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I hope you can open the picture file I've attached to these details.

What is this thing and why do I have water pooling in a nearby, down-the-hill flowerbed? Ok? Or Not Ok I can't figure out where else the water could be coming from... it's not related to the PVC pipe for the in-ground watering system, I don't think. There is no odor, but the hole I dug in the flowerbed fills up with clear water after we use the shower.

Hi Cblackwell

The cap/plug you show us is typical of a MAIN DRAIN LINE CLEANOUT... if your main drain was clogged you would remove the cap/plug and snake the drain to the street or the septic tank (depending on what you have).

The puddled water AFTER THE SHOWER is taken suggests that you have a broken pipe and maybe even a clogged drain line... otherwise, the water would probably be going down even if you had a broken pipe... ;)

Anyway, I'd remove the cap/plug from the main and run the shower and flush the toilets... see if water backs up to/near the cleanout. If so, the main drain is clogged and will need to be snaked. If not, you may be digging to find the break in the pipe for the shower drain.

Back to you...

Mark