Standing water in sewer clean out

[Htv23]

Hello, everyone. A couple days ago it was pointed out to me that there is standing water inside my outdoor sewer clean out. From my understanding, this typically means that there is a clog somewhere (?). The only thing is all our inside fixtures (toilet/shower/etc) all work fine with no signs of back up or slow drainage. Does anyone know why this could be happening and is this an issue I should get immediate help with? Like I said, all the plumbing indoors seem to be working as intended so I’m a little hesitant to call in a pro just yet. Thanks

 

[Geofd]

If the pipe outside is full do you have fixtures in the basement????? Do you have a backwater valve(fancy name for a check valve used on a sewer drain,) you may want to call the city, have them check a couple of manholes to see if they are backed up.....if they are clear you may need to snake your main drain...assuming your on city sewer

 

[Twowaxhack]

Sounds like you have a main sewer clogg. If you ran enough water at once it would probably show itself in the house.,


This is common.......

 

[Htv23]

If the pipe outside is full do you have fixtures in the basement????? Do you have a backwater valve(fancy name for a check valve used on a sewer drain,) you may want to call the city, have them check a couple of manholes to see if they are backed up.....if they are clear you may need to snake your main drain...assuming your on city sewer

So the pipe outside is not totally full of water. From the top of the pipe to the bottom is approximately 4 feet or so. The water at the bottom is approximately 1 foot or so. And the only thing we have in the basement that’s connected to the main line is the washing machine. And that is the last thing to connect before heading out of the home

 

[Htv23]

Sounds like you have a main sewer clogg. If you ran enough water at once it would probably show itself in the house.,


This is common.......

What would you suggest I do? Run my sink/dishwasher/shower for a little and see what’s happens?

 

[Twowaxhack]

What would you suggest I do? Run my sink/dishwasher/shower for a little and see what’s happens?

Not the dishwasher.

Run the washing machine, bathtub and flush the toilets. It’ll probably start showing up inside.

While you’re doing this have someone watch the water in the cleanout outside.

 

[Htv23]

Not the dishwasher.

Run the washing machine, bathtub and flush the toilets. It’ll probably start showing up inside.

Ok. I’ll give it a shot and will report back. Thanks

 

[Htv23]

Not the dishwasher.

Run the washing machine, bathtub and flush the toilets. It’ll probably start showing up inside.

While you’re doing this have someone watch the water in the cleanout outside.

So I ran the sinks/washer/shower/toilet for about 5-10 mins and noticed the tub filled up a little bit, but the tub has always drained a little slow ever since we moved into the home 5-6 years ago. What would you suggest my next plan of action to be? Snake the shower drain?

 

[Geofd]

Run the washing machine on a heavy cycle a couple of times, if you gonna snake anywhere should be outside we're you see the water that way the potential mess is out there you would need a large snake, minimum size cable would be 3/8" and go all the way to the street

 

[Htv23]

Run the washing machine on a heavy cycle a couple of times

I can give that a shot. What am I keeping my eye out for when I’m doing this?

 

[Twowaxhack]

So I ran the sinks/washer/shower/toilet for about 5-10 mins and noticed the tub filled up a little bit, but the tub has always drained a little slow ever since we moved into the home 5-6 years ago. What would you suggest my next plan of action to be? Snake the shower drain?

The objective is to run enough water to fill the pipe up , if it’s going to fill up.

While doing this have someone watch the water in the cleanout to see if it rises. Make sure the washer drain pipe doesn’t overflow.

It’s not a difficult concept.

 

[Htv23]

The objective is to run enough water to fill the pipe up , if it’s going to fill up.

While doing this have someone watch the water in the cleanout to see if it rises. Make sure the washer drain pipe doesn’t overflow.

It’s not a difficult concept.

Yes. I ran everything. Washer at max setting/shower/sinks/flushed toilets. Will have to try again in the morning when I can have enough light to see the clean out. Thanks

 

[Copymutt]

in addition to a partial blockage, you may also have a sag or disconnect in the line near the cleanout. Vehicle traffic over said line is a possible culprit. Does happen where septic tanks are removed and central line connections are installed w/o proper compaction under the line.