[envirosue]

Hi there, I have read with interest some of the drain line blockage problems you've suggested remedies for. Here's mine: I have a 3-level house with finished basement that has an exterior stairwell leading to a door to the basement level. That stairwell has a drain in it --about 4" diameter pipe. If the stairwell is not kept free of leaf debris it occasionnally backs up and floods the basement through the door.
I had always thought that this was a storm sewer connection not a sanitary sewer line since it is exterior to the house and it drains rainwater. (We are not on a septic system)
The basement level interior also has a floor drain and a utility sink into which the washing machine drains.
I have had a recent major drain blockage & flooding problem from the exterior drain and I noticed there is also some overflow backing up from the floor drain as well.
It has become obvious that this exterior stairwell drain is connected to sanitary lines draining from the house. Flooding in the stairwell occurs when the washing machine, showers and bathtub are used.
After trying several remedies (bleach, hot water, large plunger, hand augering) I need to move on to more a "serious" remedy but I prefer not to bring in a professional.
I can rent a Power Snake at about a 20% of the cost of bringing in a pro. I can rent from nearby rental centers a 3/4 in. "Easy Rooter" electric snake with 100' of cable for $45/day (or $35/3hr). A lighter 1/2 in model (Easy Rooter Jr) with 100ft of cable is also available and may be easier to handle.
My questions are
(1) should I stick with the 3/4 inch cable to snake the exterior line and
(2) can I just auger out the exterior drain or do I have to do the other interior lines as well?
I don't know how all these line are connected.
Also in other discussion in this forum (it was a septic system) there seemed to be a similar problem and you talked about cleaning the line out from the roof.
Does that also apply in this case?
Thanks for you interest & look forward to your advice.
---Sue

[propowerrooter]

You should rent the larger Easy Rooter" electric snake with 100' of cable, being that it is a lot stronger and less problems occur when breaking through any tough blockages.

Be very careful when operating this machine, do not were any type of loose clothing and make sure you buy some good leather or non rubber material gloves or else the cable can twit it and cause serious harm or even death. Run both the exterior line and the interior line to be safe since you will have the machine for a few hours.

You should also look into buying a drain screen plate for your stairwell exterior drain line to prevent any future problems from it getting clogged up again with any leafs and debris.

If your unsuccessful at clearing the drain clog you should call a plumber or better yet a drain cleaning company that specializes with drain clogs, they will give you a better price on the job.

[speedball1]

Hi propowerrooter and Welcome to The Plumbing Page. At AskMeHelpDesk.com. You're responding to a 3 week old thread that should have been resolved by now. Look in then upper left hand corner of the first post form the date in the first post before you post, Thanks,
Good advice but three weeks too late. I delegated the advertisement you put up. Advertisements aren't allowed in AMHD. I look forward to seeing more answers from you. Regards, Tom