My housemate described the following situation to me:
She went to get into the shower tonight and saw that there was crud in
the bathtub, like something had forced dirty water up through the
drain. She also noticed that the water level in the toilet was lower
than expected. She rinsed down the tub and took a shower and while she
was doing so, she could hear the toilet gurgling and saw bubbles
coming up through the toilet water.
Coincidentally, I was in the basement, underneath all of this, and
happened to see a little bit of water leaking from the PVC at the
joint above the p-trap. When I got upstairs, she explained what she
experienced. She then went to flush the toilet and the water level
raised to a full bowl but didn't drain.
We plunged, and eventually the water drained to an empty bowl, but it
wasn't a sudden flow like moving a large clog. I went back into the
basement and tightened the joint above the tub's p-trap and also
noticed a tiny bit of water had leaked out of the big pipe under the
toilet. The joint is too far into the floor for me to see for certain
where it came from.
Does anyone have an idea of what could be happening here? I'm often a
do-it-yourselfer, but this one stumps me and I am thinking of calling
a plumber. Any ideas people have would be helpful. Let me know if you
have any questions.
Thanks!
Adam

Tree roots in the sewer drain.

--
Regards
Blue

Remove ZX from email address to reply directly.

check this out....click on the ads
www.coolcay.blogspot.com

In article , Adam wrote:
My housemate described the following situation to me:
She went to get into the shower tonight and saw that there was crud in
the bathtub, like something had forced dirty water up through the
drain. She also noticed that the water level in the toilet was lower
than expected. She rinsed down the tub and took a shower and while she
was doing so, she could hear the toilet gurgling and saw bubbles
coming up through the toilet water.
Coincidentally, I was in the basement, underneath all of this, and
happened to see a little bit of water leaking from the PVC at the
joint above the p-trap. When I got upstairs, she explained what she
experienced. She then went to flush the toilet and the water level
raised to a full bowl but didn't drain.
We plunged, and eventually the water drained to an empty bowl, but it
wasn't a sudden flow like moving a large clog. I went back into the
basement and tightened the joint above the tub's p-trap and also
noticed a tiny bit of water had leaked out of the big pipe under the
toilet. The joint is too far into the floor for me to see for certain
where it came from.
Does anyone have an idea of what could be happening here? I'm often a
do-it-yourselfer, but this one stumps me and I am thinking of calling
a plumber. Any ideas people have would be helpful. Let me know if you
have any questions.

Well, aside from the obvious -- a clog in your main drain line -- you should
also go up on the room to check the vent stack, to make sure it isn't blocked
by a bird nest, leaves, etc. If air can't get in, water can't get out.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Adam wrote:

My housemate described the following situation to me:
She went to get into the shower tonight and saw that there was crud in
the bathtub, like something had forced dirty water up through the
drain. She also noticed that the water level in the toilet was lower
than expected. She rinsed down the tub and took a shower and while she
was doing so, she could hear the toilet gurgling and saw bubbles
coming up through the toilet water.
Coincidentally, I was in the basement, underneath all of this, and
happened to see a little bit of water leaking from the PVC at the
joint above the p-trap. When I got upstairs, she explained what she
experienced. She then went to flush the toilet and the water level
raised to a full bowl but didn't drain.
We plunged, and eventually the water drained to an empty bowl, but it
wasn't a sudden flow like moving a large clog. I went back into the
basement and tightened the joint above the tub's p-trap and also
noticed a tiny bit of water had leaked out of the big pipe under the
toilet. The joint is too far into the floor for me to see for certain
where it came from.
Does anyone have an idea of what could be happening here? I'm often a
do-it-yourselfer, but this one stumps me and I am thinking of calling
a plumber. Any ideas people have would be helpful. Let me know if you
have any questions.
Thanks!
Adam


Sewer line clogged and leaky seal around toilet. House or apartment?

"Adam" wrote in message
...
My housemate described the following situation to me:
She went to get into the shower tonight and saw that there was crud in
the bathtub, like something had forced dirty water up through the
drain. She also noticed that the water level in the toilet was lower
than expected. She rinsed down the tub and took a shower and while she
was doing so, she could hear the toilet gurgling and saw bubbles
coming up through the toilet water.
Coincidentally, I was in the basement, underneath all of this, and
happened to see a little bit of water leaking from the PVC at the
joint above the p-trap. When I got upstairs, she explained what she
experienced. She then went to flush the toilet and the water level
raised to a full bowl but didn't drain.
We plunged, and eventually the water drained to an empty bowl, but it
wasn't a sudden flow like moving a large clog. I went back into the
basement and tightened the joint above the tub's p-trap and also
noticed a tiny bit of water had leaked out of the big pipe under the
toilet. The joint is too far into the floor for me to see for certain
where it came from.
Does anyone have an idea of what could be happening here? I'm often a
do-it-yourselfer, but this one stumps me and I am thinking of calling
a plumber. Any ideas people have would be helpful. Let me know if you
have any questions.


Sounds like a clogged sewer line. A friend of mine had the exact same
symptoms. Get a plumber before it gets real nasty. The sewerage is backing
up and coming out of the tub.

On Nov 20, 6:52 am, "John Grabowski" wrote:
"Adam" wrote in message

...



My housemate described the following situation to me:
She went to get into the shower tonight and saw that there was crud in
the bathtub, like something had forced dirty water up through the
drain. She also noticed that the water level in the toilet was lower
than expected. She rinsed down the tub and took a shower and while she
was doing so, she could hear the toilet gurgling and saw bubbles
coming up through the toilet water.
Coincidentally, I was in the basement, underneath all of this, and
happened to see a little bit of water leaking from the PVC at the
joint above the p-trap. When I got upstairs, she explained what she
experienced. She then went to flush the toilet and the water level
raised to a full bowl but didn't drain.
We plunged, and eventually the water drained to an empty bowl, but it
wasn't a sudden flow like moving a large clog. I went back into the
basement and tightened the joint above the tub's p-trap and also
noticed a tiny bit of water had leaked out of the big pipe under the
toilet. The joint is too far into the floor for me to see for certain
where it came from.
Does anyone have an idea of what could be happening here? I'm often a
do-it-yourselfer, but this one stumps me and I am thinking of calling
a plumber. Any ideas people have would be helpful. Let me know if you
have any questions.

Sounds like a clogged sewer line. A friend of mine had the exact same
symptoms. Get a plumber before it gets real nasty. The sewerage is backing
up and coming out of the tub.

We have had the city sewer connection collapse and cause similar
conditions.
If you don't find a blockage in your line, get the city to check.
T

you need "roto rooter" or similar , you have a main line clog

Adam wrote:
My housemate described the following situation to me:

Adam,

Are you on a septic system or do you have municipal sewer? it sounds as
if you have a clog somewhere in the system and probably not in the house. If
it's a septic system then how does the leach field look et c.?

Dave M.

On Nov 20, 9:09�am, "David L. Martel" wrote:
Adam,

� �Are you on a septic system or do you have municipal sewer? it sounds as
if you have a clog somewhere in the system and probably not in the house. If
it's a septic system then how does the leach field look et c.?

Dave M.

if the main line has tree roots dont panic, have it snaked and then
every few months (fertilize) the water with 25 pounds of rock salt,
this kills the roots but leaves the trees unharmed.

salt works fast if the clog is discovered early./

I have seen partially clooged line here cleared witin a day. I have
been dumping rock salt in my washtub for over 10 years, its cheap and
effective, if rocksalt isnt available softner salt works too.

On Nov 20, 10:05Â*am, " wrote:
On Nov 20, 9:09�am, "David L. Martel" wrote:

Adam,

� �Are you on a septic system or do you have municipal sewer? it sounds as
if you have a clog somewhere in the system and probably not in the house.. If
it's a septic system then how does the leach field look et c.?

Dave M.

if the main line has tree roots dont panic, have it snaked and then
every few months (fertilize) the water with 25 pounds of rock salt,
this kills the roots but leaves the trees unharmed.

salt works fast if the clog is discovered early./

I have seen partially clooged line here cleared witin a day. I have
been dumping rock salt in my washtub for over 10 years, its cheap and
effective, if rocksalt isnt available softner salt works too.

(salt) kills the roots but leaves the trees unharmed

Curious...how does this work? How does the salt know where to top
doing it's damage?

According to the document at this site:
http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_s...alt_damage.pdf

Salt-weakened plants are more susceptible to insects, pathogens, and
the environmental stresses of drought, wind and ice. Damage can occur
to plants located up to 50 feet away from a heavily salted area. You
may not even see the damage until the following June or later when
brown leaf margins suddenly appear as a tree endures its first stress
of the season. Salt damages plants in two ways - via an airborne spray
that kills dormant buds by penetrating leaf scars, and in the soil
where it breaks down into its two components - sodium and chlorine -
which act differently to kill the plant.

Sooooooo, you'd rather have a clogged up sewer, than a dead plant eh? Is
that what you're getting at?



s



"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
(salt) kills the roots but leaves the trees unharmed

Curious...how does this work? How does the salt know where to top
doing it's damage?

According to the document at this site:
http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_s...alt_damage.pdf

Salt-weakened plants are more susceptible to insects, pathogens, and
the environmental stresses of drought, wind and ice. Damage can occur
to plants located up to 50 feet away from a heavily salted area. You
may not even see the damage until the following June or later when
brown leaf margins suddenly appear as a tree endures its first stress
of the season. Salt damages plants in two ways - via an airborne spray
that kills dormant buds by penetrating leaf scars, and in the soil
where it breaks down into its two components - sodium and chlorine -
which act differently to kill the plant.

I have listened to the pipes in the basement and it sounds like there
is a clog in the main pipe coming from the toilet. Based on what I
have read here and elsewhere it is likely that the clog is causing the
bubbling and leaking. I am deciding between renting a snake or hiring
a plumber to do it and have them recommend whether to replace the 6-
month old wax ring under the toilet.

On Nov 20, 3:43 am, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , Adam wrote:



My housemate described the following situation to me:
She went to get into the shower tonight and saw that there was crud in
the bathtub, like something had forced dirty water up through the
drain. She also noticed that the water level in the toilet was lower
than expected. She rinsed down the tub and took a shower and while she
was doing so, she could hear the toilet gurgling and saw bubbles
coming up through the toilet water.
Coincidentally, I was in the basement, underneath all of this, and
happened to see a little bit of water leaking from the PVC at the
joint above the p-trap. When I got upstairs, she explained what she
experienced. She then went to flush the toilet and the water level
raised to a full bowl but didn't drain.
We plunged, and eventually the water drained to an empty bowl, but it
wasn't a sudden flow like moving a large clog. I went back into the
basement and tightened the joint above the tub's p-trap and also
noticed a tiny bit of water had leaked out of the big pipe under the
toilet. The joint is too far into the floor for me to see for certain
where it came from.
Does anyone have an idea of what could be happening here? I'm often a
do-it-yourselfer, but this one stumps me and I am thinking of calling
a plumber. Any ideas people have would be helpful. Let me know if you
have any questions.

Assume this is on a municipal sewer system?
If so, tree root intrusion is the most frequent cause.

If so, give city/county a call and see if they provide
any help to homeowners. It varies by region, but you
might be surprised.

If you decide to DIY, you may need the biggest rooter snake
the rental place has. Oh, and a cleanout fitting access.
It is tough work and things can and do go wrong. This is where
experience comes in.

YMMV

Jim



Adam wrote:
I have listened to the pipes in the basement and it sounds like there
is a clog in the main pipe coming from the toilet. Based on what I
have read here and elsewhere it is likely that the clog is causing the
bubbling and leaking. I am deciding between renting a snake or hiring
a plumber to do it and have them recommend whether to replace the 6-
month old wax ring under the toilet.

On Nov 20, 3:43 am, (Doug Miller) wrote:

In article , Adam wrote:




My housemate described the following situation to me:
She went to get into the shower tonight and saw that there was crud in
the bathtub, like something had forced dirty water up through the
drain. She also noticed that the water level in the toilet was lower
than expected. She rinsed down the tub and took a shower and while she
was doing so, she could hear the toilet gurgling and saw bubbles
coming up through the toilet water.

I had almost the exact same thing happen a couple months back. Septic
was pumped 6 months prior, but it acted like the system was full. It
would dain slowly, seemed fine for the first couple showers in the
morning then would be slow. I tried several different chemicals and
tried snaking through every opening I could get to. Only one I
couldn't snake was the main cleanout, only because it wouldn't open.
Ended up having a plumper with a pressure sprayer come out. He was
able to get the main clean out open and ran the pressure spray out the
main line to the tank. Things are perfect now, but I had a day of
hell trying to clear it myself. You trouble sounds exactly like what
I had. Oil and grease build up on the out flow pipe. Good luck.