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blucube

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Summary: Water leaks from where wall meets floor when washer drains. Smells of sewage, appears to be earth/clay 1.5'-2.0' down washer drain.

Trying to identify issue, may cut up concrete soon. Washer in the basement 100+ year old construction. Washer drain goes directly into the floor/concrete. When water is drained into the washer drain it begins to leak out of a couple of areas right where the wall and floor meet about a foot away from the drain and another ~10' away. It also begins to smell like sewage when it's leaking (sump pump currently smells like sewage as well - I believe the french drain is catching the leaked water and it's flowing the sump).

I'm in the process of scoping with varying success but I've found that the camera was only making it a foot or two down and it felt like earth/clay was preventing it and goes completely dark due to obstruction/murky water. I snaked the drain about 8x and each time about 1.5 to 2' down I hit what feels like earth/clay (pic attached of what I've been pulling up). It's really, really thick - thick enough to "catch" the snake from spinning and if forced began to unravel the coil/spring.

I don't have a ton of experience with what gathers in drains over time but it really feels like earth/clay and not just some "black sludge" build up. That and the fact mass amounts of water starts to leak from the foundation where it meets the wall makes me think either the pipe is damaged and filled up with dirt/clay or this is draining in a way I can't wrap my mind around.

My next two steps are likely using a skill saw to make a hole around the pipe/work my way along the drain to see if I can find it collapsed or damaged. Or, try and send the scope in through the waste stack clean out towards the drain (which I imagine I'll just see murky water and an obstruction with no light).

Sorry for the long explanation, but I do appreciate anyone's time and input on what I'm likely dealing with.

(Click spoiler to see black earth/clay like substance)

IMG_20180922_172236.jpg
 
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the best way to see something in a drain is to get the water out.....put a wet vac in the drain....you may even get your answer thereif you vac out debris...clay...if your snake head is coming back shinny that's also an indication of a broken pipe...start with wet vaccing out the drain then camera it...I had the same thing years ago pvc into clay...
it was broken under the floor took 2 days to jackhammer the floor replace the clay recement the floor and re install fixtures
 
the best way to see something in a drain is to get the water out.....put a wet vac in the drain....you may even get your answer thereif you vac out debris...clay...if your snake head is coming back shinny that's also an indication of a broken pipe...start with wet vaccing out the drain then camera it...I had the same thing years ago pvc into clay...
it was broken under the floor took 2 days to jackhammer the floor replace the clay recement the floor and re install fixtures

Thanks for the reply, I have a feeling it's going to come down to something similar as you had. Wet vacing the water would be good, wanted to but didn't have one handy. I'll likely still do it to be safe but, it takes a decent amount of water down the drain before it starts coming up through the floor/wall base. Just with that symptom alone, would you imagine it would be a safe bet to assume a pipe is broke anyway?
 

Thanks for the reply, I have a feeling it's going to come down to something similar as you had. Wet vacing the water would be good, wanted to but didn't have one handy. I'll likely still do it to be safe but, it takes a decent amount of water down the drain before it starts coming up through the floor/wall base. Just with that symptom alone, would you imagine it would be a safe bet to assume a pipe is broke anyway?
you could also dye the water going down the drain
 
I'm back, after cutting up the basement floor and replacing a bunch of broken cast iron piping things were going real well. Ran the washer for about a month, plus the kitchen sink uses this run as well.

However it rained today and the hole was full of clean clear water. Close to where I'm working on the other side of the wall there is a roof gutter spout/drain but there is also a circular grated hole that I'm not entirely sure its use, I thought it might be an easy access pipe.

This is in the basement in the hole under the foundation where I believe the water is coming back into. A colleague mentioned path of least resistance and filling/packing the hole may allow the French drain / sump to do its thing as there is barely any water in the sump.

Video of water coming in under the concrete floor / side of the house probably roughly 6 or so feet under ground level (real rough estimate). This is after I dumped a load of water by the spout and down that grated hole along the foundation on the other side outside.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8U5CAjoKdmz985Kz8

Thanks again!
 
They are not. It falls directly on to a cement walkway that's busted up where it meets the foundation that is tilting back towards the house... Just tonight I said I needed to pipe the water away. Although it might be a little challenging as the yard goes up before down, which I guess I could make a long run to the front of the house... but that's neither here nor there... Thanks!
 
They are not. It falls directly on to a cement walkway that's busted up where it meets the foundation that is tilting back towards the house... Just tonight I said I needed to pipe the water away. Although it might be a little challenging as the yard goes up before down, which I guess I could make a long run to the front of the house... but that's neither here nor there... Thanks!
some times people would dig a trench ru it away from the house and make a dry well out of a big container and fill it with crushed stone and landscape fabric
 
One thing led to another and I just ended up installing another sump/french drain in that corner. Currently just for the sake of getting it done I just have a 90 deg elbow throwing the water straight down on the side of the house/yard. I'm thinking about how I want to pipe it away from the house... at first I wanted to run PVC down and bury it with about an 8' run into the backyard. Right now it's a 1 1/2 pipe and I wanted to place a NDS pop up drain at the end... Though I'm from Missouri and we deal with freezing temperatures and I'm afraid a system like that would promote water to remain in the PVC and eventually freeze up - if the pump ever had to run then it would be blocked up. Does that seem likely? If it's fine that would be my preferred method... however if not - would the dry well be better or just leaving it open ended to drain out into the yard?

Some images of the work:


Thanks again!
 
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