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House: Built in 1962. Single level house. Two bathrooms and laundry room share one wall. Both bathrooms have sinks and toilets, one has shower and the other one has a bathtub. The air vent on the roof seems to line up to the same wall near the toilets. That wall lines up to the sewer line underneath my house. The kitchen sink is about 6 feet from the laundry room on another wall.
Symptoms: When a large amount of water is used for the washing machine or kitchen sink, the water backs up in the shower and tub. When a full tub is drained, it backs up into the shower. There is also gurgling in both toilets when the tub or washing machine is draining.
Luckily, the toilet works fine and hasn't overflowed. Although when the shower is flooded, it won't flush. Once the water clears out from the shower drain, it flushes. The other toilet hasn't been used in 2 years because I need to get the valve on the floor fixed since it leaks. But I've been flushing that daily to see if that could help the clog.
The shower seems to be my lowest level drain so that's become my measurement of how much water I can use. I can use everything in the house but not a lot. If I use too much, it backups and is extremely slow draining.
I have tried several products from Roebec (enzymes and bacteria) because I need a natural fix. I don't want to use chemicals on these old pipes. So far those products haven't worked. I tried the drain cleaner, the main line cleaner, and the soap/paper/grease dissolver.
Notes:
1) There aren't any trees growing near the sewer line to my house, so I don't think it's about roots.
2) I ran a hose down the vent from the roof and all it did was backup the shower like the other sinks are doing. So I don't think there's a clog in the air vent.
3) There's no clear-out drain that I know about.
4) I was having some backup months ago in the shower that was solved with a plunger. But this time, no amount of plunging is working.
I wish I knew exactly where the clog is but it's hard to figure out without knowing what the set-up is in the wall. I have tried using a manual snake but again, I don't want to damage the pipes. I don't know how to get the snake through the P-traps to reach a clog in the main line.
Any suggestions or ideas?
Realistically, if a clog from typical elements (hair, soap, toilet paper, etc) is partially clogging your main line, would it eventually dislodge, even piece by piece if it's left there long enough?
NOTE: I have a local plumber who has worked on the house for years. I called him when this first happened but he didn't call back, so he might be very busy right now. I'm sure the 110 degree weather makes it hard for him to climb on roofs, etc. I will call him again if this isn't resolved shortly. For now, I'm wanting feedback from people on how to fix it myself. Thanks in advance.
When something similar happened to us it was a clog in the line from the house to the street. The plumber ran water down a pipe at the front of the house that is about 2 1/2 inch diameter.
Built in '62 you may have deteriorating piping that is clogging up the system. Have a plumber or roto-rooter type person check with a drain camera or whatever equipment they now have to locate the problem.
There should be a cleanout plug or similar way to get into the system. Some companies go down one of the roof vents with cameras to check the system. Roots from trees or other vegetation can grow a long distance seeking leaking water from pipes and clog them up.
When something similar happened to us it was a clog in the line from the house to the street. The plumber ran water down a pipe at the front of the house that is about 2 1/2 inch diameter.
That was probably the "clear out" pipe. We don't have one of those. Unless it's underground or something.
Built in '62 you may have deteriorating piping that is clogging up the system. Have a plumber or roto-rooter type person check with a drain camera or whatever equipment they now have to locate the problem.
There should be a cleanout plug or similar way to get into the system. Some companies go down one of the roof vents with cameras to check the system. Roots from trees or other vegetation can grow a long distance seeking leaking water from pipes and clog them up.
There's no clear-out pipe that I know about.
I would like a camera inspection but there's water in the pipes so I don't know how that could work. The clog is still there so water is always there.
I would like a camera inspection but there's water in the pipes so I don't know how that could work. The clog is still there so water is always there.
There's no issue with scoping a pipe that has standing water in it. They can go in through a vent or pull up a toilet to get access if necessary. Get a plumber or drain company to do the inspection and then you'll actually know what the problem is. It shouldn't cost more than $2-300 for a basic inspection.
Update - A plumber cleared the line. It was $175. I believe the problem is that roots are growing into the pipe near the front of the house. Once he cleared that section, that's when the clog was released. There are mature shrubs and rose bushes right where the sewer line is located. A tree is located near there too. Once the line was clear, I used a root killer product. I'm going to do the camera scope too just so I could see if it needs to be replaced at some point since they are old pipes. So happy to have normal plumbing again.
Update - A plumber cleared the line. It was $175.
I believe the problem is that roots are growing into the pipe near the front of the house.
There are mature shrubs and rose bushes right where the sewer line is located.
It's at this point you'll learn why some plumbers own their own low boy trailers and backhoes.
They'll generally give the best bottom line price.
You may well have tile pipe if your house is built in 1962. If so, you have a range of options from tearing out the whole run and replacing it with PVC ($$$ but definitely fixes the problem) to pouring root killer down and hoping it actually does something. There are so many joints in tile pipe that it's almost impossible to avoid roots eventually.
It's also possible that the sewer pipe is the fiber stuff, which is notorious for collapsing. I don't know much about it, so I can't comment.
A mid range option is to install a cleanout where the iron pipe under the house transitions to tile. This involves digging a big hole in your yard where the pipe comes out, cutting out a couple sections of tile pipe, and fitting a cleanout of PVC with a removable plug that is slightly above the soil level. I did this on my house about 30 years ago and it was not technically difficult, just basic manual labor, but I did have to buy a grit blade for my hacksaw to cut the tile. There are a variety of rubber boots and sleeves to adapt from PVC to tile and iron, so the connections are pretty straightforward. The most tedious thing was using the grit blade to cut the tile, because I didn't want to risk breaking it or creating longitudinal cracks.
When I did this, I decided to take a chance and I just installed a single cleanout facing away from the house, reasoning that the most likely cause of clogs would be roots in the tile pipe and that clogs in the iron pipe under the house were less likely. I believe, however, that code requires a double cleanout (bigger hole, more time to install) and I expect that if you hire a licensed plumber to install a cleanout he will insist on doing the job to code, i.e., double cleanout. If you are going that route, I would certainly recommend the double - you aren't the one doing the digging.
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