When you keep mopping water every few weeks around the drain area in your basement drain backing, there is nothing wrong with your mind, and you are certainly not the only person facing the problem. In fact, one of the biggest problems that plumber Vaughan residents face is the clogging of their basement drains. While it is possible to write off an initial backup of the drain as an isolated case, recurring problems generally indicate that there is something deeper within your drains or sewers which needs fixing. This guide helps you understand why the issue occurs and what steps can help solve it.
What It Actually Means When Your Basement Drain Backing Up
The drain that exists at the lowest end of your plumbing system is your floor drain in the basement. Just visualize it as the last destination for water that has either been drained to it or will have to come back to you. In the event that anything goes wrong with other drainage points, water tends to search for the fastest exit, which happens to be straight into your floor drain.
Therefore, a drain backup cannot simply mean that something has gone wrong with your floor drain. It just means that there is something that has gone wrong further into your drainage system, such as a blockage or too much water in some part of the system.
Common Reasons Your Basement Drain Keeps Backing Up
Here are the usual suspects, starting with the ones we see most often in Vaughan homes.
A Clogged Main Sewer Line
This is definitely the major cause of the problem. It is important to understand that all drains from your toilet, sink, or washing machine will go into the one pipe before reaching the sewer system. If this pipe becomes clogged in part due to some accumulation of dirt or any other substance, there is no place for water other than going back into the drain in your basement.
One can check this by observing if multiple drains have a problem at once. When the kitchen sink starts gurgling when you are using the toilet or your basement drain gets flooded after doing laundry, this is a sign you need to look out for.
Tree Roots Getting Into Older Pipes
Vaughan has many mature neighborhoods with large trees. The roots of these trees reach out far in order to get more water. Old clay and cast iron sewer pipes are particularly vulnerable because their roots can easily access them by entering through any small crack or joint. The result is an obstruction that takes time to occur.
The blockage will form gradually, and you will experience slow draining or a gurgling sound in your home for many months before the backup occurs.
Heavy Rain and Overloaded Storm Sewers
There have been increasing rains in Ontario over the last few years, and Vaughan has not been an exception. In the case of heavy rains, sewer systems tend to get full very quickly. Once that is the case, the water starts flowing backwards in the lateral pipe connecting your house to the street, and the basement drain ends up being the entry point.
Backwater valves will prevent the water from reaching your basement.
A Sump Pump That Cannot Keep Up
In case you have a sump pump in your house, then you know how important it is in draining off groundwater. However, when it fails due to power failure, a worn-out motor or because it cannot cope with the load, water accumulates around the foundation and finds its way through the basement, especially via the floor drain.
Sump pumps always tend to fail when you least expect them to do so; typically at the time of installation. The best thing to do would be an annual inspection before the spring and winter seasons.
A Dry or Blocked Floor Drain Trap
Your floor drain trap contains some water, which prevents sewer gases from seeping into the basement. However, when the floor drain is not frequently used, the water in the floor drain may evaporate, thus allowing odours to enter and solid materials to accumulate in the trap.
Grease, Wipes, and Things That Never Should Go Down a Drain
Many instances of clogging occur through no fault other than ourselves. When used grease is poured down the kitchen sink, the grease hardens when it cools down, and thus reduces the pipe diameter gradually month after month. Wipes labelled flushable, paper towels, and sanitary products don’t decompose as readily as regular toilet paper, and they get stuck at the joints of pipes.
Signs You Should Never Ignore
Here are some red flags that may appear before there is actually a backup.
- Bubbling sounds from the drains even when you’re not using them
- Sluggish draining of sinks, bathtubs, or toilets in multiple locations of your home
- A smell of sewage around the basement floor drain
- Water standing by the floor drain after washing clothes or dishes
- Water in the basement floor drain at all where there was none before
Why Repeated Backups Deserve More Than a Quick Fix
If your basement drain has already backed up multiple times, then cleaning it out or using a wet vac after the problem will only be dealing with the symptom of the problem. Most recurring backups usually occur due to underlying problems like a collapsed pipe, roots growing in it, a settling sewer line resulting in low spots or the inability of your sump pump to function properly under similar circumstances.
Each time this occurs, wastewater is left in your basement, hence exposing you and your family members to health risks since your floorings and wall boards will become contaminated. It also means that the problem is worsening every single time it occurs. Using a camera to inspect what is occurring within the pipes will help identify the exact problem instead of just symptoms. This is where you have to call in the professionals.
What To Do The Moment It Happens
- Do not use water in the household immediately. With each flush and each load of washing, more stress is being imposed on a line that is already under strain.
- Before going into any flooded area, make sure to shut off the power supply in the basement from the breaker box.
- Avoid the use of chemical drain cleaners, as they hardly ever solve the issue with a main line and could become very hazardous when combined with standing water.
- Take pictures of the damage for future reference, should insurance come into play.
- Contact a licensed plumber who specializes in basement plumbing in Vaughan.
How Vaughan Homes Face Some Unique Drainage Challenges
The combination of old, established streets and new development in Vaughan results in problems that can vary greatly from home to home. Older homes might experience problems associated with clay pipes as well as older trees and their roots, whereas newly developed subdivisions may have grading problems or undersized sump pumps. The clay soil found in some regions retains more water after the rain, placing an extra burden on the drainage system of the basement and the sump pump. Knowing whether your home is considered older or newly developed can help a plumber select the proper solution.
What Basement Floor Drain Repair Actually Involves
Assuming that the plumber you consult to help solve your basement floor drain issue in Vaughan advises this, the whole procedure would go something like these lines. The first step will involve inspecting the drainage system with the aid of a camera to determine the exact position of the clog/damage within the pipes. At this point, the plumber will advise either snaking, which is an approach used to clear away clogs/debris; hydro jetting, used to remove tough grease build-up or roots from within the pipes; or re-lining/replacing the pipe if it happens to be damaged.
How To Stop It From Happening Again
Prevention will always beat an emergency call any day. Here are just a few practices that can help a lot:
- Schedule a camera inspection of your mainline at least once every five years, more often if there are big trees around
- Make sure to have a backwater valve installed if you do not have it yet in your house
- Test your sump pump before spring and before winter
- Do not dispose of any cooking grease or oils into any drain
- Throw wipes, paper towels, and hygiene products into the garbage can and not into the toilet
- Pour some water into your basement floor drain every two months
Final Thoughts
No drain backup is ever a matter of bad luck; it is your plumbing system alerting you that something is wrong, and if not taken care of now, it may result in a much larger and more costly problem later on. Dealing with it in the early stages will spare you further trouble.
If your basement drain has clogged more than once, it would be better to have it looked into rather than wait for the next rainstorm and pray that your luck holds up. Vaughan Plumbing and Sewer takes on all of these kinds of situations all over Vaughan, Ontario, Canada on a weekly basis, and can actually get to the heart of the problem and not just clean up the overflow. Give us a call at (647) 547-2440 for any assistance.
