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rain = septic backup, but how? a mystery

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rain = septic backup, but how? a mystery Jerry 07-23-2008
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Posted by Jerry on July 23, 2008, 11:40 pm


I just got off the phone with somebody who was having their toilet and tub
back up and spill a lot of water onto the floor - after which it found it's
way through various holes down into their ranch house's basement. There was
enough water so that the doorway out into the hall had to be dammed up with
towels to keep the water from getting throughout the first floor.

There was a huge amount of rain in that area just before that happened (and
still is). The basement usually does get flooded. Also, the area is a mile or
so from a river, so the ground water also usually gets filled from the river,
besides from the rain.

But here's the thing: how could water back up through the drain pipes for
toilet and tub when the rims of those two things are at least four feet above
ground level? The back yard was *not* covered in water, like in a flood. How
did water get pressured upwards like that?

Could it be because of the basement sink? There's some kind of sink there,
that uses an electric pump to boost the water up and out into the septic
system. Could it be that water flooded down into that sink, and its pump
kicked in to somehow create pressure in all the drain pipes and make the water
eventually go up and out the toilet and tub? Should the electric to that
sink's pump be cut off? (That's what I suggested.)

The ground water itself couldn't have pressure to do that, could it?
Especially when the lawn is not flooded?

Or is there some other mechanism involved? Gas pressure in the septic tank?
The whole thing seems strange. Btw, the tub did eventually drain by itself.



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Posted by Calab on July 24, 2008, 1:29 am




|I just got off the phone with somebody who was having their toilet and tub
| back up and spill a lot of water onto the floor - after which it found
it's
| way through various holes down into their ranch house's basement. There
was
| enough water so that the doorway out into the hall had to be dammed up
with
| towels to keep the water from getting throughout the first floor.

| The ground water itself couldn't have pressure to do that, could it?
| Especially when the lawn is not flooded?

Any chance that they have their eavetroughs draining into the septic system?



Posted by Jerry on July 25, 2008, 1:30 pm


Calab wrote:
> |I just got off the phone with somebody who was having their toilet and tub
> | back up and spill a lot of water onto the floor - after which it found
> it's
> | way through various holes down into their ranch house's basement. There
> was
> | enough water so that the doorway out into the hall had to be dammed up
> with
> | towels to keep the water from getting throughout the first floor.
>
> | The ground water itself couldn't have pressure to do that, could it?
> | Especially when the lawn is not flooded?
>
> Any chance that they have their eavetroughs draining into the septic system?

thanks for the idea, but no.. they don't.

A plumber was there and couldn't figure out why it had happened.
<shrug>

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