know until you dig out the sand…
Try this from post #16 by the OP:
Its funny that they didn’t simply dig out the sand and have a look to see whats in it .
I dont think the placement is particular telling… I mean, isn’t it best NOT to put these things at the wall, because if you have to replace it, then the wall is in the way ?
here’s a valve in a 10" hole.
This was a very helpful suggestion - I called them. I didn’t actually ask for the blueprints, but I did ask them to look up their records and tell me who the plumber was who did the original plumbing for this house. Then I called that guy and asked him what it was. He said it’s a tube for the “backwater valve”, the valve itself being buried somewhere in the sand. He said it should have had an access cover/panel.
But he said it shouldn’t be wet, and the only way to deal with that is to dig it up and see what’s going on with the valve itself. This is beyond the amount of DIY work I’m willing to do on a rental apartment, so I scheduled a visit from his crew. (The advantage of him over another plumber is that he won’t be able to give me the old “it’s such a big job because some idiot did a lousy job with the original installation” line.)
A valve or clean out is sounding very likely. If the hole is just 10 inches in diameter it would have been put in when the house was built, that wouldn’t be enough space to add something later.
ETA: I see it did turn out to be a valve.
So what’s a backwater valve?
Good plan.
Maybe that’s where Fritz Weaver’s men hid the bomb?