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    riannsholar's Avatar
    riannsholar Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Nov 10, 2008, 03:10 PM
    Does my basement drain go to the sewer?
    I have a dilemma. My mother in law had a new bathroom put in her house. Her contractor ran her toilet/shower/sink/washer to the drain in the basement. This was done about 2 years ago. Now water is dripping from her air conditioning unit and into her furnace. (The condensation drain from her a/c is also run into the basement drain.) A furnace guy came today and upon opening the a/c unit, found it full of feces and toilet paper. She had 2 other professionals come over to look and they all say what her contractor did is illegal. He claims the basement drain goes to the sewer and it is not his problem as it has been 2 years since he did the work. My question is, does the basement drain go to the sewer as he says, or is it simply run into a drain field?
    massplumber2008's Avatar
    massplumber2008 Posts: 12,832, Reputation: 1212
    Senior Plumbing Expert
    		  
    #2

    Nov 10, 2008, 04:49 PM
    Riannsholar...

    My guess is that that the drains are all fine... but I am also thinking that the condensation drain may be the lowest fixture in the house... yes..? In other words... are there any sinks in the basement or is this the only open drain in basement?

    If this is the lowest drain in the house then it seems to me that the sewer main drain line may be partially blocked and is backing up and overflowing the condensation drain. If this is the case then you will need to hire a plumber that can snake the main drain line or you can rent a large sewer snake at a local rental store and perhaps you can snake this for your mother-in-law..?

    If I am right about the drain being lowest fixture, then I would have you open the main drain line cleanout cap/plug and then flush toilets and drain tubs to see if it backs up to the cap/plug... if so, then we have our answer... ;)

    Let me know more here... ok?

    MARK
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