My house is about 90 years old in western PA. <!—-><!—-><!—->
From time to time we get a horrible odor from the basement drain which we just dump warm water down and it goes away for a few months and then comes back. We have tried dumping warm water down the drain this time and the smell has not gone away. <!—-><!—->
We have also recently noticed that when he flush the toilet in the basement that we can see water back fill in the main drain. It does not completely fill it up but but we can see water backup into the line. Right now I am using “Enforcer Drain Care”. I poured the recommended amount the basement toilet and in the main drain for the past 2 days. I have not noticed a change in the smell. The direction does recommend a total of 3 days.
Should I try for another day or is there something else I should try before calling a plumber to come out to scope it out?
Thank you for your help in advance<!—-> <!—->
Replies
When we get sewage smells in our basement (80 year old) the water works as (I'm assuming) it's filing the p-trap back up that had evaporated (thus allowing the odor to re-enter the house).
I had a bad smell for a long time that I couldn't figure out until I realized I had left a clean-out cap open. Oops.
As for the backup, that's simply a clogged drain. Our kitchen is on the opposite side of the main drain pipe in our house and doesn't have enough slope so about once a year I have to fish it out with a drain tape (I've found that works a lot better than the auger/springs thing).
The 'real' fix would be to figure out if it's maybe a root problem (and therefore have to call in the pros) or if it's just time to break up the concrete and install new drains (something I'm not going to do in this house)
Sounds like two different problems.
Since the smell from the floor drain goes away when you re-fill the trap, it just means that the water seal is evaporating over time. You could help protect it from evaporation by pouring in a small amount (1/4 cup) of mineral oil that will slow down evaporation considerably because the oil will stay afloat on the surface of the water.
The other problem is probably a partially blocked drain, as your other respondant said. No telling what you'll find there until you have the line camera'ed.
Why pay for the camera first? Arounf here that cost as much as the drain cleaning that will need to done. A rebutable sewer cleaning outfit can clean the drain and tell from what they pull out on the end of the snake what was in the line.
90% of the time I can tell what was in a line after I snake one. If I don't get anything, but the drain clears the problem is solved. In 25 years we have only scoped a drain twice. One was a wste of money because we knew what was blocking the drain every time, just not why. The other was a blockage so tight and clean we couldn't get through it at all. Turned out to be bricks dumped in the vent when the building was built.
Camera scoping would be my last resort.
That's probably best at this point.
If the problem happens again soon, and there's enough doubt as to what's the cause, and where it's located, that might be the time for the camera.
Got time for a story?
I had a drain cleaning guy come behind me on a slab-on-grade office complex I'd plumbed, where the main 4" drain kept backing up.
This guy, with years of experience, said with certainty that he could tell that the blockage was caused by four 90's in quick succession that were slowing the drainage to the point that regular clogging was happening. I knew I had not used four 90's (or even one), but the clog was for real.
So, we emptied the executive conference room of furniture and carpet, and broke up the floor to find, not four 90's, but a 4" ABS line that had been crushed by a Bobcat when they prepped the subgrade for concrete.
However, I've known other sewer snakers who can almost tell the species and the age of tree whose roots are blocking the line, or where the line changes from cast iron to Transite.