Someone said it was a broken sewage pipe but the water has continued for almost a day now with hardly any use of the pipes in the house. Could this much water be sewage? Also... outside, floating around in the water near the pipe opening were two socks! And this house has basically been occupied by two adults for many years with no kids... absolutely no way anyone flushed socks down the toilet. Is it possible it could have come from the washing machine? The water slows down at times and then at other times gushes... what does it sound like to you?

Hi Dixie

From your explanation, it sounds like the town/city sewer may be backing up into your main drain line. The only reason it isn't messier is because you had a broken pipe out in the yard, so in this case it may have saved you a big hassle back in your house...;)

Call your local town/city sewer department and see if they can come out and inspect the manhole(s) in front of your house. If the manhole is clogged the town/city will send a truck out to clear the drains in the street. This is usually treated as an emergency, so don't wait...call ASAP so that the sewer doesn't end up backing into your house during peak loads of use!

If you are on a septic system, post back and let me know that so we can discuss more, OK?

Back to you...

Mark