Floor drain cleaning and backups
A floor drain that backs up is usually telling you about the main line, because it's often the lowest drain in the house. A floor drain that smells usually has a dry trap; pouring water into it refills the seal.
Floor drains in basements, garages and laundry rooms sit at the lowest point of the drain system. When the main line is blocked, wastewater from upstairs fixtures comes up there first, which makes a floor drain backup a warning about the whole system.
Floor drains that are rarely used can also let sewer gas in when the water seal in the trap evaporates.
Signs you need floor drain cleaning
- Water or sewage coming up through the floor drain
- A sewer smell near the drain
- Standing water that doesn't drain away
- Backups after heavy rain
How floor drain cleaning is done
- 1
Find the cause
Determine whether it's a local clog, a main-line blockage or storm-related backflow.
- 2
Clear the line
Cable or jet the drain and the main line as needed.
- 3
Camera if it recurs
Repeat backups get a camera inspection; a backwater valve may help where the sewer backs up in storms.
What affects the cost of floor drain cleaning
- Local clog vs. main-line blockage
- Access through the drain or a cleanout
- Whether a camera inspection or backwater valve is needed
Ask for the trip fee and the total price before work starts.
Floor drain cleaning: what you can do yourself
Safe to try
- • Pour a bucket of water into a dry drain to refill the trap
- • Remove debris from the grate
Stop and call if
- • Sewage is coming up
- • Other fixtures are slow too
- • It backs up during storms
Need floor drain cleaning? Call now
SteadWell is a free referral service, not a plumbing company. Calling (833) 753-0180 connects you with an independent, licensed plumber who serves your ZIP code; the plumber quotes and performs the work. Calls may be recorded.
Floor drain cleaning: common questions
Why does my floor drain smell like sewer?
The trap has dried out. Pour water into it; a little mineral oil on top slows evaporation in rarely used drains.
Why does sewage come up my basement floor drain?
It's usually the lowest drain, so a main-line blockage or an overloaded public sewer shows up there first.
What is a backwater valve?
A valve on the sewer line that closes when sewage flows backward, protecting low drains during sewer surcharges.