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Basement floor drain backs up
Hello! We recently purchased our first home built in 1956. We have had a couple of plumbing issues arise so far.
First, the kitchen sink wouldn't drain. We took all the pipes off the wall (there was nothing in the trap) and ran the roto rooter thing (no plumbing experience obviously! ) down. It seems to have worked so far as the sink is draining. Next, I did several loads of laundry (in the basement) the first couple of days and everything was fine. Then a few days ago after doing a load of laundry, the drain on the floor backed up and we guesstimate about a quart of water came out. It worries me because it is very close to the furnace unit. We tried putting the roto-rooter thing down the drain on the floor, but it's almost as if there is no opening! We can't get it to go anywhere! I think it might be a "P" trap I've heard about on this forum. When you look into the drain, you can see standing water. No sewage smell or anything. We do have a sump pump if that matters. This morning my husband called me and said there was water out of the drain on the floor in the basement after he took a shower (which is upstairs). :confused: :eek: I am in need of clean laundry! Please help! THanks! |
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 Originally Posted by ganewton4
You have a partial blockage downstream from the floor drain. Fiber from the washer combined with grease from the kitchen sink,( especially if you have a disposal unit) cakes together in the drain and builds up to form a partial blockage. To clear this problem you will have to snake out the washer vent from the roof. If you haven't a power sewer machine you can rent one at the RentAll place. Let the cable go all the way down to the bend at the base and then run out 20 feet more to be sure you clear it. Afterwards run a wash cycle on the washer to flush out any crud that remains. Good luck, Tom |
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Thank you soooo much for your quick response! Sounds like a weekend project for my husband and I! We will try and see what happens.
By the way, we are on city sewer. Will that make a difference with anything we need to do? Thanks again for being so helpful! :) |
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Thanks, I'll let you know what we find! :cool:
Well, bad news. The back up became worse, fast. So we needed action soon. We called a plumber. He came and got A TON of roots out of the main pipe to the street. Then today, they sent a camera into the pipe. Seems that at our sidewalk in front of the house, there is still the original clay pipe that is cracked where roots are getting in. He said we ned to get it fixed and gave us an estimate of $4000-5000!! Is that a little much? He said they'd have to dig a 7 foot trench in the yard to replace the pipe. What are your thoughts on this? :( |
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These tend to...
Originally Posted by ganewton4
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Originally Posted by ganewton4
Most root problems occur at the city raiser where the house sewer connects to the city main. If the house sewer's intact and the fault lies with the city raiser then it's their responsibility to repair it. If the 4 to 5000$ covers replacing 50 feet of sewer line then the price is outrageous. We're talking a two man job that would take a day at most to complete. If that's the kind of money plumbers make nowadays then I retired too damm early. Cheers, Tom |
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Some people pay up to 7000$ to replace cast iron and clay pipe,just make sur ethey r using sch 40 pipe and sure bands when they connect the pvc with the cast iron coming out of your house,but good luck,also your doing a good thing with replacing the old pipe with new,u won't have any roots problems
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Some people pay up to 7000$ to replace cast iron and clay pipe,just make sur ethey r using sch 40 pipe and sure bands when they connect the pvc with the cast iron coming out of your house,but good luck,also your doing a good thing with replacing the old pipe with new,u won't have any roots problems
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First things first! Let me help with the roots. If you wish to control roots RootX or Robics Foaming Root Killer that contain Dichlobrnic are two products you could try. A less expensive way would be to call around to garden supply stores and ask for fine grain Copper Sulphate. Put a 1/2 pound in your toilet and flush it down. Repeat in 6 months. Flickit was correct when he advised yoiuy to get at least three bids, As for figging up your front lawn to replace the sewer line have you checked the cost of relining the sewer instead of replacing it? Good luck, Tom |
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