Sewer Backup


  #1  
Old 01-14-01, 03:48 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 47
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
During the past three and a half weeks my basement has flooded four times that I am aware of. I strongly suspect that sometimes water comes in and recedes during the night or when I am at work and I don't even know it happens.

I believe it to be sewer water because it smells quite badly. The water is coming out from underneath the basement bathroom floor and through cracks in the basement floor. I never use the basement bathroom. My house is approximately 70 years old. About 10 years ago a previous owner dug around the foundation and put in weeping tiles. Unfortunately I share a private drain with three other houses. The first two times it happened the city came down to snake the sewer pipe. The second time they flushed out some paper towels. They will only come down a certain number of times and then you are on your own. Besides that seeing as they snaked the drain twice I'm not so sure that is the solution. The other houses don't always flood when mine does. A guy from the city said that I am probably at the lowest point.

We are going through a bit of a thaw right now and I am wondering if my weeping tiles are sending too much water into my drain and it can't handle it. Is that possible? If so, would water come in continuously during the night?

I just don't know what to do anymore.

In the summer I am thinking of getting my own connection directly to the sewer system bypassing the private drain. Would this solve my problems?

I have been pumping water out of my basement for 14 hours straight now. How do I get it to stop?

Linda
 
  #2  
Old 01-14-01, 04:56 AM
Mike Swearingen's Avatar
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Northeastern NC On The Albemarle Sound
Posts: 10,701
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Cool

Based on your information, I suspect that you have a broken sewer line (70 years old?)from that basement bathroom under the basement floor and bath (broken wax seal probably there).
As the city man said, that sewer pipe must be at the lowest point for you and the others that you share the line with, and that's why YOU have the flooding problem.
Whenever there is a high volume of water, the main sewer line backs up into that broken line and floods your basement until it has time to drain the volume away.
Since you do not use the basement bath, you have three choices to correct the problem (in order of my guesstimate of cost to do it without knowing all of the details, which may or may not be accurate).
A. Cap off that basement sewer line both ways outside your home to prevent backup into it, or
B. Repair/replace the basement sewer line, or
C. Install a separate new sewer line AND your choice of A and B.
Get three professional plumbing contractors to quote you prices based on all 3 options (AND see what they suggest from their advantage of inspecting the actual problem). If you don't know them by reputation, get references and check them.
There will not be an inexpensive fix for this, I'm afraid.
Good Luck!
 
  #3  
Old 01-14-01, 10:57 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 47
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thank you for your response OldGuy.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by capping off the sewer line. Everything drains there, the first floor bathroom, the washer, etc. Could you explain that a little more please?

The basement bathroom floor is raised a few inches above the basement floor. I am wondering if there is a broken pipe under the bathroom floor, but then I don't understand why some of the water comes up through cracks in the basement floor.

As far as replacing the basement sewer line, is that something that has to wait for summer when you live in a cold climate?

Thanks your for help.

Linda
 
  #4  
Old 01-14-01, 08:38 PM
Mike Swearingen's Avatar
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Northeastern NC On The Albemarle Sound
Posts: 10,701
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Cool

I did not mean to advise capping off anything but a branch basement bathroom sewer line. Did not know that it was your main sewer line, too.
Obviously, you can't cap that off without replacing it. (This is another one of the disadvantages of not actually seeing what we're trying to advise about.)
The leak under the slightly raised bathroom floor may not be more than a deteriorated wax seal between the toilet and the drain flange.
The water coming up through the basement floor is primarily what led me to believe that there was a broken sewer line under it. I thought that it might just be a branch drain line for the unused basement bathroom, and that's why I said to cap it off.
If it is, in fact, your main sewer line, then it needs to be repaired/replaced. You may be able to have it done in the winter, if the problem is in the basement only. If there is outside work necessary, then that would best be left until warmer weather.
In any case, I think that you need to call at least one plumber now to look at it and let you know exactly what your problem is. You can get it fixed when you choose, but I would think that the sooner, the better.
Good Luck!
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: