Crack in basement floor cess pool backed up and came through crack! (pools, drains)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have recently torn up a glued down carpet (indoor/outdoor kind of carpet) in the basement. This used to be the garage that was converted to a basement room. There was a crack that is at least 6ft. across. This is during the winter and the room is dark so I really didn't notice the crack with all the black glue etc. that stuck to the floor. Jump ahead four months to March and the cesspool backed up into the basement shower. Now I notice the crack because there is wetness seeping out of the crack. Sounds to me (I am no expert believe me) like the cesspool line under the garage may have leaks (crumbling?) If it didn't, wouldn't it just go ahead and back up into the shower without coming through the crack in the converted garage? The shower is about fifteen feet from the converted garage (crack).
Also when I say "seeping through the crack" I mean a little wetness, enough to notice but not pouring out like into the shower.
I am going to have the pools drained today (there are two in the front yard). Am I also looking at having to demo the floor in the garage and checking to see if the line has decayed.
Last edited by lfrenchsmith; 03-14-2014 at 06:23 AM..
Thanks for the comment Wmsn4Life, but I need an opinion. Is there any possible way to drain the cesspools to take care of the first problem and possibly have the crack repaired or is it imperative to jack hammer the floor and check the cesspool line. Anybody?
Could it be the wetness is just from groundwater seaping in and not from the sewer line? I don't see where you are from but here in the midatlantic reason the watertable is high because of all the melting snow so water is coming into basements more than normal. The sump pump that my french drains feed into is running pretty regularly indicating that water is working its way in from the outside.
I would think it would be good to 'scope' the sewer line with a camera before you go tearing the floor up
I live on Long Island. I thought the same thing at first. We've had over two feet of snow in the yard all winter and now it is melting. Pretty sure the stuff backed up in the shower is from the cesspool because of the "muck" - although there is a smell, it isn't a "poop" smell like I've smelled in friend's houses or walking by a cesspool truck while it is draining someone's cesspool.
I think it's a great idea if
#1 Have the truck come and drain the cesspools and then
#2 Have a scope look thru the sewer line.
I know it will be around $800 to have the pools drained. Anyone know the cost of a scope on the north shore of Long Island?
Thanks so much for your input....makes more sense to explore the problem before jumping to the worse conclusion.
I live on Long Island. I thought the same thing at first. We've had over two feet of snow in the yard all winter and now it is melting. Pretty sure the stuff backed up in the shower is from the cesspool because of the "muck" - although there is a smell, it isn't a "poop" smell like I've smelled in friend's houses or walking by a cesspool truck while it is draining someone's cesspool.
I think it's a great idea if
#1 Have the truck come and drain the cesspools and then
#2 Have a scope look thru the sewer line.
I know it will be around $800 to have the pools drained. Anyone know the cost of a scope on the north shore of Long Island?
Thanks so much for your input....makes more sense to explore the problem before jumping to the worse conclusion.
I agree that what was coming up in the shower was from the sewer pipe. that is the easiest outlet for it. Its the water coming through the crack that I think my be groundwater. Do you have french drains at the perimeter of the basement? do they drain into a sump? If so how are they doing? They would be the first defense against groundwater
Yep - have the cesspool pumped and then checked for leaks and cracks. I would also suspect that it's ground water and not sewage. I've seen cases where the cesspool was leaking into a basement, and it's not something you just notice - you KNOW it pretty quickly from the smell. Even before liquid comes through gases will come through if there is a crack.
Run a camera through the sewer line before you jackhammer the basement floor. If it's an old house with cast iron soil pipe, there might be a problem, but if it was built after about 1965 it will have ADS plastic and is probably fine.
Since you have cesspools, it sounds like your house is ancient, which means the soil line might be vitreous clay. If that's the case, some major repairs to your sanitary system are necessary. The cesspools need to be replaced with a modern septic system, and it sounds like you will get a new garage floor in the process of replacing the soil pipe.
Do I have french drains at the peremeter that drain into a sump?
I know what a sump looks like so no I don't have one...but what do french drains look like. Can you have one without the other. I do have a pipe (vent?) that extends about a foot above the ground outside of my house at the corner of the back of the garage area. What is this?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
