How do I unclog my basement drain?????

Question

The other day my sister washed a load of clothes and the floor drain backed up. We figured this was just a one time thing. Well today I washed some clothes and the floor drain backed up again.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do??? Please help!!!!!

I don't know if this would help, but I live in a duplex and I don't think we have septic tanks here. (I live in Edmonton,AB, Canada) So do the last 2 posts still have relevance???? Also would a snake work??

Answer 1

ther are two ways. one is to call aplumber to clean it out. the other is to rent a sewer machine and do it yourself. all you need is a little patience and a good pair of leather palm gloves which cost about 7-8 dollars max. when you run the machine, don't hold the cable tight, but loose and let it feed itself as that is what it is supposed to do. all you are going to do is unblock the trap and allow it to flush down the line. once it starts draining keep running the machine and the water so as to keep the trash moving. after a few more feet, you turn the machine off, put in reverse and allow the cable to feed back into the holder. it is a great deal cheaper to do it yourself than hire it done. you only get charged for the rental, not the seventy or eighty bucks an hour a plumber will charge for the same work. the machine may cost about twenty dollars for four to six hours. it takes about twenty minutes to run the drain. a little longer if you run a longer system such as for a k9itchen drain since they can be thirty to fifty feet long.

Answer 2

Just because the water is coming up from the floor drain, it doesn't mean you have a septic tank. You could have something blocking your main drain 20-50 feet away from the house causing the drain to run slow.

By running the washing machine, the entire pipe fills up and thats why you now have water on the floor.

You can call a plumber or try to do it yourself. My suggestion is if you never snaked out a drain before, or watched anyone do it then I would call a plumber.

See how the plumber does it, and then next time you have a problem you can rent the machine and do it yourself.

I got a big tree in my back yard and every spring the roots block up my main drain. I don't want to cut the tree down, and I Got tired of paying a plumber, so I spent $800 and got my own snake and I now I just do it myself.

Answer 3

IF YOU HAVE WATER BACKING UP IN THE FLOOR DRAIN IT IS PROBABLY NOT A CLOG I WOULD BET A SILVER DOLLAR YOU HAVE A SEPTIC TANK.......HAVE IT DRAINED AND HAVE YOUR LEECH FIELDS TESTED