Why is water backing up in my basement bathroom everytime we use any water source?

There are several fixes for this type of flooding, two 'band aids' and three real solutions.

Band Aid – Floor Drain Plug or Econo Plug. This is just what it sounds like; it’s a plug that fits inside the floor opening. This type of plug usually consists of a neoprene rubber gasket sandwiched together by two plastic or metal plates; they are connected by a threaded screw topped off by a wing nut, as you tighten the wing nut the two plates squeeze the rubber gasket out thereby sealing your floor opening. What are the advantages you ask? It’s real cheap. The disadvantages are many. This is rare but possible, if there is enough pressure and the plug is tight enough the plug could dislodge itself rather violently possibly injury someone. The other very real disadvantage is that by installing a floor drain plug you are allowing some pretty extreme water pressure to build underneath your floor. We have seen basement floors crack because of hydraulic pressure under the floor. In some instances you are better off letting the basement flood to alleviate the damage to the foundation floor. Lastly, you’ll never be able to detect a plumbing blockage in the sewer system until it’s a real problem.

Band Aid – install a Stand Pipe. This is a pipe installed inside your floor opening that allows somewhere for the water to go in case of a back-up. What are the advantages? It’s cheap. The disadvantages are very similar to the above. Increased hydraulic pressure resulting in possibly buckling of a basement floor and if there is a sewage blockage you won’t find out until it’s a real issue a very messy issue.

Fix – Install a Back Water Valve. These are made by several manufacturers and they are basically heavy duty check valves. They are installed on the main sewer right at the foundation wall. They come in a check valve style in that when water starts backing up into the sewer line the valve slams shut or in a manual style. If a home owner chooses a manual style back water valve they have to crank the valve shut during heavy rains and remember to open it back up when the rain is over because if someone uses the facilities while the valve is closed you will have some serious backups. Advantages of having a backwater valve, they work and they work well. Disadvantages, they aren’t cheap to buy or install.

Fix – Divorce your floor drain in your house from the house sewer. Basically you just disconnect the sewer from that floor drain tying the house sewer back in after the floor drain. This makes the whole sanitary system in the home or business a stand pipe. Advantages of doing this, again as in the above “fix” it works and the disadvantages are also price.

Fix – The last and probably the most affective fix if it is feasible is to take your gravity sewer make it an overhead sewer. Let’s explain in a little more detail. The waste from the house now drains under the basement floor and out to the street. What you would do is abandon the old sewer, take all the fixtures in the house and tie them in overhead in the basement ceiling. You would have to excavate outside dropping down to connect back to the city main at the old connection. You would then tie the basement floor drain into an ejector pit with a pump to take care of any basement fixtures or floor drains. When the basement fixtures are used they fill up the pit and the ejector pump, pumps the waste to the overhead sewer. The advantages to this are many usually when taking a sewer overhead you add a clean out on the sewer as it exits the foundation this facilitates rodding if there are any future stoppages and as in the above “fit” the whole sewer system acts as a stand pipe. The disadvantage as you can already probably imagine is the cost. It’s an extensive plumbing job but one when done correctly can really give you some peace of mind.

Some houses have sump pumps installed in the basement for one of two reasons.

First of all, in some areas the storm sewers (which carry rainwater) are at a higher elevation than the weeping tiles which are installed around the bottom of the house foundation wall. In order to get the ground water from the 'weeping tile' out to the storm sewer, the pipe is discharged into the sump pit and then pumped by the sump pump out to the storm sewer.

The water is backing up because it has nowhere to go. The plumber snaked the line to the septic tank so it should be clear. You said he had septic cleaned out. Does that mean the septic tank was pumped? You would know because they would have dug up the cover and used a vacuum truck with a large tank on the back to empty it. A septic system works by draining the sewage to a tank where bacteria break down the waste and then getting rid of the remaining liquid through a series of perforated tubes buried in your yard. After several years a septic tank can fill up with solids. Call a septic tank service company (not a plumber) and have them check it. Have you had an unusually high amount of rain that may have the septic field saturated? Have you been using a lot a bleach in the laundry that may have killed all of the bacteria?

I am assuming that the plumber changed the leaking wax ring under the toilet when he cleaned the line. That is why it backs up into the sink instead of around the toilet base. If the septic is not draining, it will come out of the lowest fixture in the house.

get a real plumber to look at it. but sounds like obstruction in the main line to septic, maybe roots. Remember, no grease, no food, tampons, ect. down the drain.

i would have your septic system cleaned completely and all drains cabled.it seems like you have one fixed and the problem starts somewhere else.the problem isn't getting fix it's just getting move around.save yourself a lot of head aches and do a complete system and drain clean out