hello plumbers,

i live in an old house with an old basement toilet that was removed about a month ago. The base of the toilet was leaking due to poor patch-work, broken seal, etc. I've finally found the time to install a new one BUT...the drain doesn't have that standard toilet mount (that little circular deal with the screws sticking up). I'm obviously a novice. The hole itself is flush to the floor but the actual drain pipe sits about 2 or 3" lower. This sounds pretty typical but i know very little about this stuff. I'm assuming there's a piece that can be fitted to create that toilet mount situation? any advice would be much appreciated.

another thing: I had stuffed a towel in that hole to keep the smell out. we've had lots of rain these past few week and now that hole has started to show signs of water backup (not much, but it's happening). I don't want to assume it's bc there needs to be a toilet there to keep that water from backing up but is that likely the case? before i install a toilet just wanted to make sure there isn't the possibility of some other issue that needs to be addressed before that toilet gets installed.

thank you in advance.

- stanko the novice plumber

Toilets are not suppose to back flow. If you are witnessing flood waters backing up thru the exposed wasteline....... you are having other issues that a new toilet will not correct.

Do you have a septic system or city/town waste lines?

Best Wishes

thx for the replay wheelchair.

no septic so i'm assuming city line. we have a guy come out every year or so to rot out the main line to the street. he also cleans the catch basin. it's been at least 2 years since he's been out to clean the main line to the street. could that be the cause?

thanks again.

Find out if the plumbers using a 2", 3" or 6" cutter blade. Only a 6" blade does a thorough job. If you've got a depressed section in your main line (aka a belly) or lots of roots you'd want to clean out with a 6" cutter once a year. If the line has no issues once a year might be a waste of money. If the catch basin is getting completely sucked dry and it's fairly large then it normally would be ok for 5 years or more for typical residential usage. I'm not a plumber but this is what I've heard from plumbers.

Or if you're the lowest lot on the block your getting rain water backing up into your sewer line.

quote; Find out if the plumbers using a 2", 3" or 6" cutter blade. Only a 6" blade does a thorough job.

1. I have SELDOM used a 6" cutter blade for the past 60+ years and not at all for the past 40, because few RESIDENCES have a 6" sewer, in fact, most here are 3".

I only ever carried 4" blades on my truck. If I had a 3" line I had to do some creative bending to start it, but no biggie.

so is this 99.9% of the cause for basement backups?

thank you all.

stanko

It is the most likely and most reasonable cause. It could be leprechauns.

If the water is coming from the building itself, yes. If it is coming from a city sewer backup, then NO.

thanks again. scheduled a thorough cleaning of both lines and leprechauns.

stanko.



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