Anyone know what's going on here? Water coming up through metal plate in garage

and going down a drain in the garage?

Will get some pictures shortly, trying to understand what Mom is talking about.

Realize we have had super record cold 2 days ago, recent snow, and a foot+ snow on the ground. Today is 40 degrees, first time above freezing in a week and first time more than 2 or 3 degrees above freezing in over 2 weeks.

I have some sort of metal plate covering a hole in my garage, not sure what it is.... I think there is a pipe in there, haven't looked at it in years.

Water is slowly trickiling our of that and ground down a drain in my garage.

Possibly related is I have a drain outside, maybe 6 foot away from the garage drain that is outside in my driveway- mom thinks that drain is clogged (frozen?) she says no water is going down that.

Anyone have any idea what is going on? We seem to have water- I am somewhat concerned it may be my water pipe cracked.

If it's a round access plate it could be the city water supply, and flow rate of water intrusion should be enough to indicate pipe breach vs ground water intrusion into sleeve.

chris c96 said:

If it's a round access plate it could be the city water supply, and flow rate of water intrusion should be enough to indicate pipe breach vs ground water intrusion into sleeve.

Click to expand...

It's rectangular.

Also mom says that's water, not ice.

A friend thinks backup from the street sewer due to all the ice and snow. Mom is concerned it's coming in... for right now the drain in the garage is handling it... which must be on the house sewer.

Sump hole that's backing up?

I'm wondering if my sewer trap is in the bottom of that hole...

Doesn't like like the sewer trap- sewer trap would have 2 round things.



Water is slow enough mom could empty it with a bucket.

Sewer cut-out that is buried in mud? If no smell then probably not sewer spill, but ground water intrusion from higher point outside. If it keeps filling up then a shop vac is way easier than a bucket.

No smell... shop vac- can't believe we didn't think of that.

Possibly snow melt from all the snow you guys have?

man I'm glad I don't live in NY.

what kind of ****ed up mess is that?

That looks like a clean out.

Perhaps your ground water table is high because of the snow melt.

Agree. Looks like a cleanout. Probably a 3" diameter pipe that drains all of the plumbing in your house to the street. Guessing that hole is just through the slab into the ground and the water is either high ground water due to snow melt or backup of snow melt because the way it typically drains is blocked by ice.

Jays89YJ said:

That looks like a clean out.

Perhaps your ground water table is high because of the snow melt.

Click to expand...

I think this is what's happening.

Concur.

Mom ended up emptying out the rest of the water with a wet-dry vac.... (no not the one I use ) and as of last night it remained dry.

My theory is (remember by driveway is on a substantial incline down toward the garage) is that since the outside drain was frozen/clogged water was coming in the side of the garage door, flowing into this hole (probably has been for days) and then it started overflowing.

We'll see if it remains dry today, going below freezing again... and staying there for a while.

My only reason not think it's the water table is because we have had some epic rains in the past where water does come up through the basement floor in the back of the house, but best we can tell, never has come up and overflowed like this before.