Washer/Laundry Tub Not Draining

[RockNRoll]

Our washing machine drains into a laundry tub in the basement of our 25-year-old home. We live near a river and our yard stays pretty wet and doesn't drain well (we just moved in and will address that in the spring). Here in the midwest, we just went from over a foot of snow on the ground to rain and temperatures in the 50s and back to cold again. Lots of run off and then freezing.

Coinciding with all that, our laundry tub isn't draining. It tees into a drain line that goes down into the concrete basement floor. Last night, we did a load of laundry. Both bays of the tub filled nearly to the top but then started to slowly go down. Oddly, this morning, the floor was wet with sudsy water. Did the drain line back up over night? Is the line frozen somewhere? What do you think is probably causing this and what should we do about it? Thanks.

[Redwood]

Where does this drain to? Sewer, Septic, Cesspool?

[RockNRoll]

It drains to sewer.

[Redwood]

I would hire a plumbing pro to clean the drain.

[RockNRoll]

We moved in this past September and have a home warranty. It has tons of fine print about what is and isn't covered. It says that drain lines and main lines are covered unless the blockage is due to roots or frozen lines.

The way it works is we call the warranty company. They send a local plumber -- we pay $55 for the service call. Then the plumber tells us what the cause of the problem is and whether they believe it's covered or not. If not covered, he quotes us an additional fee.

Any advice on how best to work that out? I've yet to be told that something is covered. We're in the Chicago suburbs. Any idea on ballpark amount for this job?

Thanks.

[Redwood]

Home warrantee's are useless as you have found out.
Elvis throwing a baseball through your window is covered but everything else isn't.

Prices vary widely across the country call for an estimate.

[RockNRoll]

Thanks Redwood. I'll forget the warranty and just get some references from friends about reputable local plumbers and get estimates. Appreciate your help.

[Redwood]

I could tell you what I charge but then the first guy you talk to would have you thinking he's cheap...
We are quite expensive around here compared to your area.