If the street and city sewer system flood, will that cause my ejector pump to start running? I believe it has a check valve for normal operation but I'm wondering what happens in an extraordinary situation!

Thanks. So if my yard is flooded and water logged, some of that water could be getting into the sewer pit where the ejector pump is located as well as to the sump pump pit?

Two things come to mind. #1 your check valve may be leaking city sewage back into your home. When the city floods your yard may be doing the same and getting water logged. This could be seeping into your pit.

The check valve should prevent any backflow into your hose. If that's a major concern why not install a sewer back flow preventer on the sewer line ahead of the cleanout? Good luck, Tom

Hi Mattci,
You started two threads on the same subject so I merger your posts. After this use the "edit" button on the bottom and add your comments.


Thanks. So if my yard is flooded and water logged, some of that water could be getting into the sewer pit where the ejector pump is located as well as to the sump pump pit? No! Not if the yard floods. However, if your basement floods it's a different story. You don't have the rain water runoff tied into the sewer do you?
If the city main backing into your basement then you should install a sewer check valve just ahead of your cleanout. If you still have concerns tell me about them. Regards, Tom

I appreciate you answering my questions so I am going to risk pushing my luck by telling you the whole tale... we had a historic rain storm in Chicago about a month ago. The street was completely flooded and so was my front yard but not to the point where water reached all the way to the house and entered through any doors or windows. I awoke to 8 inches of water in the basement (and rising). The house has two sump pumps in one pit and an ejector pump in a sewer pit a few feet away. The pits are not connected in any way that I can tell. The previous owners had incorrectly connected the back-up sump pump and the ejector pump to a single fuse which blew sometime in the night once the primary sump pump was overwhelmed. I believe the water in the basement was mostly rain water but strangely the bathtub in the basement bathroom had also filled partially with water and there was a slight sewer smell. Once I reset the fuse and got all 3 pumps working the basement drained despite the fact that it was still raining. I still can't figure out why the bathtub would have filled with water unless sewer water was getting into the basement in addition to all of the rain water particularly if the ejector pump has a check valve, which I think it does. Thanks for any help! (hopefully I didn't just start another thread).

You're doing just fine and than you fort the input. The more we know the better we can help. Yes, all ejector system have check valves to prevent back ups
Sounds like your check valve isn't doing its job. It may be as simple as a piece of trash got under the flapper but I would have it looked at. That's how sewage entered the lowest fixture in the house. The basement tub. Have you looked into waterproof your basement?
I was born in Rockford and raised in Beloit, I lived on the North Side for a while before moving to Florida.
We get some dandy storms here also. Bottom line? If your basement floods it will kick on the two sump pumps to evacuate the basement. however, the sewage is a closed system as far as the rain water goes./
No sewage will back up into your drainage system as long as the ejector check valve's working. Regards, Tom

So it sounds like the most likely explanation is that the city sewer system backed up in the storm and started to enter my sewer pit because the check valve wasn't fully closed. Then, because the ejector pump's fuse had blown, the pump never kicked on even though the sewer pit was filling up. Sound plausible?

If the pump had been operating, would the tub still have filled up just due to a faulty check valve?

I'm sure you don't miss Rockford in February (if at all!) compared to Florida.

Thanks again.

If you have a floor drain, and the basement flooded, the water could back up from the floor drain into the tub if the sewer ejector pump was not working (no power). There is no check valve between the floor drain and the tub, only a check valve on the discharge side of the sewer ejector pit. So any ground water that came into the basement could easily backup into the tub if the water was high enough.

If the pump had been operating, would the tub still have filled up just due to a faulty check valve?
Probably not! It would depend upon how much liquid the check valve let in. If enough came in to overpower the pump then it would back up in the lowest fixture in your home./
Regards, Tom

Just drove past Rockford a few minutes ago. Still looks wet. If that fuse blew and the check valve wasn't closing it would just keep cycling, probably would not flood.