Filed under Basement Flood Protection · By Michael and the team at The Irish Plumber
Right now
- Stop using water. No flushing, laundry, dishwasher, showers or sinks. Every drop used upstairs comes out of the floor drain.
- Keep people and pets away from sewage water.
- Move valuables off the floor and unplug anything sitting in water, if it's safe to reach.
- Call a plumber, and take photos for your insurer.
Why it happens
A blockage in your own drain line. Grease, wipes, roots or a broken pipe between the floor drain and the street. Water from upstairs has nowhere to go, so it comes out at the lowest point.
The City sewer backing up. During heavy rain or fast snowmelt, the municipal sewer can fill and push water back up your line. This often happens to several houses on a street at once.
Groundwater. In some homes the floor drain connects to weeping tile, and high groundwater shows up there.
The pattern helps tell them apart. If it only happens in storms, suspect the City sewer. If it happens when you run the washing machine, suspect your line. A camera inspection tells you for certain.
Floor drain backing up?
We'll clear it, find the cause on camera, and tell you how to keep it from happening again.
How to stop it happening again
- Blocked or broken line: clear it, camera it, and repair the damaged section.
- City sewer backup: install a backwater valve. It closes when sewage flows backwards. The City rebates up to $1,000 for eligible homes when the permit comes first.
- Groundwater: make sure your sump pump and weeping tile are working, with a battery backup for power cuts.
Don't plug the floor drain with a rubber stopper as a permanent fix. Water will find the next lowest drain, and you lose the drain you need when a pipe leaks.