Hello everyone,
We have purchased our dream house, which unfortunately has water damage in the basement. We do not yet know the cause. Last week, I opened a pit in the basement, and it was filled with water (see photo). The building plans indicate that there should either be a lifting station or a backwater valve there. I believe it is more likely a lifting station since the pit is about 2.60m (8.5 ft) below the inspection shaft for sewage water on the street. Strangely, the water does not smell as bad as it looks in the photo; in fact, it smells quite pleasant (fabric softener?!). In the basement, there is a washing machine, a shower, a sink, and a toilet that all produce sewage water. My question is whether standing water like this is normal — probably not. Should I pump out the water? There is a floor drain in the middle of the same room. I will also include a photo of this drain. It is much deeper, and there is only about 5cm to 10cm (2 to 4 inches) of water at the very bottom. The drain is approximately 80cm (31.5 inches) deep. Additionally, not far from the pit with the pleasantly smelling water, there is a funnel-shaped drain pipe. This pipe is connected to the air-water heat pump by a condensate pipe, presumably draining the condensate from the heat pump. Unfortunately, I noticed that the water from this drain pipe drains extremely slowly. Can I use a cleaning device on this drain pipe, or should I be careful since I might damage the assumed lifting station?
I thank everyone who tries to help us save our dream house.
Thank you
We have purchased our dream house, which unfortunately has water damage in the basement. We do not yet know the cause. Last week, I opened a pit in the basement, and it was filled with water (see photo). The building plans indicate that there should either be a lifting station or a backwater valve there. I believe it is more likely a lifting station since the pit is about 2.60m (8.5 ft) below the inspection shaft for sewage water on the street. Strangely, the water does not smell as bad as it looks in the photo; in fact, it smells quite pleasant (fabric softener?!). In the basement, there is a washing machine, a shower, a sink, and a toilet that all produce sewage water. My question is whether standing water like this is normal — probably not. Should I pump out the water? There is a floor drain in the middle of the same room. I will also include a photo of this drain. It is much deeper, and there is only about 5cm to 10cm (2 to 4 inches) of water at the very bottom. The drain is approximately 80cm (31.5 inches) deep. Additionally, not far from the pit with the pleasantly smelling water, there is a funnel-shaped drain pipe. This pipe is connected to the air-water heat pump by a condensate pipe, presumably draining the condensate from the heat pump. Unfortunately, I noticed that the water from this drain pipe drains extremely slowly. Can I use a cleaning device on this drain pipe, or should I be careful since I might damage the assumed lifting station?
I thank everyone who tries to help us save our dream house.
Thank you
J
Jesse Custer6 Feb 2024 18:17I can’t say anything about the system itself, but the right picture matches the drain in our boiler room / laundry area. The unit has a check valve, and I always make sure there is water inside. It can’t really run dry—at most, it can dry out...
In our case, the sewer line is BELOW the level of the drain...
In our case, the sewer line is BELOW the level of the drain...
Sonne_ist_toll schrieb:
I opened an access shaft in the basement last week, and there was water standing inside (see photo). We had something similar in our terraced house: because there was a water issue before we moved in, the concrete floor in the basement was opened, and a pump was installed in a square sump. The opening looked similar to yours.
The standing water was pumped out about three times a year—it had that kind of “floral” and soft smell you described. There was always some water left in it. I suppose sumps shouldn’t dry out; otherwise, they start to smell.
Unfortunately, I can’t offer you any advice.
S
Sonne_ist_toll6 Feb 2024 21:19So everyone, I have an update. Armed with thick rubber gloves and several buckets, I managed to get almost all the water out. I’m attaching the photo here. I assume it’s a flap and not a sump pump. Does anyone know what this is? Should the water be standing there? Do I have to open this manually?
S
Sonne_ist_toll6 Feb 2024 23:12Sonne_ist_toll schrieb:
So, everyone, I have an update. Equipped with thick rubber gloves and several buckets, I managed to remove almost all the water. I’m attaching the photo here. I suspect it’s a flap valve rather than a lifting system. Does anyone know something like this? Should the water be standing there? Do I need to open this manually? Okay. It’s a backwater valve, Staufix FKA by Kessel. What worries me is that normally water shouldn’t be standing at the top. According to Kessel’s promotional images and videos, it looks like water only flows through the inside and the flap closes to prevent pressure backflow from entering the basement. However, I’m not sure. On the website, there is a control unit with a display. Tomorrow I’ll search for the control unit.
S
Sonne_ist_toll6 Feb 2024 23:16Here is the picture of the boiler. From this, I conclude that the water at the top was not correct.
Sonne_ist_toll schrieb:
What worries me is that water really shouldn’t be standing on top. As far as I know, these devices should be serviced and cleaned annually—either do it yourself or have it done—so they work properly when needed. This is protection against a flooded basement; no one installs this device for fun. The next heavy rain could be yours.
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