Hi experts!
I have an issue. It has been ongoing and full of many many setbacks. My house was built in 1961. The previous owner did some "interesting" home repair, to say the least. The house is a tri-level so the "basement" is a half basement. There is a 3/4 bath in the downstairs. It is located to the back of the house, along the main sewer line.
When we first bought the house, the inspector noted water backing up in the shower basin when the toilet was flushed. We requested it get rooted out and things seemed fine. Fast forward a year and the drain is touchy. Too much water in the sink or shower and it backs up. We don't use that bathroom often - we have saltwater tanks and that is where we installed the RO/DI - there are only two of us so we just use the full bath upstairs since the downstairs toilet is also awkwardly placed.
However, after my washer backed up in the shower drain and flooded the downstairs I had roto-rooter come out and do the sewer line (usually my brother-in-law does it but he is unreliable). The very nice plumber came and checked out the shower since even after the sewer line was cleared we noted that the shower still backed up when water was run in the sink. He ran a drain auger down the line and determined that we actually had a break in the drain pipe about three feet from the shower under the concrete floor.
Since we don't use that bathroom often the project was put off because I honestly can't afford the $3k it would cost to have roto rooter fix it. However, a friend of mine knows how to do construction work and offered to help me DIY it so it could get fixed, especially since the roto rooter guy told me approximately where the break in the line was (he also recommended I DIY it with a friend's help because of the cost, before I get judged for being a cheap-o lol).
We rented a jackhammer, tore out a small section of the floor to find the pipe, and replaced what appeared to be the break. However, while the toilet drains just fine running water in the sink for more than a minute will result in the water backing up into the shower. So we made the valid assumption that a clog from sand was somewhere after the sink and shower drain lines connect but before the toilet and main sewer line. I also got the line rooted again recently for the annual maintenance (I have trees).
Now, here is where we are confused. We cannot figure out why the line appears to make a turn to go towards the back of the house where the sink and shower drain lines meet. It is about 2 feet from that junction where we think the clog is, but it's the opposite direction of where the sewer line is. The sewer line runs straight from the front of the house out to the street. As far as we can tell, the line from the shower runs forward three feet, makes a 90deg turn towards the sink, goes three feet, makes a T, and goes back towards the back of the house. I think the toilet either meets up with the line after it comes back or goes straight to the sewer line. The only thing I can think of is that they moved the shower to the left in the bathroom but that doesn't make sense either since there's a full sized window there on the right. Either way, any attempt at augering just shines the end of the auger and doesn't do anything for the clog. It still drains, but backs up first and once water is no longer running will go down.
Any advice? I am considering just renting the damn jackhammer again and opening up that bit of floor to see for myself what the heck is going on under there.
I have an issue. It has been ongoing and full of many many setbacks. My house was built in 1961. The previous owner did some "interesting" home repair, to say the least. The house is a tri-level so the "basement" is a half basement. There is a 3/4 bath in the downstairs. It is located to the back of the house, along the main sewer line.
When we first bought the house, the inspector noted water backing up in the shower basin when the toilet was flushed. We requested it get rooted out and things seemed fine. Fast forward a year and the drain is touchy. Too much water in the sink or shower and it backs up. We don't use that bathroom often - we have saltwater tanks and that is where we installed the RO/DI - there are only two of us so we just use the full bath upstairs since the downstairs toilet is also awkwardly placed.
However, after my washer backed up in the shower drain and flooded the downstairs I had roto-rooter come out and do the sewer line (usually my brother-in-law does it but he is unreliable). The very nice plumber came and checked out the shower since even after the sewer line was cleared we noted that the shower still backed up when water was run in the sink. He ran a drain auger down the line and determined that we actually had a break in the drain pipe about three feet from the shower under the concrete floor.
Since we don't use that bathroom often the project was put off because I honestly can't afford the $3k it would cost to have roto rooter fix it. However, a friend of mine knows how to do construction work and offered to help me DIY it so it could get fixed, especially since the roto rooter guy told me approximately where the break in the line was (he also recommended I DIY it with a friend's help because of the cost, before I get judged for being a cheap-o lol).
We rented a jackhammer, tore out a small section of the floor to find the pipe, and replaced what appeared to be the break. However, while the toilet drains just fine running water in the sink for more than a minute will result in the water backing up into the shower. So we made the valid assumption that a clog from sand was somewhere after the sink and shower drain lines connect but before the toilet and main sewer line. I also got the line rooted again recently for the annual maintenance (I have trees).
Now, here is where we are confused. We cannot figure out why the line appears to make a turn to go towards the back of the house where the sink and shower drain lines meet. It is about 2 feet from that junction where we think the clog is, but it's the opposite direction of where the sewer line is. The sewer line runs straight from the front of the house out to the street. As far as we can tell, the line from the shower runs forward three feet, makes a 90deg turn towards the sink, goes three feet, makes a T, and goes back towards the back of the house. I think the toilet either meets up with the line after it comes back or goes straight to the sewer line. The only thing I can think of is that they moved the shower to the left in the bathroom but that doesn't make sense either since there's a full sized window there on the right. Either way, any attempt at augering just shines the end of the auger and doesn't do anything for the clog. It still drains, but backs up first and once water is no longer running will go down.
Any advice? I am considering just renting the damn jackhammer again and opening up that bit of floor to see for myself what the heck is going on under there.
Yeah a snake charmer will make that cast go as long as it can and waste you as much money as they can. I tell everyone to find a scenario to prove me wrong. PVC RAN CORRECTLY WILL NEVER CREATE A PROBLEM. Cast rots therefore it creates it worst issue. Failure. If your plumber can’t say that ,like I have for 21 years. Then send him packing. So why waste money on 1 more snaking? Use that money to shrink the loan or credit card bill. But don’t flush it down drain. Now you can bet this thread will get longer now with everyone bashing pvc. But don’t let your residential single family home get any cast iron put back in. It lasted 10 years on market before “something better” come out. And that “something better “hasn’t changed the formula for 40 years. I am the 1 plumber that wants to warranty every plumbing aspect you have. But never wants to return. Something to think about. And I haven’t had a snake on a job in 8 years.