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jcpak · Feb 11, 2006, 07:24 PM

My townhouse is 1 1/2 years old and I live in the end unit. There's a 6-8 inch PVC that comes out of my basement floor. The pipe is flush with the floor and has a cover. The cover doesn't screw or snap on, it just sits on top of the pipe. 8 or 10 inches down the pipe is a cap that screws on. My problem is that water backs up from this pipe when water is drained from the tub/shower and kitchen sink. The pipe also backs up when I run the washing machine and the water drains -- the washing machine drain backs up as well. The water in tubs and sinks drain OK, it's just that the water backs up in this pipe and floods my basement. I don't seem to have this problem when I flush the toilet though.

I'm not sure if this means my main drain is backed up or not. Apparently I'm the only one in my row that has this pipe in my basement. Anyone have any idea that this pipe is and why it's backing up? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

speedball1 · Feb 12, 2006, 05:05 AM

Good Morning JC,

It's your tough luck to be the unit on the low end of the building. That means that all the units in the building drain under your basement on the way to the city sewer. The pipe in your basement is a cleanout and if the cover were screwed on tight the backup wouldn't come up through there, it would back up out of your floor drain. As the unit at the lowest end of the drainage system your unit would back up first. This explains why it's happening. Let me tell you what has to be done to fix it.
The sewer will have to be snaked from the cleanout out to the street. The fact that you have water backing up in it tells me that the blockage is downstream from the cleanout. Since this drainage system's shared by the other units it makes the drainage system a "shared area" by all the other units. It's not fair to burden you with the entire cost of getting the sewer snaked out. I would contact the Condo Association and see if the Condo Docs have a provision that would pay for it or at least spread the cost among the other units in your building. Good luck, Tom

jcpak · Feb 12, 2006, 03:44 PM

That's for your reply speedball. I was wrong about the pipe... I'm not the only one in my row that has it in the basement. My next door neighbor has it as well. Any other ideas what this could be?

speedball1 · Feb 12, 2006, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by jcpak

that's for your reply speedball. i was wrong about the pipe... i'm not the only one in my row that has it in the basement. my next door neighbor has it as well. any other ideas what this could be?

This is a cleanout and this is where you will snake from. Since this appears to be a individual drainage system you will be responsible for the repair. Regards, Tom