How bad is this situation if I leave this as is for now?

[Andrew D.]

Ok, so first of all, my sewer cleanout is in the basement. There is a 4 by 4 feet hole with 4 feet depth from the basement floor. At the bottom of this hole there are two cleanout caps around the p-trap. It appears that these cleanout caps have been leaking for a while.

My main sewer line is constantly clogged. Most recently we pulled tree root with hairs wrapped around using auger (snake). It is not completely clogged; rather the water flow is very slow. During daytime it is hardly noticeable, but after we run the dishwasher, a couple of toilet flushes and showers, the water would come out of the cleanout cap (because it is leaking) in this big hole. After an hour or so, the water would recede.

If we fix the cleanout cap leaking (which is a fairly easy job), I am sure the water would have backed up to the laundry room in the basement. So my question is - how bad is the waste water flooding from the dinner time to the shower time everyday, in the big hole below the basement floor?

Yes, I understand we need to address the tree roots problem in the sewer line. I just want to get a sense how long can I wait without creating long-term damage to the house.

 

[WorthFlorida]

There never should be leaking of septic sewage anywhere at anytime.along with backups. Blockage is something that cannot wait and needs to be taken care of ASAP. It will only get worse.
I remember those holes in basements when I lived in Brooklyn (1950's) and all my relatives had one in their basements. Big families always had parties in the basement.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jeff H Young]

as long as no poop and no paper goes down you could go a few more days.