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Default What sucked my traps dry?

I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the
house. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out
before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from
the town's sewer pipe.

I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had
very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but
it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could
hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard
the shower trap filling up with water.

Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened
had happened during the work day.

I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday
evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream
from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I
know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work.

Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the
sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower
trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it
happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and
trap to loose water.

Thanks.
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On 09/11/2012 06:54 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the
house. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out
before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from
the town's sewer pipe.

I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had
very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but
it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could
hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard
the shower trap filling up with water.

Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened
had happened during the work day.

I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday
evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream
from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I
know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work.

Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the
sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower
trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it
happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and
trap to loose water.


That would be my guess. Around here, they use those big Vactor (brand)
trucks to suck things out of the sewer system; perhaps the problem
wasn't with your neighbor's lines, but with the sewer main, and they
came out with the Vactor truck to vacuum them out.

Jon


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On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 9:54:38 AM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the house.. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from the town's sewer pipe. I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard the shower trap filling up with water. Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened had happened during the work day. I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work. Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and trap to loose water. Thanks.


It would be an unusual event unless your waste system is not adequately vented. Is that bathroom traditionally vented or does it have a studor vent under the sink? Studor vents do stick when they get old. Usually they are easy to replace.
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Very possible, that something the town did, sucked the water out of your
traps. I've had similar thing happen.

Christopher A. Young
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"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the
house. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out
before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from
the town's sewer pipe.

I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had
very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but
it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could
hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard
the shower trap filling up with water.

Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened
had happened during the work day.

I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday
evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream
from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I
know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work.

Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the
sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower
trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it
happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and
trap to loose water.

Thanks.


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On Sep 11, 10:20*am, jamesgang wrote:
On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 9:54:38 AM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the house. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from the town's sewer pipe. I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard the shower trap filling up with water. Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened had happened during the work day. I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work. Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and trap to loose water. Thanks.


It would be an unusual event unless your waste system is not adequately vented. *Is that bathroom traditionally vented or does it have a studor vent under the sink? *Studor vents do stick when they get old. *Usually they are easy to replace.


"It would be an unusual event unless your waste system is not
adequately vented"

Well, in my case, both of those conditions exist, so "unless" doesn't
fit here.

1 - It's an unusual event - first time it's happened in 20 or so
years, at least that I've noticed, and I use this toilet and shower
every day.
2 - The waste system is not adequately vented.

1956 house with the only vent being the main stack. None of the
fixtures in the house have their own vents, but we've never had any of
the problems typically associated with inadequate venting.

Hopefully this is just a one off but I'll keep my eye on it.


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LOL!.....

I have no idea what sucked your traps dry, but I do love the question.
Sounds like it outta be a sage ol' saw, like, "well, that sure chaps my
hide!" or "that really frosts my balls". I like it. Gonna use it.

"Well, that certainly sucks my traps dry!"


lol...
nb

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On Sep 11, 11:18*am, notbob wrote:
LOL!.....

I have no idea what sucked your traps dry, but I do love the question.
Sounds like it outta be a sage ol' saw, like, "well, that sure chaps my
hide!" or "that really frosts my balls". *I like it. *Gonna use it.

"Well, that certainly sucks my traps dry!"

lol...
nb


Any use of this article without the NFL's...errrr...I mean...*my*
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On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 10:43:22 AM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Sep 11, 10:20*am, jamesgang wrote: On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 9:54:38 AM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote: I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the house. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from the town's sewer pipe. I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard the shower trap filling up with water. Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened had happened during the work day. I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work. Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and trap to loose water. Thanks. It would be an unusual event unless your waste system is not adequately vented. *Is that bathroom traditionally vented or does it have a studor vent under the sink? *Studor vents do stick when they get old. *Usually they are easy to replace. "It would be an unusual event unless your waste system is not adequately vented" Well, in my case, both of those conditions exist, so "unless" doesn't fit here. 1 - It's an unusual event - first time it's happened in 20 or so years, at least that I've noticed, and I use this toilet and shower every day. 2 - The waste system is not adequately vented. 1956 house with the only vent being the main stack. None of the fixtures in the house have their own vents, but we've never had any of the problems typically associated with inadequate venting. Hopefully this is just a one off but I'll keep my eye on it.


You may be able to add a studor vent under your sink. Easiest if the drain comes up from the floor but either way you just need to get a T into it somewhere. That will help vent the other stuff in that bathroom.
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On Sep 11, 12:10*pm, jamesgang wrote:
On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 10:43:22 AM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Sep 11, 10:20*am, jamesgang wrote: On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 9:54:38 AM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote: I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the house. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from the town's sewer pipe. I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard the shower trap filling up with water. Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened had happened during the work day. I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work. Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and trap to loose water. Thanks. It would be an unusual event unless your waste system is not adequately vented. *Is that bathroom traditionally vented or does it have a studor vent under the sink? *Studor vents do stick when they get old. *Usually they are easy to replace. "It would be an unusual event unless your waste system is not adequately vented" Well, in my case, both of those conditions exist, so "unless" doesn't fit here. 1 - It's an unusual event - first time it's happened in 20 or so years, at least that I've noticed, and I use this toilet and shower every day. 2 - The waste system is not adequately vented. 1956 house with the only vent being the main stack. None of the fixtures in the house have their own vents, but we've never had any of the problems typically associated with inadequate venting. Hopefully this is just a one off but I'll keep my eye on it.


You may be able to add a studor vent under your sink. *Easiest if the drain comes up from the floor but either way you just need to get a T into it somewhere. *That will help vent the other stuff in that bathroom.


I've considered venting numerous times, just because "it's supposed to
be vented" but I've never had any reason to go through the trouble.

Up until yesterday I never saw any indication that I needed to alter
anything related to the plumbing. At this point, it's a bit hard to
imagine that after using this bathroom nearly every day since I
remodeled it 20+ years ago I've suddenly got a venting problem. I
guess it could happen, but something else must have changed also.

So here's the next question:

If it were indeed a venting issue, please explain what happened
yesterday. I used the toilet and shower in the morning so I know they
were OK. I was the last one to leave the house and the first one home.
In other words, no water was used from the time I left to the time I
noticed the low level in the toilet.

What could have happened during the day that - vent related - would
have caused the water in the toilet and trap to be sucked out?
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On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 09:56:38 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

What could have happened during the day that - vent related - would
have caused the water in the toilet and trap to be sucked out?


High winds? I've seen my toilet water level drop after wind storms,
and it is vented. I don't have a single vent for the entire house, but
several.

High winds is the only thing I could possibly associate with the water
level drop.


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On Sep 11, 2:34*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 09:56:38 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03

wrote:
What could have happened during the day that - vent related - would
have caused the water in the toilet and trap to be sucked out?


High winds? *I've seen my toilet water level drop after wind storms,
and it is vented. I don't have a single vent for the entire house, but
several.

High winds is the only thing I could possibly associate with the water
level drop.


I've heard that, but I don't think that was the cause.

Yesterday was a beautiful day with just a slight breeze. We have
certainly had much windier days around here, even recently, with no
noticeable issues with our toilets or traps.

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On Sep 11, 12:56*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

I've considered venting numerous times, just because "it's supposed to
be vented" but I've never had any reason to go through the trouble.

Up until yesterday I never saw any indication that I needed to alter
anything related to the plumbing. At this point, it's a bit hard to
imagine that after using this bathroom nearly every day since I
remodeled it 20+ years ago I've suddenly got a venting problem. I
guess it could happen, but something else must have changed also.

So here's the next question:

If it were indeed a venting issue, please explain what happened
yesterday. I used the toilet and shower in the morning so I know they
were OK. I was the last one to leave the house and the first one home.
In other words, no water was used from the time I left to the time I
noticed the low level in the toilet.

What could have happened during the day that - vent related - would
have caused the water in the toilet and trap to be sucked out?


Plumbing fixtures that are not vented at the connection
to the drain at each fixture with a T going up to the vent
and down to the drain where the fixture pipe enters can
have the water in the drain traps siphoned out by pressure
changes in the piping or by suction created by a large
volume of water draining past that fixture...

It sounds like your house uses the main stack as a
wet vent, rather than having individual vent pipes
which are connected to a vent stack which can then
be connected to the main stack above the level of the
highest fixture in the building...

It could have had something to do with the town doing
that sewer line cleaning, it could have been a washing
machine emptying at just the right time when a pressure
differential existed or could have been the wind...
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On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 12:56:38 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I've considered venting numerous times, just because "it's supposed to

be vented" but I've never had any reason to go through the trouble.


Maybe the bird didn't get around to building a nest on/in your vent pipe until recently...
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On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:48:21 -0700 (PDT), Larry Fishel
wrote:

Maybe the bird didn't get around to building a nest on/in your vent pipe until recently...


I'd expect that to cause a slow flush, especially on a septic system.
Tree frogs seek refuge in vent pipes in South Florida, avoiding heat.
Seeking a cool location.

The option is to flush them out with a water hose.
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On Sep 11, 3:44*pm, Evan wrote:
On Sep 11, 12:56*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:







I've considered venting numerous times, just because "it's supposed to
be vented" but I've never had any reason to go through the trouble.


Up until yesterday I never saw any indication that I needed to alter
anything related to the plumbing. At this point, it's a bit hard to
imagine that after using this bathroom nearly every day since I
remodeled it 20+ years ago I've suddenly got a venting problem. I
guess it could happen, but something else must have changed also.


So here's the next question:


If it were indeed a venting issue, please explain what happened
yesterday. I used the toilet and shower in the morning so I know they
were OK. I was the last one to leave the house and the first one home.
In other words, no water was used from the time I left to the time I
noticed the low level in the toilet.


What could have happened during the day that - vent related - would
have caused the water in the toilet and trap to be sucked out?


Plumbing fixtures that are not vented at the connection
to the drain at each fixture with a T going up to the vent
and down to the drain where the fixture pipe enters can
have the water in the drain traps siphoned out by pressure
changes in the piping or by suction created by a large
volume of water draining past that fixture...

It sounds like your house uses the main stack as a
wet vent, rather than having individual vent pipes
which are connected to a vent stack which can then
be connected to the main stack above the level of the
highest fixture in the building...

It could have had something to do with the town doing
that sewer line cleaning, it could have been a washing
machine emptying at just the right time when a pressure
differential existed or could have been the wind...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


All of that makes sense, but at this point the only logical choice
from those 3 options is the sewer cleaning - if that even occurred.

No one was home to do a laundry and it wasn't anything close to a
windy day.

Besides, we've been doing laundry for 20+ years and we've certainly
had windy days during that time period and it's never happened before,
not that I recall or noticed.

It's too late to call the town right now, but I may call tomorrow.
I'll be curious to see what I find when I get home tonight.


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On Sep 11, 3:48*pm, Larry Fishel wrote:
On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 12:56:38 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I've considered venting numerous times, just because "it's supposed to


be vented" but I've never had any reason to go through the trouble.


Maybe the bird didn't get around to building a nest on/in your vent pipe until recently...


Why would a clogged vent cause water to be sucked out of multiple
traps during the time we were at work?

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When you get tired of watching sink traps, there is always paint drying for
real excitement?

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"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...

Hopefully this is just a one off but I'll keep my eye on it.


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On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:23:08 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

Maybe the bird didn't get around to building a nest on/in your vent pipe until recently...


Why would a clogged vent cause water to be sucked out of multiple
traps during the time we were at work?


I don't think it would. I would consider a hairline crack in the lower
portion of the toilet.

Let us know if this gremlin continues once you get home for another
inspection of low water.
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Oren wrote:
On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:23:08 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

Maybe the bird didn't get around to building a nest on/in your vent
pipe until recently...


Why would a clogged vent cause water to be sucked out of multiple
traps during the time we were at work?


I don't think it would.


That was a question for Larry. I don't think it would either. Can't even
imagine how it could.

I would consider a hairline crack in the lower
portion of the toilet.


A hairline crack might explain the toilet being low, but not the empty
shower trap.

Let us know if this gremlin continues once you get home for another
inspection of low water.


Ok...

Came home, took one look at the manhole cover in front of my house and said
"My, it's sure is clean around the seam. I'm guessing someone's had this
cover off very recently."

I going with the "town did something yesterday" theory for now.

No low water situation in the basement bathroom.
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On 2012-09-11, DerbyDad03 wrote:

Any use of this article without the NFL's...errrr...I mean...*my*
express written consent is prohibited.


Well, that certainly sucks my traps dry!!

nb --rofl...

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On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 4:23:08 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
Why would a clogged vent cause water to be sucked out of multiple
traps during the time we were at work?


By itself, it wouldn't, but it would "seal" your drain system and allow some other event downstream (maybe related to opening a manhole) to suck your traps, which shouldn't happen if the vent is NOT blocked...
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On Sep 12, 12:20*am, Larry Fishel wrote:
On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 4:23:08 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
Why would a clogged vent cause water to be sucked out of multiple
traps during the time we were at work?


By itself, it wouldn't, but it would "seal" your drain system and allow some other event downstream (maybe related to opening a manhole) to suck your traps, which shouldn't happen if the vent is NOT blocked...


I guess that's possible, but it would be a strange coincidence for
both the blockage and the downstream event to occur at the same time.

Since I've seen no other symptoms associated with a blocked vent, it
would have to have been a 1 - 2 punch on Monday.

I'll keep an eye on the situation and see if any "blocked vent"
symptoms become apparent.
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Since I've seen no other symptoms associated with a blocked vent, it
would have to have been a 1 - 2 punch on Monday.

I'll keep an eye on the situation and see if any "blocked vent"
symptoms become apparent.


letssay theres a big clog downstream that suddenly clears, this can
create a vacuumn that sucks the water out of your traps......

I had it happen here once when the sewer company was working

unlikely but probably what happened to you.

probably a good time to look for your main house trap vent, they often
get covered or lost over the years....

it would of prevented what you had occur, thats its job. along with
preventing flammables to get into your interior drain pipes

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On Sep 12, 10:52*am, bob haller wrote:
Since I've seen no other symptoms associated with a blocked vent, it
would have to have been a 1 - 2 punch on Monday.


I'll keep an eye on the situation and see if any "blocked vent"
symptoms become apparent.


letssay theres a big clog downstream that suddenly clears, this can
create a vacuumn that sucks the water out of your traps......

I had it happen here once when the sewer company was working

unlikely but probably what happened to you.

probably a good time to look for your main house trap vent, they often
get covered or lost over the years....

it would of prevented what you had occur, thats its job. along with
preventing flammables to get into your interior drain pipes


main house trap vent?

Never heard of that. I'd be surprised if I even had one.

What should I be looking for?
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On Sep 12, 1:26*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Sep 12, 10:52*am, bob haller wrote:





Since I've seen no other symptoms associated with a blocked vent, it
would have to have been a 1 - 2 punch on Monday.


I'll keep an eye on the situation and see if any "blocked vent"
symptoms become apparent.


letssay theres a big clog downstream that suddenly clears, this can
create a vacuumn that sucks the water out of your traps......


I had it happen here once when the sewer company was working


unlikely but probably what happened to you.


probably a good time to look for your main house trap vent, they often
get covered or lost over the years....


it would of prevented what you had occur, thats its job. along with
preventing flammables to get into your interior drain pipes


main house trap vent?

Never heard of that. I'd be surprised if I even had one.

What should I be looking for?


Every home around here has a trap just outside the permiter of the
foundtion....

its 4 inches around here and has a vent too,

they frequently get lost over the years. around here the sewer company
requires its located and functionally any time a home is sold. along
with a dye test to confirm there are no illegal connections like
downspout to sanitary sewer.......

ask a neighbor who has lived near you a long time, thats how i found
mine.... they also knew where the doorbell wires were buried too. a
previous occupant had removed the actual doorbell..... and buried the
wires in drywall mud 5 minutes looking at their doorbell
explained it all.

the neighbors who lived nearby forever can be very informative


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Default What sucked my traps dry?

On Sep 12, 3:52*pm, bob haller wrote:
On Sep 12, 1:26*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On Sep 12, 10:52*am, bob haller wrote:


Since I've seen no other symptoms associated with a blocked vent, it
would have to have been a 1 - 2 punch on Monday.


I'll keep an eye on the situation and see if any "blocked vent"
symptoms become apparent.


letssay theres a big clog downstream that suddenly clears, this can
create a vacuumn that sucks the water out of your traps......


I had it happen here once when the sewer company was working


unlikely but probably what happened to you.


probably a good time to look for your main house trap vent, they often
get covered or lost over the years....


it would of prevented what you had occur, thats its job. along with
preventing flammables to get into your interior drain pipes


main house trap vent?


Never heard of that. I'd be surprised if I even had one.


What should I be looking for?


Every home around here has a trap just outside the permiter of the
foundtion....

its 4 inches around here and has a vent too,

they frequently get lost over the years. around here the sewer company
requires its located and functionally any time a home is sold. along
with a dye test to confirm there are no illegal connections like
downspout to sanitary sewer.......

ask a neighbor who has lived near you a long time, thats how i found
mine.... they also knew where the doorbell wires were buried too. a
previous occupant had removed the actual doorbell..... and buried the
wires in drywall mud * * * 5 minutes looking at their doorbell
explained it all.

the neighbors who lived nearby forever can be very informative- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I'll address your points in reverse order:

I'm one of the longest tenured residents in my immediate area. The
little old ladies that have been here longer probably won't be much
help. In addition, every house in my neighborhood is of a different
style and different age, with my 56 YO house being one of the newer
ones. I doubt that any other house is laid out, plumbing wise, the
same as mine.

But that's all moot anyway, since I don't have any trap outside the
house perimeter. I've snaked my own line enough times and have had it
scoped, so I know that there is no trap after the drain leaves the
house.

There is a cleanout on the other side of the basement where the main
stack comes down through the house, but that's just a cleanout on the
cast iron pipe just before it goes under the slab. I'm sure that I
don't have a "main house trap vent" or even a "main house trap".
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Default What sucked my traps dry?

On 9/11/2012 8:54 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the
house. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out
before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from
the town's sewer pipe.

I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had
very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but
it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could
hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard
the shower trap filling up with water.

Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened
had happened during the work day.

I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday
evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream
from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I
know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work.

Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the
sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower
trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it
happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and
trap to loose water.

Thanks.


a good wind storm can get the water "bounced" out of a toilet. from
blowing across the roof stack. have wind that day?


--
Steve Barker
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Default What sucked my traps dry?

On Sep 13, 1:59*am, Steve Barker wrote:
On 9/11/2012 8:54 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:





I have a basement bathroom that is located at the very front of the
house. All of the fixtures are within a few feet of the last clean out
before the main drain leaves my house. The house is about 50 feet from
the town's sewer pipe.


I came home from work last night (Monday) to find that the toilet had
very little water in it. There was still some water in the toilet, but
it was below the bottom of the bowl section. When I flushed it I could
hear noise from the shower drain, so I turned on the shower and heard
the shower trap filling up with water.


Since I had used the toilet and shower that morning, whatever happened
had happened during the work day.


I should add that the town was at the neighbor's house on Sunday
evening, apparently snaking their drain. Their house is downstream
from mine. However, as I said, I used the bathroom Monday morning so I
know the toilet and shower trap were full when I left for work.


Could the town have come back on Monday and done something with the
sewer that would have sucked the water out of my toilet and shower
trap? Obviously I'll check when I get home tonight to see if it
happened again, but I'm curious as to what might cause the toilet and
trap to loose water.


Thanks.


a good wind storm can get the water "bounced" out of a toilet. *from
blowing across the roof stack. have wind that day?

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


That was addressed earlier in the thread.

There was barely a breeze the day it happened and over the years we've
had days with major wind events that did not impact the traps.

As I mentioned earlier, I looked at the man hole cover the other night
and the seam around it was extremely clean, leading me to believe that
the man hole had been opened and sewer work had been done.

Unless it happens again, I'm assuming that that was the cause and not
worrying about it.

Thanks!
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Default What sucked my traps dry?

I'm wondering if there's another way to reduce pressure in the main sewer relative to your drain lines.

What if they flushed the line with a large volume of water? The sewers I've had open have usually had a small amount of the line actually full of water, just a small flow at the bottom, and your line dumps in well above that.. But if they were flushing with lots of water, the moving water might rise above your inlet, and pull your water out with it.

Not sure this happens but seems like it might be possible.
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Default What sucked my traps dry?

replying to Evan, David75 wrote:
I checked on a house yesterday. It had a sewer gas smell in basement. I
dont think the basement fixtures are vented properly?walls are up ?how can
I tell if shower or vanity is vented properly?or what would cause traps to be
sucked dry?other than a venting issue?

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Default What sucked my traps dry?

On 8/1/2019 8:44 AM, David75 wrote:
replying to Evan, David75 wrote:
I checked on a house yesterday. It had a sewer gas smell in basement. I
dont think the basement fixtures are vented properly?walls are up ?how can
I tell if shower or vanity is vented properly?or what would cause traps
to be
sucked dry?other than a venting issue?


If unoccupied, evaporation.


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Default What sucked my traps dry?

On Thursday, August 1, 2019 at 10:06:10 AM UTC-4, dpb wrote:
On 8/1/2019 8:44 AM, David75 wrote:
replying to Evan, David75 wrote:
I checked on a house yesterday. It had a sewer gas smell in basement. I
dont think the basement fixtures are vented properly?walls are up ?how can
I tell if shower or vanity is vented properly?or what would cause traps
to be
sucked dry?other than a venting issue?


If unoccupied, evaporation.


Or never filled. He said "walls are up", which may imply it's new
construction? Or the traps could be fine and there could be a vent
line that was never connected.
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Default What sucked my traps dry?

On 8/1/19 10:06 AM, dpb wrote:
On 8/1/2019 8:44 AM, David75 wrote:
replying to Evan, David75 wrote:
I checked on a house yesterday. It had a sewer gas smell in basement. I
dont think the basement fixtures are vented properly?walls are up
?how can
I tell if shower or vanity is vented properly?or what would cause
traps to be
sucked dry?other than a venting issue?


If unoccupied, evaporation.



Right. Some years ago I had a 2 houses with a floor drains in an
unfinished basement. Every so often would need to pour water into them
due to evaporation
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