Cleanout/drain with standing water

[ralph_on_me]

Hey Terry Love crew. I've done a lot of searching this seems like a community with a lot of answers, so I thought I would ask a question here.

I have a basement drain into the sewer main that's been backflowing. I am calling a plumber, but I'm trying to determine just what the heck is going on while I'm managing the symptoms.

The drain is not a cleanout, but it's at the same height as the cleanout in the next room over. It's about two feet down until it hits the main line, but it has about 18 inches of standing water in it. It's my understanding that this should be empty or nearly empty and NOT have standing water. I've been able to plunge it somewhat, but the water always seems to return to that 18 inch level. This morning I took a 5 gallon bucket of water and poured it into the drain from 5 feet up. It took the water with minimal overflow, but again settled at that 18 inch level after about 5 seconds.

I have not checked the cleanout in the next room, as that section of the basement is finished and I don't want to risk a mess in there.

I'm not sure how the drain could take that volume of water that fast, yet still be clogged, and still keep that 18 inches of standing water. Could it be a venting issue?

 

[Jeff H Young]

sounds to me like a floor drain trap or house trap, think of like a shower or sink you look down closely and youll see water in the trap. (Im not talking about a 2 compartment sink or a bath tub ) but any drain with a trap directly below.
any way a blockage doen stream could overflow on the floor and then settle down to the trap level hope this makes sence it could be totally fixed and youll still see water.
A little test while looking at the standing water flush a toilet upstairs. no movement its likely a trap

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ralph_on_me]

Thanks Jeff! That does make sense. Maybe my idea of how these pipes are running under the concrete isn't 100% accurate.

 

[Jeff H Young]

I got some words mixed up sounds like you have a partial stoppage slow drain

 

[ralph_on_me]

Your words honestly saved my brain from losing it. Realizing that I was looking into a trap not not the main completely makes sense. It was getting the backflow from the issue further up, but it wasn't the problem area. I need to get some de-scaling done by a pro, but at least now I can understand the issues and know where to monitor and check for issues until then.