Keep iron ochre under control in your basement

Ehsan Ghane<ghane@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering - August 11, 2023

Learn how to reduce iron ochre in your basement using three simple strategies.

A photo of the inside of a basement drainpipe with iron ochre issues. — Figure 1. A photo of inside a basement drainpipe with iron ochre issue. Photos by Carol Schaap (left) and Sean Juza (right).

Do you have iron ochre clogging your basement drain pipe and sump pump? Do you want to learn how to keep it under control?

What is iron ochre?

Iron ochre can cause clogging of the basement drain pipe and sump pump. This occurs when there is a high level of soluble iron (Fe²⁺) in the water that enters the basement drain pipe. When water enters the basement drain pipe, it gets exposed to the oxygen in the pipe. Where there is oxygen, bacteria oxidize the soluble iron into insoluble iron, then create iron ochre. Iron ochre shows up as an orange-brown slimy filamentous deposit (Figure 1).

How to reduce iron ochre in a residential setting

Iron ochre can cause clogging of the basement drainpipe, sump pump and the pipe carrying water away from the sump pump. There are three ways to reduce iron ochre clogging:

Use a muck pipe.
Eliminate the oxygen supply.
Use an optional chemical treatment.

For detailed explanation of the above methods, read the full Michigan State University Extension Bulletin E3453 on the MSU Drainage Website.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Agriculture & Water Management