Drywell Basement

Hi Brownstoners and Super sleuths, I have an issue in our basement and looking for insight. Our Windsor Terrace house has a drywell drain in the basement where water sometimes comes in. (Sometimes being only when there are heavy rains for long periods of time)

I am 99% sure this is a dry well drain as it below the actual sewer line and not connected to the ejector.
Do you think it would be okay to fill that drain with hydraulic cement and would that be an acceptable solution. Or do you think the ground water would find another way in.

The basement is simply finished, so I would need to excavate this area. = (

dkqxtmhy

in General Discussion 2 years and 10 months ago

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chemosphere | 2 years and 10 months ago

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used to live in a house in Windsor terrace that had one of these. The cover was cemented on so it couldn’t be snaked. and it flooded every time it rained hard. Was never sure why it didn’t connect to the sewer.

cate | 2 years and 10 months ago

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Maybe look into outfitting it with a sump pump.

lkrshacmzcy | 2 years and 10 months ago

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If you are just trying to determine if it is a Drywell or not throw your arm in it….and Glove Up if you are worried!

dkqxtmhy | 2 years and 10 months ago

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I have 3 of these type drains on the basement level. 2 are outside the house (front and back stairs to basement under the stoop and the one inside. all three drains are very similar in look and are below the house sewer line. If they were connected to the sewer line I would think one of the other ones would backup as well when it rains but they don’t. Also, when the water does come in it has a reddish clay tint which is the same as the soil in the back yard. I am not 100% sure they are dry well drains but it seems like it. Wide open to suggestions as to how to determine where they go.

If anyone recommends a plumber that is confident in this area I would be glad to have them out a well.

jimhillra | 2 years and 10 months ago

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It could also have been a location for an old sump pump that was removed before you purchased the home. We’ve seen these several times. The old ones were often a simple pump with a float valve and a hose that dumps out a window or into a slop sink.

helen40

in General Discussion 2 years and 10 months ago

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I have a dry well in my basement, dug by a contractor when we renovated 20 years ago. It is a deep hole, dug at the low point of the basement, under the hatch, and is filled with rocks and has a drain cover. It is designed to handle some water that might come into the basement during heavy rains. It is not connected to the city sewer system. We are lucky not to have experienced flooding in the area (even during Sandy), so the drain has not really been put to the test. It has never allowed water to be introduced water into our home.

I think filling the hole is a bad idea. If it is ground water leaking in, it will just find a better path. If its connected to the city sewer, you might block the backflow, but create other problems.

As @BayRidge79 says, you need to know what you are dealing with before you act here.

andriywww1990 | 2 years and 10 months ago

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My neighbor is convinced he has one of these and ssuspects these deluges we get fill it and then cause the basement to flood. His is located outside the house under the rear stoop.

I would not make any assumptions about something like this. There are ways a plumber can check and i know you say it is below the waste line but i would start by running water into it with no other water running in the house and remove a cap on the house trap and see if water is passing through.

Over here we have these in the front of our houses as well and when i moved in, i thought that was what we had. And its pretty low. Turns out it runs into the house and into the waste line on the house side of the trap.

carlinepierre27 | 2 years and 10 months ago

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In order to get a definitive answer to your question, I think you need to clarify a couple of points:
What exactly is a “dry well drain”? If you have a drain in the floor of your basement, most likely it is connected to the main house sewer line that drains into the City sewer. If water is coming out of that drain during heavy rains, it is most likely that the City sewer is overwhelmed and is backing up into your house.