Is there a plumber in the house?

[Springroll]

If there is anyone out there that is either a plumber, or experienced with plumbing, can you please help us.

We are having some drainage issues. If we run the dishwasher or washing machine we have gurgles come through our downstairs bathroom toilet and the water(and gunk) flows into our shower stall down stairs.

After the water receeded in the shower stall we saw food partiucles so immediately went up stairs to clean out the dishwasher. We have placed Mr Plumber in the drains(shower, upstairs bath tub and all the sinks) but it isn't working and we do not have a snake(and of course with it being sunday we can't go get one either).

Any ideas to helps us solve this would be great(other than hiring a plumber because we don't have the money for it).
I need to do some laundry and can't without it overflowing our bathroom.

Thank you!!

 

[Kat Stevens]

Plug ALL the drains in your house.  Take a toilet plunger, and go to whichever drain is at the lowest point in the house. put the plunger of the drain hole, and plunge like mad.  No promises, but it might work. If not, a snake is the only answer, again at the lowest point of the drain system.  Home Depot not open on Sunday where you are?

 

[Springroll]

Nova Scotia has no sunday shopping policy, so barely anything is open. :'(

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Sounds like your main sewer line is becoming plugged. This could be debris, old grease or tree roots. You may get it unblocked enough with a plunger, but I'm just about going to gaurantee you'll need the ol' roto rooter to run through the complete length of it from the house cleanout to the main sewer line, either in front or at the rear of your property. There's no easy fix for this, it's just gotta be done.

 

[larry Strong]

I have to agree with recceguy. You can try a snake, but I think you are going to have to find or rent-(try a tool rental store)-a power snake, or as a last resort get a plumber. Until thats done I think you will have to go to the laundromat and do the wash part or live with the flooding into the shower stall. Sorry.

 

[paracowboy]

I have to agree with rg and Larry. We had a similar problem.  I think you're in for some expense. But, try Kat's advice first. (I take it you don't live in PMQs?)

 

[Old Ranger]

Could also be the air vent is clogged or partially clogged.

Kat's advice the best, and cheapest to start with.

(You wouldn't happen to be on a Septic system?)

 

[rcr]

Your main drainage is blocked. The gurgling you hear is water cycling through your drainage pipes and all that can escape is the air.  Use a snake, and if that doesn't work, call in the plumber.  Expensive yes, however, if he is competant he will know what needs to be done.  If your house is older, the pipes will be copper and the drain from the house will be iron.  Both will allow for a buildup of scum over time which creates a blockage.  Once the problem is cleared, then I suggest using a drain cleaner on the system within your home.  Never dump grease down the sink - keep a tin can in the freezer and dump your cooking grease in there.  Grease is the biggest culprit in drainage buildup.

Old Ranger's point about the air vent being blocked may also be part of the problem.  Air needs to escape in order for proper drainage to occur. 

 

[Springroll]

We are not on septic.

We checked out the vents and they are clear, so it looks like we are going to have to wait until tomorrow to be able to get a snake and see what is blocking it up. We don't dump grease down the drain, so no worries there. Originally I thought it might be a hair blockage from when I have my showers, but it doesn't seem to be. The other drains upstairs seem to be clear and all that seem to be affecting the downstairs bathroom is the washing machine and the dishwasher.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I will let you know the outcome tomorrow, unless a neighbour has a snake, then I will let you know tonight

 

[larry Strong]

I thought about the vents, but they would only have produced a gurgling noise and a slow drain time, it would not have caused the sewage to back up though.

 

[Springroll]

Wanna know what we just did that seemed to solve the problem?

Poured boiling hot water down the basement toilet and shower drain and everything is working great!!

Thanks so much for your help guys. I really appreciate it!!

 

[Old Ranger]

I thought about the vents, but they would only have produced a gurgling noise and a slow drain time, it would not have caused the sewage to back up though.

That's what I read in the original post.  If there is no air behind water, drains don't work. (Watching "Homes on Homes")

 

[Fry]

Dad installs plumbing and drainage systems and crap, and he said that it's wise to actually call a plumber. Boiling water won't fix the problem alone, it'll just open the clog enough to let water drain. You should really call a plumber to inspect the situation and make sure everything's ok. They know what they're doing.

 

[Old Ranger]

Dad installs plumbing and drainage systems and crap,

Is that where you got your signatures from?

 

[Springroll]

Thanks for the advice Fry. As soon as we can afford it(in other words on payday), we will.

 

[Fry]

Is that where you got your signatures from?

Haha nope, read it on the internet somewhere(the sewer one )

 

[Duotone81]

SR, once you take the advice (all good points) given to you and if the problem still persists, consider getting a camera test done. This test should identify your problem. Simply put, the technician/plumber has a long hose with a video camera at then end that he runs down your cleanout and he's able to find the cause of the problem via a tv hooked up to the hose. Hopefully the problem is past your property line because replacing your old sewer line with PVC pipe has the potential to be quite expensive.

I hope this info is useful.

Nick