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Reasons My Floor Drain is Backing Up

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Melbourne Plumber

A floor drain backing up can be very frustrating and annoying. They can be baffling too. People will run all types of drain cleaners and potions through their floor drain trying to get it to work properly. But it may not be the drain itself that isn’t functioning properly. It may be your plumbing system.

The floor drain is the lowest drain in the home so this will be the first place waste water will go if there is a problem with it exiting the premises. In other words, a clog elsewhere may be causing the floor drain to back-up.

This is true of any drain back-up. The lowest drains in the system will routinely start to back-up if there is a problem with the main sewer line.

Sometimes, clogs have nothing to do with floor drain back-ups. That can happen when:

• The sewer line has damage, ie. cracks or holes.
• The sewer line is  sagging or collapsed.
• Tree roots have damaged or infiltrated the sewer line.

What Your Plumber Will Do

If you have given up on trying to solve the problem yourself and have decided to hire a professional plumber to get that floor drain working again, here is what that plumber is likely to do:

Inquiry: Your plumber will ask you how long this has been going on. Do you notice it is worse at different times of the day? Your plumber will try to figure out the basics from asking you questions.

Testing Your Plumbing Items One by One: Your plumber may shut off certain items like sinks, toilets and tubs, and test the waste-water flow. This will help diagnose the root of the problem.

Camera Pipe Inspection: This may be an option to get to the real cause of the problem. Sometimes looking inside the pipes is the only way to get the full scope of the project.

Maintenance

Routine maintenance on your plumbing and sewer lines will prevent nasty and annoying floor drain back-ups in the future. Keep the plumbing clutter free and free flowing is the ideal way to prevent floor drain back-ups.