Odd Problem With Basement Drain


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Old 10-07-17, 09:14 PM
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Odd Problem With Basement Drain

We haven't had any past issues with any drains. Last night the basement drain burped up last nights meal remainder, (which was put thru the disposal in the kitchen sink on the 1st floor), plus what might be dirt or something. It burped it up enough to throw it over a foot away from the drain. After that the drain was fine. I ran Drano thru it anyway and then tested it with a bucket of water poured down it quickly. All seemed fine.
What happened and is there anything to worry about?
 
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Old 10-07-17, 09:32 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

Yes.... I'd be worried. That's an indication of a sewage clog.
Are you on city sewers or septic system ?
 
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Old 10-07-17, 11:02 PM
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City sewer system. The neighborhood was built in 1992,
 
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Old 10-08-17, 05:02 AM
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I'd ask the municipal authorities whether that sewer system has backflow preventers on each home tied into the system.

I was once involved with a Massachusetts City where every time we had a serious rain storm, the storm sewer would inundate the sanitary sewer and cause a back-up into the basements of the residents.

Then the Fire Department was charged with having to go around to clean and sanitize the affected basements.

It was like being visited by everyone in the neighborhood and each one of them leaving behind a little unpleasant gift.

And this little design flaw was very costly !.
 
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Old 10-08-17, 05:52 AM
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If city has no problems you need to snake out the sewer to the street.Are there trees around the sewer line on your property?
 
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Old 10-08-17, 09:55 AM
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No trees in front although there were some aspens that were removed 7 years ago. If I need to snake out the pipe why is it draining so well now?
 
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Old 10-08-17, 01:00 PM
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If I need to snake out the pipe why is it draining so well now?
There may have been a blockage say a large chunk of paper got caught on a root or a rough spot in the pipe and then broke free.

The problem could also be a problem within the city system. I am in the highest part of town where I live. The city sewer cannot back up this far. If you are in a low or borderline low area.... you are at the mercy of a system wide backup. You could call the water or sewer department and ask them if they had issues in your area on that night.

The choice is yours.... there should not be sewage coming out of the floor drain..... period. If you choose to ride it out.... get one of those water alarms that set off a siren when it gets wet. At least you'll be aware of an overflow as it's happening.
 
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Old 10-08-17, 02:50 PM
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I talked to a neighbor who had a possible and logical explanation. The basement is a walkout. The kitchen sink/disposal is on the 1st floor. At the time I had been out of town a few days and my wife was home alone, which means not a lot of water flowed thru the lines. The sewer line is fed by gravity. Since there was no fecal or pee in what was burped up, the basement drain and kitchen drain must be fed onto the sewer line before the bathroom drains. This makes sense when looking at the draining pipes in the basement. She probably used the disposal but didn't run the water much after the disposal was turned off. Therefore there wasn't much flow thru the trap, allowing gas to back flow up the drain. The only thing that came out was from the kitchen sink.
Does this make any sense to any plumber?
 
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Old 10-10-17, 06:21 PM
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Had the drains/sewer scoped. There is a 50% blockage on the kitchen 2" pipe under the basement slab but otherwise it looks good. I'll get that cleaned out. Keeping the system flushed with water regularly would prevent future issues.
 
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Old 10-11-17, 08:08 AM
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Sounds like you are putting a lot of material thru the disposal. We scrape plates into the trash and only run the grinder to handle the tiny bits that end up in the sink bottom.
 
 

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