Question type ยท 7 questions
Something's backing up or smells
Floor drains that overflow, gurgle or smell, and what to do when sewage reaches the basement.
A floor drain is usually the lowest opening in the house, which makes it the first place trouble shows up. A sewer smell often points to a dried-out trap. Water rising out of the drain is a different and more urgent problem, and it can mean a blockage in your own line or a surge in the public sewer.
Start with why sewage comes up through a basement floor drain if it's happening now. If it has already happened, the cleanup answer covers gloves, boots, what to throw out and how to disinfect. For a smell with no visible water, see the floor drain odor question.
Responsibility is split. WSSC Water says the sewer service from the property line to the building is the owner's job, which is why who pays after a backup is worth reading before you need it.
Keep children and pets away from any sewage, and don't try to clear a backed-up line while it's still rising.
The questions
Why is sewage coming up through our basement floor drain?
Sewage backing up through a basement floor drain means wastewater can't get out of the house: either your own sewer line is blocked, or the public sewer is overloaded and pushing back. The floor drain is simply the lowest opening.
Our basement floor drain smells like sewer. What's wrong with it?
A floor drain that smells like sewer usually has a dry trap: the small pool of water that blocks sewer gas has evaporated. Pour in a bucket of water. If the smell returns quickly, something else is going on.
Sewage backed up into the basement. How do we clean up safely?
Sewage backup cleanup is a job many homeowners can do safely, as long as the power is off, you're geared up, kids and pets stay out, porous things go, and hard surfaces get washed and then disinfected.
Should we get a backwater valve, and who can put one in?
A backwater valve is worth it if your basement fixtures sit below the next upstream sewer manhole cover; the code then requires one, and a licensed plumber installs it under a permit.
Why does the floor drain overflow when the washing machine drains?
When the washing machine drain backs up into the floor drain, the shared line downstream is usually partly clogged, so the washer's surge escapes from the lowest opening in the house.
When sewage backs up, is it our problem or the utility's?
Sewer backup responsibility splits at the pipe: in WSSC territory you maintain the sewer service from the property line to the house, and the utility handles its main and the connection to it.
Why do the basement drains gurgle when someone flushes upstairs?
Basement drain gurgling when a toilet is flushed upstairs means air is being pulled through a trap, usually because a vent is blocked or the drain line below is partly clogged.
