Ok I know we have had alot of snow melt and rain but I have a ? ..I have a 4" cast cellar floor drain..It has a backflow rubber buld thing to stop backflow and it works but where is the water coming from ?

This pipe is a good 5' below the level of the ground...98% of the time its fine and usualy when I do see the popet thing sticking up the next day its fine...now its been 2 days but the 4ft of snow still levft on the fground is still melting...I have been told that pipe is not tied into the sewer but rather goes to the old septic ?

Again, I just cant see the melting going down 5ft in the ground and then wanting to come up this pipe....also dont know what to do about it or just live with it

Evidently, melt water is entering into the septic/drainfield area and flooding back into the house connection (very possible for it to leach 5' into the ground). How it is exiting the pipe to come up into the concrete floor is another issue.

So it must be connected to something,right ? Otherwise if it was just a pipe laying in the ground not connected to something it wouldnt be backing up unless there was an underground lake at the end of the pipe

It doesn't necessarily have to be connected on the other end. If it travels outside the foundation and is open ended in the earth, the melt water can still enter it.

I can see it entering it but there shouldnt be pressure enough to push it up thru the trap and come out on the floor,,,,should there ? I probably should have someone come with a camera so I can see what it does but can you put the camera in when the pipe is full of water ?

Given enough head pressure, the water can and will push out any opening available. No, a sewer camera can not be used underwater.



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I thought I was told it can be used with water in the pipe....oh well

You can thank Mother Nature and water hydralics. Both can be unforgiving when pushed to extremes. And as you well know, 4 ft of snow translates into several inches of rain waters.

Best Wishes

I wonder if the pipe is cracked and or has a blockage and the crack is letting melt water in the pipe but because of the blockage it cant go anywhere but back toward the cellar ?

I have a plumber coming in the morning that said he will pump out the pipe then snake it and maybe camera it...I cant believe nobody in the entire Village knows where this pipe goes...some have said it goes to the storm drain...one old timer said it goes to the old septic.

Worse case if it goes nowhere and I know where it is we can dig it up in the spring and make like a dry well with #2 stone...so that we still have the drain IF needed...I tried to snake it but my snake is only like 1/4" dia ...more like a drain pipe snake..