mercer5089
Member
I live in a split-level house and have lived here for about 6 years. The bathroom in the basement was redone - likely by a DIY'er - before we bought the house. Periodically, over the last three years the waste vent will clog and backup both the shower and the toilet. I believe it's also backed up the sink, but not enough water has gone down the sink to confirm this.
I have a clean-out in the room next to the bathroom, and water clearly flows through the pipe, which leads me to conclude that (1) it's not a total blockage; and (2) the clog is somewhere near the fixtures.
One day last year, Mr. Rooter came by and spent much of the day snaking and plunging. We never "found" a blockage - no sudden release of water pressure, no TP or hair on the snake barb, etc, but by the end of the day the drain seemed to be freed up. I paid the man, tipped him a beer, and thanked him for his help.
The clog does not happen frequently (3 times in 2.5 years), but when it does, no amount of my amateur plunging, nor any amount of chemical cleaner, will do the trick. We are not the kind of people to flush paper towels, diapers, chicken bones, party balloons, pillows, or cement down our drain. Whatever you imagine belongs in a toilet is all that goes in.
There has always been a slight gurgling in the shower drain when the washing machine drains, and the affected toilet gets a little water movement when the upstairs toilet is flushed. However, aside from this clog issue, I've never had a problem with slow or stopped drains, and the only fixtures affected are in this basement bathroom. This leads me to believe it is not an air venting issue.
My kitchen drains fine and does not contribute to the water backing up in the basement (ran the dishwasher with no negative effect), which leads me to believe it is not an issue with the city sewer or with the main waste drain leading out to the sewer.
Lastly, I cannot be sure if the DIY'er who remodeled did any work to the waste vent pipes. The clean-out in the adjacent room only appears to access the drain for the downstairs bathroom (no obvious rise in water level when other fixtures are draining). The concrete in the rest of the basement does not indicate any obvious work on anything below the surface, which leads me to believe that the pipes under the concrete are the same pipes from when the house was built in 1977.
And so, new friends, I turn to you for any ideas you may have on what might cause this kind of situation. I cannot keep spending hundreds of dollars to watch someone else snake my vents. Any thoughts you may have that could help me troubleshoot this extremely frustrating, time-consuming, and money-consuming problem would be thoroughly appreciated.
I have a clean-out in the room next to the bathroom, and water clearly flows through the pipe, which leads me to conclude that (1) it's not a total blockage; and (2) the clog is somewhere near the fixtures.
One day last year, Mr. Rooter came by and spent much of the day snaking and plunging. We never "found" a blockage - no sudden release of water pressure, no TP or hair on the snake barb, etc, but by the end of the day the drain seemed to be freed up. I paid the man, tipped him a beer, and thanked him for his help.
The clog does not happen frequently (3 times in 2.5 years), but when it does, no amount of my amateur plunging, nor any amount of chemical cleaner, will do the trick. We are not the kind of people to flush paper towels, diapers, chicken bones, party balloons, pillows, or cement down our drain. Whatever you imagine belongs in a toilet is all that goes in.
There has always been a slight gurgling in the shower drain when the washing machine drains, and the affected toilet gets a little water movement when the upstairs toilet is flushed. However, aside from this clog issue, I've never had a problem with slow or stopped drains, and the only fixtures affected are in this basement bathroom. This leads me to believe it is not an air venting issue.
My kitchen drains fine and does not contribute to the water backing up in the basement (ran the dishwasher with no negative effect), which leads me to believe it is not an issue with the city sewer or with the main waste drain leading out to the sewer.
Lastly, I cannot be sure if the DIY'er who remodeled did any work to the waste vent pipes. The clean-out in the adjacent room only appears to access the drain for the downstairs bathroom (no obvious rise in water level when other fixtures are draining). The concrete in the rest of the basement does not indicate any obvious work on anything below the surface, which leads me to believe that the pipes under the concrete are the same pipes from when the house was built in 1977.
And so, new friends, I turn to you for any ideas you may have on what might cause this kind of situation. I cannot keep spending hundreds of dollars to watch someone else snake my vents. Any thoughts you may have that could help me troubleshoot this extremely frustrating, time-consuming, and money-consuming problem would be thoroughly appreciated.
