If the floor drain in your home keeps backing up with water, it’s time to search for the underlying cause. Don’t wait to address this problem, as a backed-up floor drain can result in costly water damage due to standing water. Check out our guide to determine what is causing the problem and how you can fix it.
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Why Is the Floor Drain In My Home Backing Up?
Wondering why your floor drain keeps backing up? One of the three problems below is likely the cause.
1. Clogged Drain Lines
Out of all the drain lines in your home, the floor drain sits at the lowest point. When other drain lines get clogged, wastewater can’t flow through them. At that point, the wastewater has nowhere else to go but the drain line. Since the floor drain can’t keep up with all the excess wastewater, it will start to overflow.
2. Sewer Line Clogs
Similar to drain lines, your sewer line can become clogged with waste and debris over time. If your floor drain is backing up, this is a sign wastewater can’t flow through the sewer line. The floor drain eventually fills with so much wastewater that the water overflows to relieve pressure.
3. Sewer Line Damage
Damage such as cracks and holes in the sewer line can also prevent wastewater from flowing through it properly. The excess wastewater enters the floor drain and causes backups in your home.
Read More: How to Turn Off the Water Heater in Your House
3 Ways To Stop Basement Floor Drain Backups
Follow these three steps to stop your basement floor drain from backing up with water.
1. Ask Questions
How long has the floor drain been backing up with wastewater? Have backups occurred previously? Does the backed-up water smell bad? These are some of the questions you must ask yourself to fix this issue
2. Test Your Plumbing Fixtures
Hire a plumber to test your plumbing fixtures. This process involves turning the fixtures on and off to see what happens when water flows through the drain line and sewer lines.
3. Inspect the Pipes With a Camera
Your plumber will also inspect your pipes with a camera to locate the exact source of the floor drain backup. This inspection will help the plumber know whether repairs or replacements are needed.
How to Fix a Clogged Floor Drain
Are you tired of your floor drain constantly backing up? Here are three ways to fix the problem for good. If none of these solutions do the job, a plumber will need to take a closer look.
1. Hot Water
If a clog is the source of your backed-up floor drain, try pouring hot water down the drain. The hot water will remove any residue,such as oil, grease, and soap, that has accumulated in the drain line.
2. Common Household Solution
Pour a combination of vinegar and baking soda down the drain line to break up the residue. After about 15 minutes, pour hot water down the drain line to remove the remaining mixture.
3. Plunging
Plunging is a dependable method that can be used for breaking up drain clogs and preventing floor drain backups. The repeated suction moves the clog further down the drain until it exits through the other end.
Sewer and Water Line Repair Services
Does the drain line in your house keep backing up with wastewater? Our team of licensed plumbers offer innovative drain cleaning services and video sewer inspection solutions for homes in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Give our team of expert plumbers a call by phone at 1-800-642-4419 to schedule an appointment and receive assistance with a clogged drain in your house.
Our professionals also offer other types of emergency plumbing services such as sewer line replacement, water line repair, sump pump installation, and water heater repair. After performing a thorough inspection, our licensed plumbers will save you time and money by stopping the plumbing issue at its source.