Floor Drain Backing Up

First you need to determine if it is local waste produced in your home that can t get out due to a blockage in the main line leaving your home or if it is waste from the sewer system coming back in called a backflow.

Floor drain backing up.

I wrote a blog post explaining the basics of floor drains over eight years ago and i ve received more comments on that post than any other. Sewer line clogs floor drain backups. A backed up floor drain can be mystifying. When this is the case the drain will have a trap somewhere nearby along the line.

So with the main drain backing up wastewater will continue to build up in the line until it overflows and backs up out of the floor drain. What causes basement floor drain backing up. There s water in the basement. Because a floor drain is located at the lowest point in a drain system it is the first place a backup will be visible but not necessarily the point of the clog.

And while it is commonly held that a sewer drain backs up largely because there is a blockage or break in the sewer line some homes have floor drains attached to the storm sewer system. A sewer drain clog can be a serious problem that may qualify as a plumbing emergency and a potential health concern. A blockage can occur if a portion of the line has broken but generally a blockage is. Backflow prevention devices work by plugging up the drain if water starts to flow the wrong way thus preventing water backing up and flooding your basement.

A sewer drain and a storm sewer are two different things and sometimes older houses have both. It will help avoid your own a home s waste backing up. And it will prevent the foul smelling waste from your neighbors from backing up the main neighborhood sewer line and flooding your home. Installing a backup gate in your basement floor drain line is a one time investment and you ll definitely be thankful later for making this decision.

So your basement floor drain is backing up and flooding. Most floor drains however will be connected to pipes carrying wastewater and sewage away from the house. Although it may seem like it not all problems related to the backed up sewer line have to do with actual clogs and defected pipes. Without a route to the main sewer system or septic field wastewater may have nowhere to go but to back up into your fixtures or up through floor drains.

For homes that don t have a basement floor drain drain line clogs can cause backups in the lowest fixtures of the home like ground level tubs sinks or showers. The majority of those comments were from people trying to understand why water was backing up out of their floor drain.