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
K
k-man20217 Feb 2024 07:23In addition, an insurance company will only cover damage caused by backwater if you can provide proof of annual maintenance…
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Jesse Custer7 Feb 2024 13:01Well... if the system is properly maintained, there simply should be no damage...
K
k-man20217 Feb 2024 20:04Unfortunately, it was different with friends of ours: 40,000 damage two years ago, luckily the flap was maintained.
S
Sonne_ist_toll8 Feb 2024 06:58There is an update. I have completely removed the water. Next, I scooped it out with a shot glass and then soaked it up and dried it with old towels. I forgot to take a photo but will do so later. I found the control unit. It was unplugged. So I powered it on to see what happens. The device starts opening the flap and then closes it again. It does this 3-4 times. You can hear the motor and the flap closing. Afterwards, the device sounds an alarm, as if there is a backflow. I will attach a photo of the control unit here. While the flap was moving up and down, I also opened the manual lever. No water can be heard inside that might have accumulated there. I suspect that either the pipe inside is completely filled with water (clogged), so I don’t hear any water running and the sensor signals that the water is not flowing outwards, locking the flap. But it could also be that the flap is locked because the sensor is defective. However, then I would expect to hear some water splashing when I turn on the water. My question to you is: what else could it possibly be that I haven’t considered? Does anyone have a similar flap and knows how the device behaves after initialization? Many thanks in advance!
K
k-man20218 Feb 2024 13:08For such an important issue, I would call in a professional service, especially if it has already been disconnected. Trust me, water in the basement is no joke, especially if it’s coming from the sewer system.
B
Buschreiter10 Feb 2024 09:38It seems a problem was simply "fixed" by turning it off. Call for service, this component is important!