I have an unfinished basement. The walls and floors of the basement are concrete. I have a drain in the basement floor that feeds directly into the sewer. I know that my sewer line runs below the level of the basement (Roto Rooter has been a frequent visitor) to the main city sewer line in the alley. It is a gravity system; I have no pumps controlling my waste water. 99% of the time, waste water leaves my property as the designed. (My entire sewer line to the alley has been replaced, sometime in the last 10 yrs).

Last night, the sewer backflowed into my basement... again (this is the fourth time this has happened; the last was exactly one week ago). Roto Rooter snaked my line and found nothing. I called the City, and they know of no issues in my neighborhood. My neighbors have had no issues.

The backflow problems always occur at night when the house is using little-to-no water - no showers, no toilet, no washer, no disherwasher is running. I'm relatively sure I do not have a back-flow restrictor valve/flap installed (old house?). Every time this happens, the walls are all entirely dry, and the floor is wet, esp around the drain. I live in the desert - our ground is very dry, so I know it is coming from the drain.

I want to fill the drain hole up w/ cement (and install a pump for code purposes). How do I do this? Do I just mix concrete and pour it down?

Why not install a sewer backflow preventer. Sewer Backflow Preventer Valve - Sewer Backwater Valves - Peterson Sewer Valve (http://www.petersonvalve.com/) If you cement the floor drain you will still get backups and some day you might wish to complete your basement and will need that floor drain. Good luck, Tom

After cleaning up raw sewage in this space, I don't think I'll ever be able to stomach refinishing it (plus it's currently open to the crawl space, and in New Mexico I'd never be able to sell it as square footage due to no outside access). Further, as I understand it, the back flow preventor would have to be installed below the basement level under the cement = $$$? My neighbors have a basement w/ no drain and they have no problems w/ backflow - I get it all instead.

If you're not using the space, and the pipe is suitable (a place for the plug to grip) why not seal it up with a test plug?

4 inch Test Plug T31004 by Jones Stephens Info and Reviews | DoItYourself.com (http://www.doityourself.com/invt/6331227)

This has the advantage of being completely reversible, and even cheaper than concrete (which WILL leak through if there's pressure behind it in the pipe)

I agree with the other comments here... you would probably be better off retaining that drain. On the other hand, sewage backups are no fun. Even if I had to break the concrete to get down past the drain fitting (to the real pipe) I'd use the plug.


~aaron

Ps: I'm NOT a plumber!

OK! If you don't want to install a sewer backflow preventer how about installing one on your floor drain,(see image) so nothing backs up out of it any more. Failing that you can simply fill the floordraine trap with cement. Good luck, Tom