Well, here goes yet another problem for the board members.....
I have recently finished construction on a new home in which I sub contracted plumbing work to a licensed plumber (I live within NYC). All water/sewer lines are 100% new and have only seen use for about 3 months. (the pipes were actually installed about 10 months ago) My problem is in the basement where today I noticed I had a couple of floor drains backed up.
In the basement, the outside drain that drains the area by an exterior door is connected to a floor drain in the utility room as well as a toilet bowl in the bathroom, from there, the pipe goes to a main house trap then out to the city sewer. I first noticed the problem when I heard the toilet bowl make a bubbling sound, then I looked outside to see the water rising out of the exterior floor drain, then I walked into the boiler room and saw about a half inch of water already on the floor, again, water was coming up through the drain.
I figured there has to be a clog somewhere, so I decided to have a look at the main house trap (yes, they are still required in NYC building codes, here's a link to a sketch that is similiar to mine, http://www.geocities.com/saldnm/house_trap.gif ). I opened the top which was closest to the outside of the building, and as I slowly opened it, water began to backflow out of it, well it was not exactly water as you can imagine, more like raw sewage, and of course it was stinky and nasty. I quickly tightened it and almost puked.
Not being an expert in plumbing, however, I sort of think that when you open a main house trap, you are not suppose to get a back flow of water coming into the building.
The main sewer line was replaced not so long ago since the original was about 100 years old. Total cost was about $10,000 to replace water main and sewer lines alone. There is an extremely large maple tree directly over the sewer lines on the sidewalk before they enter the city sewer (tree is about 45 feet high and 3 or 4 feet thick.) Is it possible for the roots to grow into the pipes that quick and cuase such a problem? (pipes have been installed 10 to 12 months ago.
Do you think my plumber messed something up here? Or can it be something else? There have been horror stories where a sewer line will back up over night and totally destroy a basement, I've seen pics of basements with 2 to 4 inches of muck everywhere, man I hope that doesnt happen here!!!
Any suggestions/comments ??
thanks!
I have recently finished construction on a new home in which I sub contracted plumbing work to a licensed plumber (I live within NYC). All water/sewer lines are 100% new and have only seen use for about 3 months. (the pipes were actually installed about 10 months ago) My problem is in the basement where today I noticed I had a couple of floor drains backed up.
In the basement, the outside drain that drains the area by an exterior door is connected to a floor drain in the utility room as well as a toilet bowl in the bathroom, from there, the pipe goes to a main house trap then out to the city sewer. I first noticed the problem when I heard the toilet bowl make a bubbling sound, then I looked outside to see the water rising out of the exterior floor drain, then I walked into the boiler room and saw about a half inch of water already on the floor, again, water was coming up through the drain.
I figured there has to be a clog somewhere, so I decided to have a look at the main house trap (yes, they are still required in NYC building codes, here's a link to a sketch that is similiar to mine, http://www.geocities.com/saldnm/house_trap.gif ). I opened the top which was closest to the outside of the building, and as I slowly opened it, water began to backflow out of it, well it was not exactly water as you can imagine, more like raw sewage, and of course it was stinky and nasty. I quickly tightened it and almost puked.
Not being an expert in plumbing, however, I sort of think that when you open a main house trap, you are not suppose to get a back flow of water coming into the building.
The main sewer line was replaced not so long ago since the original was about 100 years old. Total cost was about $10,000 to replace water main and sewer lines alone. There is an extremely large maple tree directly over the sewer lines on the sidewalk before they enter the city sewer (tree is about 45 feet high and 3 or 4 feet thick.) Is it possible for the roots to grow into the pipes that quick and cuase such a problem? (pipes have been installed 10 to 12 months ago.
Do you think my plumber messed something up here? Or can it be something else? There have been horror stories where a sewer line will back up over night and totally destroy a basement, I've seen pics of basements with 2 to 4 inches of muck everywhere, man I hope that doesnt happen here!!!
Any suggestions/comments ??
thanks!