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Need help - Plumbing Issue

S

SS Trooper

Senior member
Thanks in advance.

I have been in my house for 2 years and this has never happened before.

My girlfriend took a bath last night(as she has done many times before) and when she drained the tub the drains in the basement bathroom backed up.

This is a 1 story ranch from 1967 with a full basement. The bathroom where the bath was taken from is in the back of the house, directly above the downstairs bathroom. The waste lines meet and run from the back of the house through the floor to tie into the main waste line(at front of house) and out of the house. The downstairs bathroom has a toliet(overflowed) sink(backed up) and a shower(backed up). I have no issues currently or previously with water draining from either bathroom.

It seems to me that the pressure generated from a full tub of water emptying into the waste lines caused the water to be pushed back up at the junction of the downstairs and upstairs bathrooms and cause the problem.

Anyone care to guess if the root cause is blockage in the pipes, or something else. My fear is that the design is flawed and there is not much I can do short of remodeling the plumbing. All suggestions are welcome.

I plan on filling the tub and doing a test drain under controlled circumstances when I get home tonight.
 
More than likely something has clogged the main line after the junction.
Water from upstairs made it to the junction and able to go no further, flowed back up the downstairs lines.

The amount of water from a toilet, shower or sink was able to make it past the constriction without a serious/visible backup.
The amount of water from the tub has too high a volume and you see the result.
 
jaha2000 said:
So are your drain lines in the slab in the basement?
Do you know if they are clay lines or cast iron?
Click to expand...

They are in the slab, from what is visible - cast iron.

What would you recommend to break up a possible clog. Any particular brand of product, or should I skip any liquid plumber and attempt to snake it?
 
Snake will be best.

If you want to try the liquid plumber route; get one that has a money back.

Fill up the bathtub and drain to recreate the problem;
While problem exists; dump the solvent into the downstairs drain.

If it does not work; snake and return the empty container for $$ back
 
EagleKeeper said:
Snake will be best.

If you want to try the liquid plumber route; get one that has a money back.

Fill up the bathtub and drain to recreate the problem;
While problem exists; dump the solvent into the downstairs drain.

If it does not work; snake and return the empty container for $$ back
Click to expand...


Thank you sir, much appreciated.
 
It sounds like the main sewer drain may be restricted. This can happen if roots grow into it. The tub is probably putting in more water than the drain can handle. Might need to get a plumber involved in that one. Usually for under $100 they will grind up any root growth and give you some stuff to flush down your toilet every few months to retard root growth.
 
Fritzo said:
It sounds like the main sewer drain may be restricted. This can happen if roots grow into it. The tub is probably putting in more water than the drain can handle. Might need to get a plumber involved in that one. Usually for under $100 they will grind up any root growth and give you some stuff to flush down your toilet every few months to retard root growth.
Click to expand...

That could very well be, I hope not.
 
Based on the age of the house, that would have been my guess.
I would get the plumber involved, there should be a cleanout in your basement they can stick a camera and the snake is.

My predicition.
1. Roots
2. Partially collapsed main out to the street from roots.
 
This sounds like your problem.

jaha2000 said:
Based on the age of the house, that would have been my guess.
I would get the plumber involved, there should be a cleanout in your basement they can stick a camera and the snake is.

My predicition.
1. Roots
2. Partially collapsed main out to the street from roots.
Click to expand...
 
snake that shit. trust me, im an expert in clogged lines.

im going to cry once the line from the house to the street finally caves in. there is a GIANT 50+ year old Silver Maple directly on top of the line. So i'll have to cut that down, dig up the yard to have the new pipe laid and then cry since ill be out a few thousand dollars.

the only thing that truely scares me about my home is the line backing up and my basement flooding. the basement is finished and most of my junk is down there.
 
Something similar happened to me a few years ago. We finally found out some critter had crawled in the vent and died. Judging by the size of the bones my snake was pulling out of the roof vent, I'd say it was a small opossum. Symptoms like yours, a vacuum was created, but took nearly 2 gallons for you to notice. The downstairs tub would take a looooong time to drain, the upstairs tub would overflow into the downstairs bathroom.
 
Last edited:
Fritzo said:
It sounds like the main sewer drain may be restricted. This can happen if roots grow into it. The tub is probably putting in more water than the drain can handle. Might need to get a plumber involved in that one. Usually for under $100 they will grind up any root growth and give you some stuff to flush down your toilet every few months to retard root growth.
Click to expand...

Any decent size trees between the house and the main road?

If the snake does not solve the problem; the plumber with a camera is the next step.
 
one time at my parent's house the water backed up in the basement. somehow a sanitary napkin made its way into their plumbing and clogged it up (yuck!).
 
You need to call in a plumber who can scope out the drains. That will tell if it just clogged, broken or with roots inside it. Based on the age of the home, I would not be surprised to have to install a new drain to the sewer or septic system. Odds are, the main drain pipe is clay and they do fail over a long time.
 
EagleKeeper said:
Any decent size trees between the house and the main road?

If the snake does not solve the problem; the plumber with a camera is the next step.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately yes. There is a decent size maple near the road. Thinking back I remember when I first moved in that the floor drain in the wash room would back up on occasion, usually after dumping a large amount of water down the kitchen sink.

I fear this will turn out to be a more expensive adventure then I initially thought.

I will take comfort in the fact that I will have found this problem because tub water backed up. Could have been worse.

I will be snaking to my best ability tonight, then I'll see about getting a plumber to check with a camera.

Thanks again for all your feedback everyone.
 
Mixolydian said:
1. Demolish house
2. Build new house
3. Problem solved
Click to expand...

This is a great idea. Surely I can get funding for this project from the overly rich and equally generous ATOTers. 😀

You probably wanted to be more specific with #1 though, I'll just have to assume nuke from orbit is the preferred method.
 
The camera is only needed if the snaking proves ineffective.

Snake and clean out the line. Let the water drain.
Then pour a plumbing acid down the line and let it sit overnight, without using the sinks or toilets.

In the plumbing chemical aisle at the hardware store, there is a strong acid usually on the bottom shelf. Purchase this acid, put on safety glasses, and carefully pour it down the drain.

Then repeat dumping the acid down the drain once per year, every spring when the ground thaws.
 
HydroSqueegee said:
snake that shit. trust me, im an expert in clogged lines.

im going to cry once the line from the house to the street finally caves in. there is a GIANT 50+ year old Silver Maple directly on top of the line. So i'll have to cut that down, dig up the yard to have the new pipe laid and then cry since ill be out a few thousand dollars.

the only thing that truely scares me about my home is the line backing up and my basement flooding. the basement is finished and most of my junk is down there.
Click to expand...

They can put a liner in the existing pipe.
 
Camera should be your first option, as it will tell right away, if it is just a clog or a collapsed pipe. If the pipe is broken or collapsed (and based on the age, it likely is) no amount of snaking or drain cleaning acid is going to fix the issues.
 
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