hello all! not sure if im allowed to jump right in so apologies if im not.

my plumbing questions are regarding a floor drain in my basement possibly a faulty liner. i have only owned the house 4 years. it is my first house and im not a fixer at all. i dont know what info is needed so heres some. tax assessment states it was built in 1957, i suspect it is older though. i have city sewer 27 feet out from my basement main line. it is cast iron that was cure lined by the previous owner during the 32 day closing. so i looked at the house put an offer in on the house, had it inspected, including plumbing, electrical, roof, mold. during the wait time before signing closing papers, the old owner discovered a sewage backup coming out of the floor drain. they went ahead and cure lined the sewage line before closing. my inspection reads older cast iron piping with typical aging no obvious cracks or defects. so why they added the expense im not sure, but am grateful. after closing and move in the next spring ( at this point 6 months of home ownership) sewage was then again coming up the drain. I then called a local plumber had them inspect the line with a camera. they found a blockage of root/grass at just about 26 feet. i had them clear it with an auger. they said its typical for it to come back through the floor drain as thats the lowest point of the house. and that i shouldnt worry about the drain. (thats not happening, i constantly check this hole every time im in the basement and sometimes make special trips down there to check it) my floor drain has always had water in the hole about 6 inches down. sometimes when the washer is running the water comes up to about 2 inches. if i run the washer back to back it sloshes out of the hole. it isnt a covered drain with a small pipe that leads to a bigger pipe it is a normal 6 inch round pipe. this pipe is not lined and is what i suspect cast iron. i cannot see the bottom and have no idea whats down there. i have yet to finish my basement so it is currently landing on bare cement so it is easy clean up. i just dont want this to keep happening. so my questions are:

1. does my drain need this water in it? is it bad to let it stay? at this point its been there 3 full years ive known of.
2. is there supposed to be a drain at the bottom of this hole? maybe its stopped working ? maybe it doesnt have one and needs one? if so which one?
3. my understanding is a liner is supposed to last quite a while, is it normal to have stopped the liner only at approx 25 feet of a 27 foot line? is it then faulty? and i will always need to call the plumber in spring to clean the last 2 feet?

the ground water in my state is at record highs this year. can someone explain how that will effect the floor drain?

i realize the last serious issue was 3 years ago but again its stuck in my head and i realize im a tad insane. i have no qualms about calling the plumber back in. im just not sure what questions to ask or where to direct my questions to get the most out of my visit. even if they come and do nothing i just want to know its normal.

Any help suggestions stories would be appreciated. thank you!

it is normal to see water in the floor drain. what you see is water in the floor drain trap.
it is not normal to see water rise in the floor drain when the washer discharges.
most likely the floor drain and the washer drain share a pipe which is (by todays standards) too small.
not a heck of a lot you can do about this except to be diligent in keeping that shared pipe snaked clean.

once the main (27 foot long) pipe is snaked clean and roots removed, you should on a regular schedule dump some root killer into that pipe. yes, it does work to help keep root infestation at a minimum.

lastly, ground water does not enter nor affect an intact sewer system.

municipalities spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep ground water out of their sewers.

thank you packy (MA) .

Is there a better root killer than another? where would i put it if i dont have a 2nd access point? i have the sewage cap on the main line that is way at the bottom of the main line in the basement but no yard clean out/shutoff, some houses here have them some dont.

[www.youtube.com]

Hey Packy,

Is this one of your home movies ?

no it isn't. I always wear a shirt and tie along with white gloves.