All questions
The whole archive on one page, grouped by the kind of problem you're looking at.
Here is everything the column has answered so far. The questions are grouped the same way as the rest of the site: water on the floor, drains that back up or smell, adding a bathroom below grade, pipes that froze, the water heater corner, and the rules, money and people involved.
If you're not sure where your problem fits, start with the group that matches what you can see or smell right now. Each answer links to the official and maker sources it relies on, and shows the date it was last checked.
There's water on the floor
- My sump pump runs every few minutes even when it hasn't rained. Is that normal?
- How do I know what size sump pump our basement needs?
- Is a battery backup sump pump worth it?
- Could a water-powered backup sump pump work on our public water?
- Where is our sump pump allowed to send the water?
- How long should a sump pump last, and when do we replace it?
- Water came into the basement during a storm. What do we do first?
- Why is there water on the basement floor when the sump pit is dry?
- How fast does mold start after a basement leak?
Something's backing up or smells
- Why is sewage coming up through our basement floor drain?
- Our basement floor drain smells like sewer. What's wrong with it?
- Sewage backed up into the basement. How do we clean up safely?
- Should we get a backwater valve, and who can put one in?
- Why does the floor drain overflow when the washing machine drains?
- When sewage backs up, is it our problem or the utility's?
- Why do the basement drains gurgle when someone flushes upstairs?
We want a bathroom down there
- What's the difference between an ejector pump and a sump pump?
- Can we put a bathroom in a basement that sits below the sewer line?
- Is an upflush toilet a good idea for our basement?
- The alarm on our ejector pump is going off. What now?
- Why does the basement bathroom smell even though it's clean?
- Do we need a permit to add a basement bathroom in Maryland?
It froze
- A pipe in the basement froze. How do we thaw it safely?
- At what temperature do pipes freeze in a basement or crawlspace?
- Our outside faucet froze and now it leaks inside the wall. What happened?
- How do we keep crawlspace pipes from freezing?
- We're going away in January. What should we do with the water?
It's the water heater (or the corner it sits in)
- Does our basement water heater need a drain pan?
- Why did the plumber say we need an expansion tank?
- The water heater is leaking from the bottom. Is it done?
- Our gas water heater sat in floodwater. Can we just relight it?
- How old is too old for a basement water heater?
- Where can a water softener drain in a finished basement?
- Where should the dehumidifier and AC condensate drain in the basement?
Rules, money and who to call
- Who issues plumbing permits where we live: WSSC Water or the county?
- Does homeowners insurance cover a sewer backup or a failed sump pump?
- Is there county help paying for a backwater valve or other flood fixes?
- How do we check that a plumber is licensed in Maryland?
- What should we check in the basement before we buy a house?