kitchen sink gurgles

[Russianwolf]

okay, about three months ago, our kitchen sink started gurgling when the clothes washer drains. There is no water coming up and it seems to be confined to the kitchen sink (don't hear it in any other drains), The kicthen sink is the closest to the line leaving the house.

My thought is that one of the vent pipes may have some kind of a blockage causing the water to push air to the place of least resistance.

Anyone els e have something like this happen? What was it and what did you do to fix?

We do have slow drains in both showers also, but all of the sinks and toilets drain fine.

[Uncle Cracker]

Sounds like you have a partial blockage forming in a main drain line (like maybe a tree root in the feed to the sewer or septic). As water flows out from your house in any large-enough quantity, it is backing up just enough to force air past the water in your sink p-trap. It's likely to get worse, and you may end up with back-up water in your house, although it will usually actually show up in the drain outlet with the lowest elevation (such as a 1st floor bathtub or toilet) first. This is one job that is much better left to somebody like Roto-Rooter, as they have the equipment to both locate the blockage and clear it.

[Russianwolf]

just took a look down stairs.

I have three branches coming into the point that takes watter out of the house. The washer is a good 35 foot away from that point with 3" PVC making up the entire length. The kitchen sink is about 4 foot from the point on that same line.

The Downstairs shower Bathroom is on a second line that is about 25 foot long with the shower about 20 foot from the point.

The upstairs bathroom starts going up at about 5 foot from the point. The upstairs shower sarts to slow almost as soon as water starts going in the drain.

I'm thinking of hitting the Showers with a bottle of commercial draino to see if I can get them back up to speed and I may do the same from the washer. I may even try some of the root killer stuff if they don't improve from the draino.

[Uncle Cracker]

If your upstairs shower runs slow, but downstairs drains do not, then you may have a hairball in that branch line, but probably still have a more global problem in your main line (since you have issues with your kitchen sink, the closest inlet to the main drain). That upstairs shower shouldn't cause problems with your kitchen. Always look downstream from where the problem seems to be. The Draino might help with the upstairs shower, but my experience with the chemical root killers is that they work too slow, if at all. You could easily flush $200 down the drain in chemicals, and still end up having to call a pro. Solve what's easy yourself, but know when you're throwing good money after bad...

[Russianwolf]

oh, I won't be spendig that much before I call someone in. Likely just a couple bottles of cleaner to see if we have a simple blockage.

There's also the possibility that it's time to have the septic pumped. Do you know if they can go in through the main drain plug in the basement or if they have to dig up the access in the yard? I'm not even sure where exactly the septic is in the back yard, which may mean a lot of digging.

[eccentrictinkerer]

I've had a handyman business for 7 years. My experience is that Drano never works. Ever.

If it appears to work it was probably a very small blockage of soap scum and hair.

My late dad was a plumber for 45 years. He said he had never seen Drano or any other chemical work effectively.

I clean branch drains occasionally with a Milwaukee power snake. I leave the main drains to the pros.

If one of my customers calls with a drain problem, my first question is "Did you use any chemicals?". If they did, I decline the call. Too dangerous.

Save your money. You can get a decent snake at the BORG for under $10. If that doesn't work, call for professional help. (For 35 years I've used "Ron the Sewer Rat"! He lives in the area, he's honest and he's reasonable.)

Just my opinion.

[TheRic]

I would nix the Drano. I have only seen it work if you have a hairball, soap scum, etc in the trap or on drain side of the trap. Think if it this way you are poring a liquid down a slope, in a large pipe. You think that liquid will clean the top or sides of the pipe. Your be lucky if it cleans a small path on the bottom. Pour a gallon of water in a line, how high, wide, long is that line. Not much and your only pouring a pint or quart of cleaner.

Sounds like you have a blockage in the main lineS. Renting a snake and cleaning out the line will help, specially if it's an older house that has not been cleaned before.

[Slik Geek]

If you have small kids that like to play with little plastic action figures in the tub, you may have one of them (the toy, not the kid) stuck in the plumbing somewhere, often at a 90 degree bend. Over time, hair and other fibrous matter will build up and the flow rate will generally decrease. That could explain the gurgling.

A cheap plumbing snake from your favorite hardware-type store is an inexpensive first try. It has worked for me more than once. I've never had to hire a professional plumber. (Although in your case, the cheap snake may not be long enough).

I concur with the comments regarding chemical drain cleaners. My experience with them is that you are just pouring money down the drain...

[iceman61]

Your shower drains sound like hair clogs as others have stated. If the drains in your showers are the newer foot operated, push once to close, push again to open, you can unscrew these to clean any hair clogs present. The clog will be right on top when you unscrew the stopper & you can clear it by hand. They are notorious for trapping hair.

Your water backing up in your sink sounds like a different type of clog, maybe tree roots, maybe something else, but an ideal candidate for a roto-rooter or power auger. Your plumbing should have a clean out somewhere where you can unscrew the cap & insert the auger or snake to clear the blockage. If your house is on a slab, the cleanout will more than likely be a cap on your foundation that you can unscrew to access. If your house is on piers, it will be somewhere under the house.

I'm not sure how "snaking a line out" works if you have a septic tank.

[Popeye]

One other thing you can try yourself. I can't find a link for one, but for years I've had a rubber bulb that screws to the end of a garden hose. You feed it into a drain clean out until you can't push it any farther and turn the water on, it expands and seal the pipe shooting a high velocity stream of water down stream clearing most clogs and blockages. $10-15 at any of the big boxes or good hardware stores. They come in a couple of different sizes. Good luck, Pat

[Uncle Cracker]

Only problem with those rubber balloon-type drain cleaners is that they work by plugging the pipe where you put them, and then pressurizing the drain pipe and connections to the same pressure as your house water, which is NOT something the components or the installation of your drain system were intended to handle. If your clog is the weakest point, it will probably work, but if some rough-in plumber forgot to properly glue a joint inside a wall or floor... well... you know...

[Popeye]

Only problem with those rubber balloon-type drain cleaners is that they work by plugging the pipe where you put them, and then pressurizing the drain pipe and connections to the same pressure as your house water, which is NOT something the components or the installation of your drain system were intended to handle. If your clog is the weakest point, it will probably work, but if some rough-in plumber forgot to properly glue a joint inside a wall or floor... well... you know...

Roger that, my problem always seems to be outside and I put a cleanout just outside the house. In my case after redoing two bathrooms and the kitchen I know the plumber real well, I have to stare at his ugly fat butt every morning in the mirror. Pat

[Russianwolf]

plumber is being called shortly, with the heavy rains we are having the ground is so saturated that the gurggling is spitting the water in the trap back up now. No back-ups, but nice sudsy water.

I'm hoping this will be a quick fix, as I don't have the funds to connect to the sewer or do any major septic work if the system is failing.