Sewers

sewer is coming up my sewer drain and sump pump hole is that a collapsed drain tile????

Public Comments

1. could be a restriction in the line. Call or use a Roto-rooter cable on the line first. Depending on the line distance, you should be able to rod it out. Most rental places have roto rooter cables but you can almost get the same price by just using roto rooter and avoid handling the mess.
2. FYI, the sewer line transports both grey water (from sinks, showers, dishwasher, etc) and also what is known as black water (toilets). If your basement floor drain is overflowing with either - and you can tell from the smell - it is a sign the sewer line is blocked. The overflow is therefore traveling to your sump pump. The sump pump is used to pump water out of the basement when the basement floods. So, to answer your question: it is not a collapse of a drain tile. If the drain pipe has collapsed, the liquids would be flowing into the soil under your basement concrete floor slab. This is not a good sign because when the underlying soil is eroded away by the water, the slab will have the opportunity to crack and fall. But, I doubt this is happening since the floor drain is backing up. What you will need to do is to clean out the sewer line. And depending on the age of your house, the pipe can be clay pipe or plastic (PVC). Clay pipe has more of a tendency to deviate at the joints while PVC will flex. Regardless, however, you will need to clear the blockage using a very long motorized pipe snake (rooter) to push the blockage through the pipe into the street tap were it connects to the city main line in the middle of the street. If the blockage is difficult to push through the pipe, it may require pulling the debri out with the snake; and then push the remaining on through. On the ends of snake are splaies (the rooter blades), you may find roots, string, etc. Pull out what you can to make it easier to push the remaining through. There should be a "cleanout" on the riser part of the pipe. A riser is the vertical pipe coming down into the main. The cleanout would look like a large screw with a square head. The square head is used to wrench the large screw off the pipe. This is the point where you stick the snake. Sewer line blockage come in many forms: tree roots, non-biodegrable items such as tampons (disposable tampons are not biodegradable and should be properly disposed of in the trash can instead of throwing them down the toilet). Also, toilet paper can cause blockage as well as stockings (yes, i have seen stockings in sewer lines) and childrens play things. All these items do hang up together or against the tree roots. After you have snaked the pipe and feel you have cleaned the pipe, dump a 5 gallon bucket of water into the floor drain. If the water flows freely without backup, you have accomplished your task. If not, then you will need to continue the process. Also, below the floor drain is a trap. You can snake this by hand. Don't use the motorized version unless you want to damage the trap. If this happens, you really will be up the creek. If that fails, you may need to put a camera through the pipe to see what the problem is. If you have determined what the blockage is, this will be your cue of what not to through down the toilet. Also, if there are tree roots inside the pipe, you can use a powder substance called RootX to keep the roots at bay. I do this once a year in the fall when the trees roots are more active. Backed up drain lines is common and part of home maintenance. So don't be too alarmed. If you have a pvc pipe, then you are better off than with the clay pipe. If the clay pipe has moved at the joints and roots are accumulating, it may require digging it up and replace the joint with a rubber boot. A costly venture if the sewer line is underneath your driveway. All the above solutions is truly a messy job. If you are squimish, then it is best to have a plumber do the job for you. Plus, if you need to video the pipe line, most rental places do not carry them. But, they do carry the motorized snakes. If the dirty water has gotten into any gyp. board walls, you will need to replace them with fresh wall material to avoid the terrible black mold. If the basement has flooded and you have eventually gotten rid if the water, I suggest calling in professional cleaner who will dry the floor and the walls if the walls have been soaked. I would replace the walls anyway. To let you know, if you think the blockage is at the city tap, call them. They will come out pronto to check out the tap. They also use a camera to see the tap. If the tap is indeed blocked and you are unable to push the debri through, it is their responsibility at that point. Hope this is helpful and good luck.