Home Improvement/Repair Questions

[NJmike PE]

Well again I appreciate the replies from everyone. And that's what I was thinking about eh city sewer backing up. Wouldn't it also be backing up from my floor drain where the furnace discharge is if this were the case?

I forgot you mentioned the floor drain for the furnace. Yeah, it doesn't sound like a city sewer issue.

Do your rain gutters somehow tie into your sewer line?

not necessarily. need to know for sure where that drain is tied to. could be tied to the storm sewer or footing drains in which case it would not back up

 

[matt267 PE]

Well again I appreciate the replies from everyone. And that's what I was thinking about eh city sewer backing up. Wouldn't it also be backing up from my floor drain where the furnace discharge is if this were the case?

I forgot you mentioned the floor drain for the furnace. Yeah, it doesn't sound like a city sewer issue.

Do your rain gutters somehow tie into your sewer line?

not necessarily. need to know for sure where that drain is tied to. could be tied to the storm sewer or footing drains in which case it would not back up

It could be.

But fox's picture indicated past water on a seam above the utility sink drain. A sewer back up would get into the sink, if the water was backing up that high.

 

[NJmike PE]

Well again I appreciate the replies from everyone. And that's what I was thinking about eh city sewer backing up. Wouldn't it also be backing up from my floor drain where the furnace discharge is if this were the case?

I forgot you mentioned the floor drain for the furnace. Yeah, it doesn't sound like a city sewer issue.

Do your rain gutters somehow tie into your sewer line?

not necessarily. need to know for sure where that drain is tied to. could be tied to the storm sewer or footing drains in which case it would not back up

It could be.

But fox's picture indicated past water on a seam above the utility sink drain. A sewer back up would get into the sink, if the water was backing up that high.

not what I meant. I was referring to the floor drain for the furnace. That could be tied to the storm sewer or footing drains. That would explain why the floor drain doesn't flood first. It is the lowest elevation and if tied to the san sewer it would back up with the main stack in the house

 

[matt267 PE]

I understood you were referencing the furnace floor drain possibly being tied somewhere else. I'm not sure what his state requirements are for that, so it might be possible. (Personally, I would never want a drain in my house that was connected to a storm sewer unless there was a really good check valve installed on my property.)

I'm still not convinced it's a city sewer issue though.

We should all get together at fox's house and discuss this over a few beers. Get a group of engineers and wannabes together and we'll complicate the shit of this problem.

 

[blybrook PE]

Someone has to lean in the shovel and supervise...

 

[knight1fox3]

LOL! Wisco EB.com meet-up!!! There's always good beer at my house.

I don't think any of the gutters discharge into our sewer line. (2) of them at the back of the house go directly into the ground with some corrugated black tubing. But one of them I can see coming out of a small hill at the end of our backyard. I'm guessing those are the gutter lines. I have one other at the front that does the same but have no idea where it would run. Perhaps that is tied in some how. Would that be enough water to cause a back-up though? Maybe....

I'm still intrigued by water coming in through one of the vents or something but not enough for to see it after a few hours. Maybe some loose flashing or something.

Do you have an outside clean out tap on your pipe to the sewer?

Doesn't sound like your problem if nothing happens with the washing machine but if it were the sewer backing up I would expect you to be getting an odor in your basement.

I think we established that I do it's just in a really bad spot. Unless you're talking about another location. And really no odors that I can detect.

 

[Lumber Jim]

...Because this only happens during heavy rain, is it possible that you have a small roof leak where the main stack exits the roof? I had this happen to me when we first bought my house. The rubber boot around the vent was leaking and the water followed the pipe all the way down the the basement. You might be seeing the small about of water where is pools up on the lips of the seams.

My guess is it's this. ^^

Has the house been re-shingled lately? I knocked a pipe joint loose on the vent pipe reinstalling the rubber boot over the pipe when we re-shingled. I caught it right away and fixed it but I could see it being an issue even if the rubber boot was tight. I think it would be worth crawling up on the roof and inspecting before it rains again.

With water sitting on all of the joints that you have pointed out I would guess water is chasing down the outside of the pipe from above. In you picture, does the dust look like it has made a trail, maybe from water flowing?

 

[knight1fox3]

That's the other odd thing is that I can find no traces of water chasing down the main from above. But that seems to be the only likely scenario based on what has already been discussed here. Thyme to crawl up into ceiling tiles and take another close look at things. Perhaps I could put a mark on the pipe or something else defining that would get disturbed by a trickle of water. That would pretty much eliminate all other possibilities.

I'll get up on the roof too to inspect the vents. Thanks again for all the feedback.

 

[Lumber Jim]

The piping looks very clean but it might be worth a shot. You could always use the garden hose to simulate a heavy rain...

 

[engineergurl]

That's the other odd thing is that I can find no traces of water chasing down the main from above. But that seems to be the only likely scenario based on what has already been discussed here. Thyme to crawl up into ceiling tiles and take another close look at things. Perhaps I could put a mark on the pipe or something else defining that would get disturbed by a trickle of water. That would pretty much eliminate all other possibilities.

I'll get up on the roof too to inspect the vents. Thanks again for all the feedback.

just a suggestion, but you can use aluminium foil to create a catch higher up on pipe that would catch a trickle of water...

I've tried to follow along. Have a bunch of comments, it's too late for my to type up my input.

 

[YMZ PE]

Late to the game too, but I'm almost certain it's coming from the roof. I agree on using the garden hose to simulate rain, or perhaps a 5-gallon bucket filled with water and food coloring (perhaps red so you also get an early start on your Halloween decorating).

 

[Road Guy]

Probably need a geophysical survey.....

 

[knight1fox3]

Do I need to hire a storm water engineer for this?

 

[engineergurl]

Do I need to hire a storm water engineer for this?

considering no one answered your question about how you will know when you get to the road.... what do you think?

Based on a bit of research (I think I got the right city), the sewer and storm drains ARE NOT interconnected for you, so I don't think that would help though.

 

[snickerd3]

you know the approx distance from the drain inside your house to the street...add on 20% to account for any non straight sections?

 

[engineergurl]

you know the approx distance from the drain inside your house to the street...add on 20% to account for any non straight sections?

actually it would be a bit more than that, their city requires maintenance by the homeowner to the junction at the main in the street... check your bill and see if you have an extra line maintenance charge from a pvt company, if so, then call them...

 

[Lumber Jim]

clarification question:

Wouldn't the simple act of flushing the toilet or emptying the clothes washer put more water down the pipe than rain drops collecting in open vent pipe(s) during a down pour?(his vent(s) may have a rain shield)

I ask because if he had a restriction after the location where water has been observed the issue would occur more often than just when it rains... Right?

I'm comparing the vent pipe(s) to a rain gauge. Even after 4" of rain, my 6 in. tall rain gauge hasn't leaked yet...

 

[Road Guy]

I think we need a diagram..

Just take a saw-zall and cut everything out, replace it and see if it still leaks..

 

[blybrook PE]

LJ does have a good point. Especially since I am looking at the updated pictures where the leaks have been noted.

The clog might not be post cleanout, it may be just above it.

One option, cut the pipe above the cleanout, remove the cleanout from the line (since you already have a joint or two below that will allow it's removal) and check for a clog by looking through the pipe with a flashlight. You can reassemble with another one of the clamp type joints and rotate the cleanout to where it's easier to access.

Another option (one I've had to do before) is to run the snake from the roof vent to the cleanout location. You can remove the section of pipe below the cleanout and replace with a bucket, then run the snake down from the roof. If it's a straight shot, you might be able to see if there's a clog by shinin a big a$$ light down the pipe.

 

[matt267 PE]

When visually checking for a block in a vertical waste pipe from down stream, be sure to keep your eyes and mouth wide open.