I just got a house built in the 1950's. I had a new washer/dryer installed and set up in the basement. When I ran the washer last night everything was running fine but when I looked in my backyard there was a lot of water gushing out of some kind of cement square in my patio in the backyard. It seems like this cement square can be lifted but I couldn't lift it to see what's going on in there. Any ideas?
it's either your septic tank or a dry well, a dry well was used to dump wash water into where septic tank dumped everything else. if it's coming up in yard, you will probably have to reconfigure washer drain into line that goes into septic system or sewer. if toilets,tubs etc don't cause yard back up, then it's definitly a dry well. if you have gotten a lot of rain or snow melt, it's not going to work properly, but seeing that house is 50's, get it rerouted into septic or sewer system
That square sounds like the cover for your septic. It may be overflowing. Have someone look at it as the drainfield may be failing.
The cement square could be covering a drain cover which could be blocked lift block and check drain
Could be1 or 2 things 1 - your leech lines are backed up from your tank. Do you have trees in the area? Or has someone been driving heavy equipment over your lines and crushing them 2 - The first owner and home builder didn't want all that extra water going into tank when its not needed. I have my system set up so bath and clothes water runs out over roads not into my tank.
The cement square might be the lid to a grease trap, septic tank, cesspool or dry well. Might even be covering a clean out for a municipal sewer line (doubtful). In any event it is not 'normal' for water to be coming from it when the washer drains...
