Basement Floor Drain Backs Up When Toilet is Flushed? (Fix It Now)

It can happen when you least expect it. You come into your basement only to find that the drain has overflowed, leaving raw sewage piping into your basement. The first thing you need to figure out is why. If the answer is the basement floor drain backs up when the toilet is flushed, you’re in the right place to deal with the problem.

If your basement floor drain backs up when the toilet is flushed, a clog in the sewer line is the culprit. This is usually caused from non-flushable items going down the toilet, tree roots growing in the sewer line, or even using too much toilet paper. Some issues you can resolve on your own, but you should always contact a professional to deal with invasive tree roots.

If you’re currently dealing with this issue, read through this article to get to the root of the problem. We’ll go over the do’s and don’t’s of dealing with this issue as well as the main causes. Furthermore, we’ll talk about how to prevent backups from getting worse and happening again in the future.

The reason that your floor drain overflows is that the sewer line has a blockage somewhere down the line. This is different than a clog where you can simply plunge the toilet and go back to living your life.

These backups in the drain are usually further down the line. They can simply be due to non-flushable items being flushed—and there are plenty of them—or it could just be a build up of toilet paper. In the absolute worst case, you could be facing the issue of tree roots that have invaded the sewer line.

It is surprising just how many people treat their toilets like garbage cans. The sewage system in your city–in any city–is only meant to handle toilet paper and raw sewage. When you flush anything else, you run the risk of a clog.

Those clogs will then result in sewage coming back up through your floor drain. You may be able to handle minor clogs on your own, but your safest bet is to get in touch with a plumber right away once you start experiencing problems.

Believe it or not, some blockages will not be your fault. For instance, raw sewage is actually filled with nutrients that trees love. Because of those nutrients, tree roots will actively seek out the natural moisture of the sewer line. If you think that you have tree roots invading your sewer line, a professional needs to come out as soon as possible to resolve the issue.

Most sewer lines aren’t simply punctured by those roots, thankfully. That said, roots can be persistent and will eventually find an entry point into the sewer line. When they finally get inside, they will continue to grow until they catch hold of sewage and toilet paper.

From that point, the roots will work with the sewage and toilet paper to clog up the line. All of that means trouble for you, which means you should work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

It’s true that toilet paper is one of the only items that ever should go down your toilet, but that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t cause problems. In fact, it is one of the biggest culprits of toilet drain backups. How can this be? For starters, many people tend to use way more toilet paper than they need. Not only is this a waste, but it’s also the quickest way to clog the sewer pipes.

The best way to avoid this problem is to use as little toilet paper as you need. In situations where you need to use a lot, flush more than once instead of putting it all in the bowl at once. Moreover, there are actually better types of toilet paper you should use to avoid clogging your types. Here are the takeaways:

The main water line is how all of the water that comes from the city’s water supply gets into your home while the sewage line is the way out. The sewer line works to connect all of the drains in your house to the central sewer system.

When there is a blockage, things can get messy rather quickly. If someone flushes the toilet or even tries to take a shower with a blockage present, the basement floor drain becomes the lowest unblocked point where the water can exit. Here’s what you can do to stop the backup from getting worse.

One of the first things that plumbers will do when they arrive is to access the sewer cleanout pipe. If you want to find it before they get there, you can save yourself and your hired plumber a lot of time. Plus, you may be able to avoid an extra charge some contractors tack on if they have to locate it themselves.

This pipe is usually found somewhere in the backyard. However, in colder climates, the sewer cleanout pipe may be somewhere in the home or garage. Just walk around the house and look for a pipe that juts straight up. It is typically black or white PVC.

You might not be able to find the pipe right away because it’s not used frequently. Check in bushes or other plants to find it. If it is in your home, then it is probably in a utility closet, basement, or garage. Remove the cap if you can; doing so will relieve a bit of the pressure that has built up in the sewer line.

Unless you’re dealing with a small clog, there is no DIY fix when it comes to a backed up sewer line. In most cases, you should not attempt to fix the problem on your own. There is a chance that you can do damage to the city’s sewer line, which will end up costing you a lot in the long-run.

Plumbers have both the knowledge and tools to get the job done properly. Some of these tools include sewer cleanout tubs, cameras and snakes, hydrojets, and special chemicals to kill root systems.

If the blockage is minor, they can typically snake the problem. But if a hydrojet is required, things get more complicated (and expensive). A hydrojet is a high-pressure water jet that can cut through those non-flushable items but it requires care to avoid damaging the pipes.

Even after you find and fix the problem, the work isn’t over. So, what should you do with all that water that flooded your floor? The simple answer is: clean it. The extent of that cleaning, however, will depend on the size of the flood.

If it was smaller and didn’t reach any of the running electricity, you are fine to clean up yourself. In the event of a more serious flood, you may have to bring in a professional to assist with the cleaning. Here are the steps you should take if you can clean up on your own.

Whenever there is an issue at home, there are generally two reactions: do something about it or call a professional. And while taking action can sometimes be helpful and even save you a few bucks, there are instances where this can actually be a bad idea.

In the event of tree roots, there is nothing that you can do on your own. Only a professional has the tools and experience needed to handle this project. You simply run the risk of prolonging the problem, making matters worse.

You also should not try to unblock the drain or dump any chemicals into your drain. When done improperly, either of those things could wind up damaging the city’s sewer system. When that happens, guess who is responsible for fixing the issue?

The bottom line is you really shouldn’t try to tackle the issue on your own if your basement floor drain backs up when the toilet is flushed. Namely, this is because it shows there is probably a larger problem at hand than a simple clog. More likely than not, something is happening deep down in the sewer line.