Sewage Coming Up Your Basement Floor Drain? Here's What It Means
Sewage in your basement floor drain means your main sewer line is blocked. What to do right now, what causes it, and how to keep it from happening again.
Few things get a homeowner on the phone faster than sewage in the basement. We recently had a call from a homeowner in Edina with this exact problem. If it's coming up through your floor drain, the cause is almost always the same: your main sewer line is blocked somewhere between that drain and the street.
Why the floor drain? It's the lowest opening in your plumbing. When the main line can't drain, wastewater from every sink, toilet and appliance in the house backs up to the lowest point and comes out there.
What to do right now
- Stop using water. No flushing, laundry, dishwasher or showers.
- Keep kids and pets away from the water. It's raw sewage.
- Call a drain company that can clear the main line and camera it.
What usually causes it
- Tree roots growing into cracked or loose joints. This is the top cause in older Twin Cities neighborhoods with clay tile lines.
- Grease, wipes and paper buildup
- A belly (sag) or offset in the pipe that catches waste
- Heavy rain overloading the city sewer
Why the camera matters
Clearing the line stops the backup. The camera tells you whether it will happen again. At Lucky Dog, every main line cleaning includes a camera inspection at no extra charge.
Sewage in the basement? Call Lucky Dog Sewer & Drain or see our flat-rate pricing. Serving Hennepin and Wright counties.
Read similar articles
A Hopkins homeowner lost gas and hot water after CenterPoint found basement leaks. How Lucky Dog had a plumber there in an hour and got gas restored the same day.
Should you hydro jet your sewer line or replace it? How a Twin Cities HOA weighed backups, pipe condition, cost, and risk, and when jetting stops making sense.
A restaurant sewer backup costs far more than the drain cleaning. A real Edina case shows how preventive hydro jetting protects revenue, tenants and leases.
Buying a home in Minnetonka, Edina or the West Metro? 5 plumbing issues inspectors often miss, from old water heaters to seized sewer cleanouts, and what they cost.
A sewer liner is one of the most expensive quotes a homeowner will see. When a liner makes sense, when it might not, and questions to ask before you sign.
Your drain tech says "belly" and "offset." Here's what each sewer camera finding means, how serious it is, and the typical fix.
