Hi there,

This is my very first chat posting on a website... but here it goes...

I have recently noticed that solid toilet waste is floating up to the top of the water that is present in my floor drain in the basement. The drains and all the outlet plumbing of the house seems to work fine, but every week or so, I notice a foul odour coming from the basement. When I check it is indeed the solids floating up in the floor drain.

I have been in the house 7 years and have only noticed this problem in the last 2 years or so. In that period two notable things have changed that I can think of

1) I renovated my that rooms and am now using low volume toilets 1.6 gpf and
2) my street has been rebuilt including the sewer system

The sewage is not backing up out of the drain so the problem is more of an annoyance than a crisis but I am planning to finish my basement and would hate to have to smell that foul odour in my newly finished basement.

Does anyone have an idea why this might be occurring? Or how it might be fixed?

Thanks in advance.

PGM

Hey PGM:

I'll tell you.. I would usually kind of guess at the things I think are going on here... such as clogged main drain line... back pitched drain line underground, broken pipe underground... etc.

However... you said future.. NEWLY FINISHED BASEMENT

I guess I am thinking that you need to be sure of what is going on here... so that you can be confident of drain system BEFORE finishing the basement... So I am thinking it may be a good idea to get your main drain line videotaped.

It is expensive, too ($300.00-$400.00)... but you know exactly what is happening in your drain pipes. Here, they will send a camera down the main drain line so you can actually see the inside of the main drain line (they video record it to CD or VHS, too).

If main line clear... then issue is at the floor drain or near it. If not.. video should reveal issues.

Also.. if planning to finish your basement, you may want to consider sump pump and water main/water heater shut off/alarms (and oh... so much more... ;) ).

This may be a bit overkill... but I think I would want to be sure here. Nothing worse than finished basement and then having to chop up the floor to repair pipes!

Let me know what you think...

Mark

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Originally Posted by pgm

Hi there,

This is my very first chat posting on a website... but here it goes...

I have recently noticed that solid toilet waste is floating up to the top of the water that is present in my floor drain in the basement. The drains and all the outlet plumbing of the house seems to work fine, but every week or so, I notice a foul odour coming from the basement. When I check it is indeed the solids floating up in the floor drain.

I have been in the house 7 years and have only noticed this problem in the last 2 years or so. In that period two notable things have changed that I can think of

1) I renovated my that rooms and am now using low volume toilets 1.6 gpf and
2) my street has been rebuilt including the sewer system

The sewage is not backing up out of the drain so the problem is more of an annoyance than a crisis but I am planning to finish my basement and would hate to have to smell that foul odour in my newly finished basement.

Does anyone have an idea why this might be occurring? Or how it might be fixed?

Thanks in advance.

PGM

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Hey Mark,

Thanks for the quick reply. I agree the last thing I want is trouble with the pipes AFTER finishing the basement. I am guessing the main line is clear. Just after the street was redone, there was a big storm and there was back up into my basement (and several of my neighbours). As a result, just as a precaution, we had a company come in and auger out main line all the way to the street. There was a slight

Quote:

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disturbance

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where the line left the house and connected to the city pipes, but other than that no roots or major clogs.

I am wondering if since we switched to low flow toilets whether there is simply not enough water volume to carry the solids past the p-trap near the floor drain.

Or if, since they did the street connections over, if perhaps the main line is not completely draining because the connection to the main steel pipe is too high. In essence making the whole line work like a trap?

Curious to know you thoughts? (I guess videoing the main line would help confirm if there is standing water in the main line wouldn't it?)

"I am wondering if since we switched to low flow toilets whether there is simply not enough water volume to carry the solids past the p-trap near the floor drain".

Low flow toilets are not the issue here...can't be, unless something wrong with the drain line...then it is the drain line, not the low flow toilets. I know this so confidently because I've been using these low flow toilets for years now and they work just fine. When problems pop up...not water issue, but drain or venting issue!

"Or if, since they did the street connections over, if perhaps the main line is not completely draining because the connection to the main steel pipe is too high. In essence making the whole line work like a trap?"

You answered... (I guess videoing the main line would help confirm if there is standing water in the main line wouldn't it?)

And I agree completely!!

Let me know if care to discuss further. Sewer floating in floor drains suggests that something is up here and if your sewer guy hit a DISTURBANCE just at the foundation awhile back... well, maybe it has worsened.

I hate to see you spend money needlessly, but as stated earlier... hate to see issues when finished basement.. well... finished... ;)

Keep me posted... MARK

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You probably have clogged main sewer pipe. Since the floor drain is the lowest drain in the whole drain system in your house, it will overflow first.

For now, plug the drain with "dollar plug" or "test wing plug" so you don't have sewer odor entering your house. Have your main sewer snaked ASAP.