Basement floor drain cleaning in Saint Paul, MN
Water pooling around the basement floor drain, a sewer smell by the furnace, or a drain that gurgles when the washer empties. We clear the trap and the line under the floor and find out why it backed up.
- Phone answered 24/7
- Saint Paul office on E 7th Street
Tell us what you see and hear. We explain the visit and the likely cost on the phone. (651) 215-2087
The short answer
Basement floor drain cleaning clears the trap and the pipe under the concrete that carries water to your main sewer. You need it when the drain backs up, pools water or smells like sewer. We open the drain, cable or jet the line, check whether the main is involved, and refill the trap seal. Typical Saint Paul range: $189 to $367.
When basement floor drain cleaning cannot wait
Water pooling around the grate
If water spreads out from the drain when the washer empties or someone showers upstairs, the line under the floor is restricted.
Sewer smell near the drain
A dry trap or a cracked line lets sewer gas into the basement, and the smell is usually strongest near the floor drain.
Gurgling when other fixtures run
Bubbling from the floor drain while a toilet flushes means air is being pushed ahead of a slow line.
Dirty water rising from the drain
If gray or brown water comes up instead of going down, the main may be blocked and the floor drain is the lowest outlet.
Silt or sand around the grate
Grit on the floor after a storm can mean groundwater or a drain tile is washing soil into the drain line.
Water at the drain after heavy rain
Spring snowmelt and big storms can push water up through floor drains in older homes, a sign the line or the main needs attention.
What causes a basement floor drain to back up?
A floor drain sits at the lowest point of the house, so it shows trouble first. Sometimes the clog is right in the drain: lint from a laundry tub, sand from a water softener discharge, paint rinsed off brushes, or soap scum building in the trap. Those clogs are local, and cabling the short run under the floor usually clears them.
Other times the floor drain is just the messenger. If the main sewer line is blocked further out, wastewater from upstairs has nowhere to go and rises at the lowest opening. That's why we always ask whether toilets and tubs upstairs have been slow, and why we check the main before calling a floor drain job done.
Older floor drains also have their own quirks. Many have a removable cleanout plug inside the trap, and a missing plug lets sewer gas straight into the basement. Some connect to a clay tile line that shifts and fills with silt.
How we handle basement floor drain cleaning once we arrive
Ask what's draining where
We start with which fixtures cause water to rise, when the backup began, and whether it's clear water or sewage.
Open the drain and the trap
We lift the grate, clear the trap, and pull the cleanout plug inside the drain if there is one.
Cable the line under the floor
A sized cable machine clears the branch to the main and tells us how far out the blockage sits.
Check whether the main is involved
If the cable reaches the main and still meets resistance, we clear the main or run a camera to see what's there.
Flush and test the drain
We run a good volume of water through the drain and the laundry tub to make sure it carries flow without pooling.
Reset the trap and clean up
We refill the trap seal, replace a missing cleanout plug if needed, and sanitize the floor around the drain.
What basement floor drain cleaning costs in Saint Paul
Typical Saint Paul ranges for clearing a basement floor drain. We confirm your price on site once we know whether the main is part of the problem.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Floor drain trap and branch line clearingCable from the drain to the main | $189 to $367 |
| Floor drain clearing plus camera checkShows silt, cracks or a broken trap | $323 to $541 |
| Floor drain jetting for lint or sludgeFor heavy laundry or softener buildup | $287 to $473 |
| Replacing a missing or broken cleanout plugAdded during a cleaning visit | $63 to $147 |
What moves the price
- Whether the blockage is in the branch or in the main sewer
- Access through the drain or a separate cleanout
- Sewage cleanup needed around the drain
- Silt, sand or softener resin packed in the trap
- Evening, weekend or holiday timing
Typical Saint Paul ranges. We confirm your price after we see the job and before work starts. See every price on one page.
Floor drain or main line: how we tell which is blocked
The fastest test is water. If the laundry tub backs up into the floor drain but toilets upstairs flush normally, the clog is usually in the short branch between the floor drain and the main. If a flush upstairs makes water rise at the floor drain, the blockage is in the main past where everything joins, and the floor drain is simply the lowest place for it to show.
We confirm with the cable and, when needed, a camera. Cabling from the floor drain tells us how far the blockage is. If the cable runs out past the main connection and still hits resistance, we treat it as a main sewer line clearing. That way you pay for the right job, and the backup doesn't return two days later because only the branch was cleared.
What you can safely check before you call
A few checks are safe and can save you a trip down the wrong path. If there's raw sewage on the floor, avoid touching it and keep kids and pets away. Stop running water upstairs, including the dishwasher and washer, so you don't add to the backup. If it's only clear water, it's usually laundry or groundwater, not sewage.
Anything beyond lifting the grate is better left to us. Rental drain augers can kink inside old cast iron traps, and chemical drain openers sit in the trap, damage old pipe and make the job riskier for whoever clears it next.
- Lift the grate and clear lint, hair or debris you can see
- Pour a gallon of water into a drain that smells, to refill a dry trap
- Notice which fixtures make water rise at the floor drain
- Check the laundry tub for a lint trap that's missing
- Look for a loose or missing cleanout plug inside the drain
How to keep a floor drain from backing up again
Most repeat floor drain backups trace back to lint, softener sand or a main line problem that was never addressed. A mesh lint trap on the washer discharge and the laundry tub catches far more than people expect. If your softener drains to the floor drain, a camera can show whether resin beads or sand are building up in the trap.
If the drain rarely gets water, the trap seal can evaporate, especially in a dry winter basement with the furnace running. Pouring a gallon of water in every month or so keeps sewer gas out. For homes where storm water has pushed up through the floor drain, a backwater valve on the main is worth a look, and we can talk through whether your line suits one.
Floor drains in older Saint Paul basements
Most prewar Saint Paul houses have a floor drain in the middle of the basement, often near the furnace, water heater and laundry. In homes in Frogtown, Payne-Phalen and the Greater East Side, that drain usually ties into a cast iron or clay line under the slab, and the trap may be a deep bell type with a small cleanout plug. When those plugs rust or go missing, sewer gas gets in even though the drain flows fine.
Weather plays a part too. Spring snowmelt and heavy summer storms raise groundwater and load the sewer system, and older floor drains are often the first place water shows up. In basements along the river flats on the West Side and in older Battle Creek homes, we often pair a floor drain cleaning with a talk about backwater valves or sump drainage.
Where we do basement floor drain cleaning
Saint Paul and the surrounding east metro. These are the busiest ZIP codes on our board; the full list has 55 neighborhoods, cities and counties.
Questions about basement floor drain cleaning
Why does my basement floor drain smell like sewer when nothing is backed up?
Usually the trap has dried out, letting sewer gas come straight up. Pour a gallon of water into the drain and see if the smell fades within a day. If it doesn't, the trap's cleanout plug may be missing, or the pipe under the floor may be cracked. We can check both on one visit.
Why does my floor drain back up when the washing machine drains?
A washer dumps a lot of water fast. If the floor drain or its branch is partly blocked with lint and soap scum, the water can't leave as fast as it arrives, so it pools. A cable cleaning clears it, and a mesh lint trap on the washer hose keeps it from coming back as quickly.
Is water coming up from my floor drain after a storm a plumbing problem?
It can be. Heavy rain and snowmelt load the sewer and raise groundwater, which can push water up through an older floor drain. If it's clear and only happens in big storms, a backwater valve or better yard drainage may help. If it's sewage, call us, because the main may also be restricted.
Should I use a chemical drain opener on a slow basement floor drain?
We'd advise against it. Floor drain clogs are usually lint, sand or silt, which chemicals don't dissolve. The chemical then sits in the trap, can damage old cast iron, and makes clearing the drain riskier for whoever comes next. Clear what you can see from the grate, then call us.
Jobs that often go with basement floor drain cleaning
Brands we work on in Saint Paul homes
- Kohler
- Moen
- Delta
- American Standard
- Rheem
- A. O. Smith
- Bradford White
- Navien
- Rinnai
- InSinkErator
- Zoeller
- Liberty Pumps
- Watts
- Weil-McLain
Call the Saint Paul office, day or night
A real person picks up at any hour. Tell us what you are seeing, and we will tell you what happens next and roughly what it costs.
(651) 215-2087- Phone
- Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Office
- 289 E 7th Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101
- Headquarters
- 50666 229th Ave, Bemidji, MN 56601
- Coverage
- Saint Paul and the east metro, see all areas