MSU Red Cedar Message Board

Shit is a great fertilizer. Sit back and watch it turn green baby!

I'll take a stab at it.

What is running to your French drain? I thought that the sump was the only thing allowed to run into one of those. Easy answer is that your main needs to be snaked out. Hard answer will cost more.

I am hoping it is just that it needs to be snaked because i can do that for 50 bucks renting the tools from home depot.

My thoughts as well. But I can tell you that when I have my wife flush the toilet I can hear the water run directly into my sump pit and watch it fill up and discharge.

I'm pretty sure you hit the nail on the head. I had the exact me problem about 18 months ago. Your sewer line is clogged by something, between the house and the main. Snanking it should solve the problem. If it is tree roots, you'll have to snake it periodically.

Did you just move to this place?

Are you sure it's a sump pump?

What you are describing sounds more like a grinder or ejector pump crock, not a sump crock.

If this were a true sump pump it would have clogged looooooooong ago.

No. Turds need water to get where they are going. No water = immobile turds.

Where does the sump pump discharge? It's illegal in most if not all municipalities for it to discharge in the the sanitary sewer.

How old is the house?

I have been in the house for 6 years. It is a true sump pump because I installed it after the last one crapped out 4 or so years ago. The sump also drain into the backyard. I can tell this is a recent issue because there is a lot of water in the part of the yard where the drainline ends. I have never seen water there before and it is in an area I walk over all the time. I'm going to rent a snake tomorrow after work. Tonight I need to jack up some concrete because the idiot who installed the french drain system buried the cleanout half under concrete. Also, it is not a leaching issue because when water runs there is a direct flow into the sump pit through the french drain.

What a crappy situation.

+1

- Call a professional, i wouldn't eff around with this. I learned this lesson the hard way.

Also you need someone that does drains/septic work, not a plumber.

Here is an update and it doesn't get much better. I broke up the concrete around the cleanout and french drain. The sewer line passes at a 45 degree angle under the french drain. I rented a snake and went about 80 feet toward the curb. That shit was messy. Big problem came when we pulled the snake out. The new cleanout I bought did not fit. The fitting must be like 5 inches as the 4 inch I bought was nowhere close. I had the send the wife to her parents and run over to the house I am fliping so I could take a shower. Plumbing supply store is my first stop in the morning. Then I will know whether I need to call in a pro. My only thought is that the sewer line is broke right where it passes under the french drain.

Funny you should say that. If I have to shit I am screwed since the cleanout is not in and it will run out into my basement. I was just thinking about walking out back to take a piss.