Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    Jamer6940's Avatar
    Jamer6940 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Sep 22, 2007, 09:25 PM
    Water coming out of basement shower and flooding basement
    I purchased a home about 2 months ago, and immediately there were flooding issues in the basement. At first I wasn't sure why the carpet in the middle of the basement was getting soaked. Now I see that the water is coming from the shower drain in the basement bathroom. This happened after the shower on the main floor was used. I also noticed water overflowing from the basement toilet the other night, and it is constantly getting clogged. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a plumber if it is somethig I can fix myself... Please help!!
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #2

    Sep 23, 2007, 06:09 AM
    You have a blockage downstream from the basement bathroom. Are you on city sewer or a septic tank? If on a septic tank have it checked to dee if it needs to be pumped. If on city sewer then open up the house clean out and check the flow when a toilet's flushed. If the cleanout fills up then snake from there. If the blockage's upstream from the cleanout then snake from the basements lavatory roof vent. Put out enough cable to reach the base and 20 feet more. Good luck, Tom
    Jamer6940's Avatar
    Jamer6940 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #3

    Sep 23, 2007, 09:03 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by speedball1
    You have a blockage downstream from the basement bathroom. Are you on city sewer or a septic tank? If on a septic tank have it checked to dee if it needs to be pumped. If on city sewer then open up the house clean out and check the flow when a toilet's flushed. If the cleanout fills up then snake from there. If the blockage's upstream from the cleanout then snake from the basements lavatory roof vent. put out enough cable to reach the base and 20 feet more. good luck, Tom
    Ok, so I guess the drain on the other side of the basement near the washer is also backing up. I am on city sewer... and I know absolutely nothing about this situation! How exactly do I check the "flow" and the "cleanup"? Could you explain to me in a way that a caveman could understand?? :) I'm not a complete idiot... just in the area of playing Handy man... I would really like to learn how to do this myself. Please help again. Prentend like you are speaking to an 8 year old, and I'll understand. HAHA.
    THanks again!
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #4

    Sep 23, 2007, 10:53 AM
    Originally Posted by speedball1
    You have a blockage downstream from the basement bathroom. Are you on city sewer or a septic tank? If on a septic tank have it checked to dee if it needs to be pumped. If on city sewer then open up the house clean out and check the flow when a toilet's flushed. If the cleanout fills up then snake from there. If the blockage's upstream from the cleanout then snake from the basements lavatory roof vent. Put out enough cable to reach the base and 20 feet more.
    OK! You can't explain plumbing basics to a 8 year old but I''ll "simple" it down as much as I can. The house cleanout's located just outside the house on the city side. It should be within 18 inches of the house foundation and brought to grade. With a plastic sewer it will be white,(PVC) or jet black,(ABS). If you have a older home it will be black cast iron. It will have a cap that must be unscrewed to see if water's flowing past to the street. Locate the cleanout, open it up and have someone flush the basement toilet. If you can see water flowing past then the blockage's between the cleanout and the street and you snake from the cleanout to the street. If you don't see water then the blockage's in the house main and you snake from the basement lavatory roof vent. Drop enough cable down to the base and put out 20 feet more. That's about as simple as I can make it but if you have more questions I'm as close as a click. Chers, Tom
    Jamer6940's Avatar
    Jamer6940 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #5

    Sep 23, 2007, 05:05 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by speedball1
    OK! You can't explain plumbing basics to a 8 year old but I''ll "simple" it down as much as I can. The house cleanout's located just outside the house on the city side. It should be within 18 inches of the house foundation and brought to grade. With a plastic sewer it will be white,(PVC) or jet black,(ABS). If you have a older home it will be black cast iron. It will have a cap that must be unscrewed to see if water's flowing past to the street. Locate the cleanout, open it up and have someone flush the basement toilet. If you can see water flowing past then the blockage's between the cleanout and the street and you snake from the cleanout to the street. If you don't see water then the blockage's in the house main and you snake from the basement lavatory roof vent. Drop enough cable down to the base and put out 20 feet more. That's about as simple as I can make it but if you have more questions I'm as close as a click. Chers, Tom
    Thanks so much, I think I got it!
    Jamie
Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions
 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Water in the basement.coming from the vent? [ 3 Answers ]

There is water coming out of the basement pipe vent (vent is just before the main pipe out to the street sewer system) every time the sump pump goes on. We snaked the pipes past the vent but it still is coming out of the pipe vent. We cannot use any water in the house without the sump pump kicking...

Basement flooding [ 1 Answers ]

Water seeps into my basement during and after heavy rains. And actually the water in the basement sort of seeps out of the basement after 12 to 24 hours of the end of the rain. Is this due to a rising water table, or to water build up in the dirt filled area around the foundation walls? Will...

Basement Flooding [ 3 Answers ]

We have a home which was built 6 years ago and we have a basement with a sump pump and backup sump pump. 9 months ago we had flooding due to the main sump going out. The backup could not keep up with the water flow. We had our original plumber come in (and builder) and he replaced the sump. ...

Drain water from disposal coming up in basement shower [ 1 Answers ]

Why does the smelly drain water from disposal and washer :confused: come up in basement shower

Basement Flooding [ 3 Answers ]

Just moved into a 100 year old home in New England, I had an alarm installed with a "flood" option... The alarm went off one early morning and I went downstairs to check the problem and found the basement was covered in two inches of water thanks to Spring thaw and a good deal of rain. It all...

View more questions Search