Bathtub overflow pipe disconnect

[p1paul]

Gentlemen,

I am, or should I say, I was in the process of snaking our kids bathroom because of a very slow drainage problem with the tub and toilet. The rest of the house is draining fine. The kids bathroom is centrally located. The house is on a pier and beam, and built in the late 60's. And the tile is pink. Salmon if you ask the boys.

I pulled the overflow valve in the tub, to run a snake down the pipe to hopefully unclog the pipe. The overflow pipe had some play back and forth, but I was not concerned. Everything seemed to go okay, not sure if I got the drain unclogged or not, but after I pulled the snake out, the overflow pipe fell to the side. Clunk. You know that sinking feeling you get when a DIY project goes from no charge to two grand?

That is when the thought of a clogged drain turned into the possibility of a new bathroom.

I have not crawled under the house yet? But I am not sure what my options are going to be once I do to take a look. I don't think the overflow valve is going to be visible from under the house.

Do you guys think it is safe to flush the toilet in the same bathroom?

If the toilet still does not flush and drain well, is it okay to try and plunge it some more? Or pull the toilet off and snake it from there?

I am pretty sure the tub is off limits, for now, even though it is only used as a shower. Am I wrong to think this?

Thanks in Advance,

paul

 

[havasu]

It is a good idea to refrain use of the tub until you investigate further. Yes, see if the plumbing is accessible from below. What is on the back side of the tub? Is it a wall you can cut through to access the plumbing?

 

[phishfood]

I would refrain from using the toilet until you can crawl under to investigate. It is possible, though not probable, that the trap has fallen off of the tub drain. It wouldn't be pleasant working in a pile of youknowwhat trying to fix the tub drain.

When you do check out the crawl space, get some pictures and post them here. That will help us help you.

On to snaking the drain. Pulling the toilet is the only "right" way to snake a bathroom main drain.You need to get a full size cutter head into the pipe to thoroughly scrape the pipe walls clean, otherwise the clog will reform in a short time period.

 

[p1paul]

I was able to get under the house, and found that access to the drain was pretty simple. Found the replacement parts and put it back together. So all is well on that front.

The pipe is still clogged, so I pulled the toilet to run a snake that I have, and still have not been able to make any progress. The snake will not go very far, it seems to not want to make a turn, but I will try a little harder tomorrow, and may rent one of those really stiff heavy gauge snakes.

I have also purchased a new toilet and will put that in, once I can figure out what the issue is with the pipe.

Thanks guys for the confidence.

p

 

[havasu]

Most here know I personally hate to spend unnecessary money on hiring a plumber, but sometimes it only makes sense. Sure, you can rent a H/D unit, but what happens when it eats your hands and breaks a few bones? What happens when you pushed instead of pull? Those folks know their equipment and the job could be done before driving to a rental yard. Sometimes you just have to throw in the towel and let a professional take care of the problem. Just saying....

 

[stevemachine]

Most here know I personally hate to spend unnecessary money on hiring a plumber, but sometimes it only makes sense. Sure, you can rent a H/D unit, but what happens when it eats your hands and breaks a few bones? What happens when you pushed instead of pull? Those folks know their equipment and the job could be done before driving to a rental yard. Sometimes you just have to throw in the towel and let a professional take care of the problem. Just saying....

That's very true. The pros have the tools and know how (as long as you hire a reliable plumber) plus most guys have cameras on their van or access to one which can come in handy. Augering can be very dangerous especially if you've never done it before. Obviously I can't speak from experience but I think its worth the money to get it professionally cleaned out. Look at it this way (on top of what havasu said about the potential to injure yourself) what if it drains and then 3 weeks later plugged again. Now you've wasted all your time and money the first time and you have to do it again because it wasn't completely cleared, that's where a camera comes in handy. But each to their own

 

[p1paul]

Well guys, I rented an auger and tried via the toilet drain to no avail, tried from the clean out in front of the house and we are flowing free once again. Thanks for all your help. New toilet goes in today.

 

[DetroitRob]

Homeowners snaking their own drains can be scary. Especially if you get a cable tied up in your yard. It can get expensive quickly.

 

[havasu]

I'm glad to hear you got your lines working again. Thanks as well for letting us know your outcome!

 

[p1paul]

New toilet is in, and all is right with the world. If only my wife would let me put a urinal in that bathroom! Maybe, someday.

 

[havasu]

New toilet is in, and all is right with the world. If only my wife would let me put a urinal in that bathroom! Maybe, someday.

I believe this is the dream of most men. Why are they so against it? Instead, they would rather complain about putting the toilet seat up, doing our business, then returning the seat back to how we found it. What ever happened to women's liberation. Are their fingers broken?

 

[DetroitRob]

It's because they want to micromanage the house. Lol they'll probably let you put one in the basement or garage though.