"Indirect" plumbing connections

[domaz]

I've lived in an old house many years and since I've been here the washer in the basement drains into the floor drain, which drains into the sanitary sewer. It's not an ideal setup but it works fine and I don't see a lot of reason to have it redone. I have also added a darkroom sink next to it and I am also draining that sink into the floor drain. Is there any disadvantage to this other than that the city might force me to fix it at some point to bring it "up to code"? Indirect connections are apparently used a lot I found in restaurants but not as much in residential and I can't find much on the pros and cons of them.

[Doremus Scudder]

I worked in a darkroom for years in which the sink and everything else just drained into a floor drain. Absolutely no problems ever.

Doremus

[Tin Can]

I am required in writing on the city form correct ANY possible cross connection every year

contamination of potable water

This is a very small town

I never fight city hall or police

[awty]

Draining into the cities sewerage treatment plant is the best place for it. What the regular body doesnt know wont hurt them.
You would want to avoid draining into a septic system or to ground water or stormwater.
Cross contamination into drinking water can be avoided with various backflow prevention devices or simply not allowing water to direct feed without an air gap into your wash tank.

[domaz]

My floor drain goes to the regular sewer. My whole house had the main sewer drain pipe to the city re-done with all the associated digging etc. It was easy to confirm where it goes at that point.

[Doremus Scudder]

My floor drain goes to the regular sewer. My whole house had the main sewer drain pipe to the city re-done with all the associated digging etc. It was easy to confirm where it goes at that point.

The floor drain should work fine if all the other plumbing/venting/anti-siphon systems are in order.

How you dispose of photochemistry is a separate question. For a low-volume black-and-white darkroom, most chemicals can be discarded into the sewer system. Used fixer is the obvious exception. It's better to take it somewhere for silver recovery (find a photo lab in your area, they'll likely be happy to take it). Some municipalities allow small amounts of used fixer to be disposed of in the sewer system. Check with your local authorities. Developer and stop are not a problem normally. There are lots of threads on exactly this here, so search a bit.

Best,

Doremus

[Ron McElroy]

My basement darkroom drains into an open floor drain. No problem except when the 100 year old outside sewer line gave up the ghost. Everything in the house backed up in to the basement floor.

[Jody_S]

No issues whatsoever, nothing in normal photo chemistry will support a colony of bacteria, which is what would normally cause a health hazard in a home. The silver in your used fixer would serve to kill any bacteria that do try to colonize the floor drain plumbing.

[Tin Can]

me too

My basement darkroom drains into an open floor drain. No problem except when the 100 year old outside sewer line gave up the ghost. Everything in the house backed up in to the basement floor.

[Eric Woodbury]

I grey-water my darkroom effluent, which is greater than 99% water. Old chems I run down the toilet (black-water). My grey-water goes to water fruit trees. I don't use HQ and little metol. Exhausted fix does have silver in it (thus down the toilet), which was an issue 30 years ago, but now there is so little silver photography left that nobody cares. Silver will plate-out in the presence of iron. Grey water here is legal and encouraged.

Your "indirect" connection would be fine here.

Our community well is closely monitored by the county month-to-month and is perfect even without treatment. Lots of calcium however.

Sleep well.