Basement drain to a dry well that has collapsed

Basement drain to a dry well that has collapsed

Member since 2018 · 161 posts · 152 votes
I have a 1940s property that had a toilet overflow when nobody was home. The water drained through the floor to the basement and there is now standing water in the basement. This house has a drain in the center of the floor. However, this drain was placed during the homes construction and it is not functioning. We augered it and found that it is full of mud. We are assuming the dry well has collapsed. So, what to do? We placed a pump to send the water out the window through a garden hose. This way the current standing water is being evacuated. We also replaced the fill hose and valve on the toilet to prevent another overflow. Now we need to decide what to do about the basement long term. One option seems be digging a pit at the site of the current drain and placing a sump pump. The problem is that this is in the center of the floor, so electric and hose would need to be routed across the basement. It's also going to cost about $1500 to $2k. The other option is to do nothing long term. This is a dry basement (except when the toilet overflowed). The cost to do nothing involves a drive over there to set the temporary pump if this ever happens again. This is our only rental and it's our first rental. We don't yet have much emergency fund in place. So, while we can pay fir the sump pump, it would make a big dent in that emergency fund. What do you think? Is this an emergency? Should we get the pump now, or can it be put off for the three months it would take for the rental income to pay for it?
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Specialist · Milford, ME · Member since 2016 · 630 posts · 378 votes
8y

My opinion if the basement is dry even in the spring then leave it alone. It is unusual for a toilet to overflow when nobody is around. Are you sure the drain is working clear to the sewer or septic system? If you have a septic there are some easy ways to test it. Public sewer would be a little more difficult.

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  • Specialist · Milford, ME · Member since 2016 · 630 posts · 378 votes
    8y

    My opinion if the basement is dry even in the spring then leave it alone. It is unusual for a toilet to overflow when nobody is around. Are you sure the drain is working clear to the sewer or septic system? If you have a septic there are some easy ways to test it. Public sewer would be a little more difficult.

  • Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    8y

    Unfinished basement  ? if so dont do a thing until its a problem . 

  • Investor · Jasper GA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    8y

    @Angela

    @Angela Smith Will you be able to raise the rent by spending $2,000?  If not, dry it out and make sure the toilet is fixed.

  • Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    8y

    Do nothing or rent a jack hammer, cut a trench, run the center drain to a sump hole in a corner, cement over the line and you are done.  Time and a few hundred dollars in material done at your leisure.

  • Property Manager · Bowie, MD · Member since 2017 · 120 posts · 67 votes
    8y

    confirm that the line is done.  It could just be jacked up, but repairable or cleanable.

  • Architect · Papillion, NE · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 840 votes
    7y

    Fix the toilet with new guts so it doesn't overflow again.  You need to understand if the collapse  line ties up to a sewer system.   You could scope the line for visual inspection.  Talk with the city / utility dept as they should have records of where the line goes.

  • Member since 2018 · 161 posts · 152 votes
    7y

    Thank you for all the replies.

    We decided to do nothing about the floor drain.  The basement is for storage only, so it's not livable space anyway.  If it ever happens again, we will do the same thing...place a pump to remove the standing water.

    BTW, the toilet has be fixed.

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