Kitchen Sink and Dishwasher Visibly Draining into the Basement Drainage System

[Don'tKnowMuch]

Hi,

As my name says, I do not know much about the plumbing game. I will do my best to explain my situation below:

I have a home that is at least 50 years old. It has a basement drainage system where the wall and the floor do not meet. There is about an inch gap between the two. I don't know what this drainage system is called. The idea is that any extra water you take on is supposed to fall into the drainage system and run into a tank, which then pumps it outside. I recently noticed - and I am not sure how long this has been going on - that when I use the kitchen sink or dishwasher, there is a certain spot (pretty much directly below my kitchen sink/dishwasher) in the basement drainage system where I can see the water running into. This has caused a muddy (and funky smelling) buildup, which I have been power vacuuming every three months or so to prevent overflow.

Is this where my kitchen sink and dishwasher water should be draining? It doesn't seem normal to me, but I am 100 percent clueless. Any help, suggestions, etc. would be greatly welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Jadnashua]

Maybe take a picture and post it here so we can see what you have. It doesn't sound right - once waste gets into the drainage system, there shouldn't be any gaps or openings. It sounds like you have a sewage ejector pump and they tried to minimize what went into it, and the kitchen sink goes somewhere else.

Are you on a city sewer system, or do you have a septic tank, or a cesspool that gets pumped out regularly?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Gary Swart]

Can't give you any real advice here, but from the overall description you give us, I'm thinking you are past a DIY fix.

 

[Don'tKnowMuch]

Hey,

Thanks for the replies. To answer a few questions: I am on a city sewer system, but this is not a drainage system for sewage waste. The pictures will probably show you better than I can explain/did explain. The system is set up for any times one might take on water during heavy rains and whatnot to prevent flooding in the basement. It is designed so any water you take on flows from the drainage system into a sump pump, which then kicks it outside. Below are a few pics I just took. The white powder is not of concern, at least to this post. It's Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth, which I had to put down because the muddy section where my water is leaking has attracted gnats.

And yeah, unfortunately I figured I was past a DIY fix. I was just wondering if anyone here might have a clue as to what might be causing this and what I should expect as far as repairs go. I have a feeling this is gonna be a big deal to get fixed.




First attachment, hopefully this posts correctly.

Edit: So to recap, my kitchen sink and dishwasher are one floor up and pretty much directly above the area shown/the area where the water shows up when it drains from either the sink or dishwasher.

 

[Jadnashua]

Okay, so you have a sump for ground water and a sump pump to eject it out somewhere; then, you have city sewer. It looks like some of the drainage pipe from the sink is galvanized and some is cast iron. The galvanized pipe may have rusted out and is now leaking at some point. It could be the cast iron, but galvanized is likely to go first. You may need to tear into things to be able to locate the leak, but it sounds like there's one (or more) in the drain pipes from your sink above. Since water can be fickle, it may be a leak somewhere else that's just running out there because it's the easiest place for it.

It could be coming from the DW, and it might be as simple as a rotten hose. Does it only happen when you run the DW, or can you get leaks when just using the sink?

 

[Don'tKnowMuch]

Thanks again for the reply, jadnashua. I get running water there when I run either the dishwasher or kitchen sink on their own. I actually get a soap sud buildup in that area when I do dishes in the sink by hand with no dishwasher running. I have no problems with water leaking when I run other faucets, showers or laundry. It is only the kitchen sink and dishwasher. I know you weren't suggesting that, just throwing that out there.

Also, how do you distinguish between the cast iron and galvanized piping? To me, those two pipes look exactly the same.

Do you think this will cause structural damage if not addressed? Seems to me it would not since the leak is going into a structure that was built for taking on water. Regardless, I still do not like the idea of this happening. I know, so many questions. And I understand it's hard to be definitive here. Just looking for any thoughts on the matter as I really do not have any myself!

 

[Jadnashua]

Long-term water leaks and wooden structures do not get along...it will cause rot. If while draining the kitchen sink, you do not see any water underneath, it has to be leaking in the wall then finding its way down.

Galvanized drain pipes generally are threaded together into the fittings. If you can see any threads, it is almost certainly galvanized - the surface will likely also be smoother than cast iron (but it may be hard to tell if it is painted). Where it goes into the slab, that big bell is cast iron, and that connection is usually made with oakum (oiled rope) packed in the bell (hub), then having molten lead poured into it to protect and stabilize the joint.

 

[Gary Swart]

I opined in my first answer that I felt you were beyond DIY. Following posts confirm this opinion. You are resorting to guessing. You have a problem and it isn't going away or will it fix itself. On the contrary, it will almost certainly get worse which means when you do finally resort to seeking professional help,the cost will be greater than if you had acted now.

 

[Don'tKnowMuch]

Thanks again, Jadnashua. I do see it actively leaking underneath when running the sink. And thanks for the other info regarding the galvanized pipes and whatnot. I was looking for a little more info when walking into a repair situation and you gave me some, so thanks a bunch.