Plumbing question

[mooncancook]

I'm helping out my in-law with a plumbing problem. She lives on the 3rd floor in a 3-story condo unit. The 2nd floor owner said she had a backflow in her kitchen sink and said her plumber found that the pipe on the floor above is clogged, so now the HOA wants us to hire a plumber to clean our pipe.

My question is, is it possible that the water drains perfectly fine in the 3rd floor kitchen sink if the 3rd floor kitchen drain pipe is clogged?

Not trying to be cheap here, but the 2nd-floor owner just had a history of unreasonable complaints, and we don't want to respond to every single thing she claims without verification. To me it just seems odd that the water still drains very quickly for a clogged pipe. I guess the next step is to ask for her plumber's report regarding the clog, but I'm just curious if anyone knows for sure that water can still drain fine in a clogged pipe is normal.

 

[highland145]

The pipe below the 2nd may be clogged.

Water and waste still flow down hill.

 

[Vette73]

Unless the drain and vent are tied together I am not sure why a clogged pipe on the 3rd floor would cause a drain issue on the 2nd.

I ask for the plumbers name and make sure they are licensed. If not tell them to get a real plumber to explain that water goes down not up.

AGAIN that is if the 3rd floor did not do something to the vent pipe.

 

[brandonb]

Depends on the nature of the clog.

To understand plumbing... You have to realize there is a pipe that goes down to the sewer, but also that there is a pipe going up to the roof. It's called a venting pipe. Think of it like this:

(vent)
|
|
|    (3rd floor drain)
|   /
|   |
|   |
|   |/ (2nd floor drain)
|   |
|   |
|   |  (1st floor drain)
|   |/
|  /
|/
|
|
\---- Out to sewer

(* might not actually be like that but its a concept art)

When things go down the drain, there has to be air that gets pushed up. Otherwise it creates a vacuum (water going down the drain might get stuck on air in the drain and might not drain)... Kind of like a siphon effect. If the vent is clogged, it might cause the drains to fail much as if the drain pipes are clogged. If that is the cause, usually all the drains will be effected though. Chances are, there is a clog between the 1st and 2nd floor in the drains and it causes the drain to backup...

 

[mooncancook]

Thanks. I guess we'd better make sure she had a licensed plumber and that the plumber indeed found a clog issue in the pipe in our floor first.

 

[olds]

Sounds suspicious.
If the vent was clogged between the second and third floors I could see this. Otherwise, I can't imagine how a clogged drain on 3 (when 3 drains fine) would effect 2.

Meh, brandonb covered it.

 

[MikeMike]

Depends on the nature of the clog.

To understand plumbing... You have to realize there is a pipe that goes down to the sewer, but also that there is a pipe going up to the roof. It's called a venting pipe. Think of it like this:

(vent)
|
|
|    (3rd floor drain)
|   /
|   |
|   |
|   |/ (2nd floor drain)
|   |
|   |
|   |  (1st floor drain)
|   |/
|  /
|/
|
|
\---- Out to sewer

(* might not actually be like that but its a concept art)

When things go down the drain, there has to be air that gets pushed up. Otherwise it creates a vacuum (water going down the drain might get stuck on air in the drain and might not drain)... Kind of like a siphon effect. If the vent is clogged, it might cause the drains to fail much as if the drain pipes are clogged. If that is the cause, usually all the drains will be effected though. Chances are, there is a clog between the 1st and 2nd floor in the drains and it causes the drain to backup...

It also is going to depend if there are any additional p traps in the line that arent in that drawing of yours. or if the vents are different...

 

[skyking]

The vent is really closer to the fixtures than that drawing, or it is "wet vented" with all of it in a common pipe.
If they claim it is a problem with your pipe get them to TV it. Prove it.
It may be a problem with venting in general.

 

[highland145]

Additionally, I would deal with the HOA, not the tenet. They said, she said, blah, blah......Get them to find out about the plumber, if possible. Or get his name from them and go directly to him.