Plumbing Problems

[radhak]

We woke up today to both toilets backed up. Had to barge into neighbor's house for the morning.

Used two heavy-duty plungers but no go. And later found that when we put water down the sink, it is causing air-bubbles up the toilet water; dunno what that means.

Have a contract with Service America, so put in an emergency call and waiting for them to come to take a look. They only cover 'basic plumbing' so hopefully this is covered.

Anybody care to hazard a guess if this is minor or big-time? If I need to call a 'real' plumber, is Roto-Rooter a good option? When I see 'national' brands, I get nervous about their rates.

The house was built in 2001-02, and we have had intermittent problems with the toilets clogging off and on, but the plunger has always worked till date.

[Uncle Cracker]

Both loos clogging at the same time, combined with a reaction in the bowl caused by sink drainage, indicates an obstruction in the main outfall pipe from your house to the septic or sewer. If you have trees, I'd suspect root intrusion. If not, then look for something insoluble that got flushed. Either way, Roto-Rooter is a good bet if your service contractor won't cover it.

[Ed62]

This is probably not the problem, but I'll mention it even though I'm reluctant to do so. Since the house is not old, this is unlikely the problem. Do you have a septic field? If so, and there has been *very heavy* use of the facilities, and you have not had the septic tank pumped, it *could* be a blocked field. This is not a cheap fix. For the field to be blocked, your tank would have to be full, letting the solids run into the field pipe. This could block the field, and cause problems.

More likely, it's a blockage in the drain pipe. Depending on what's blocking it, you might have to try different approaches. If it's tree roots, you can rent an auger to do the work yourself. Good luck. It's not a job I want to take on.

Ed

[charliex]

My guess is that you have a major blockage in the main line out. Since the house is new I'll also guess that it is a rag or something like that causing the problem. I'm not familiar with SA but I am with Roto-Rooter and have had good service from them. A good tech will not only want to clear the jam but will want to know what it was that was causing it. Cost wise you might be in the 150 - 200 range unless the blockage is very close to the clean-out plug. If it wasn't for the back-up I would just tell you to open the clean-out and see if there is something caught in the trap just below it.
Good luck
Chas

[cabinetman]

Well, what is it...Septic, or sewer?
.

[radhak]

Well, what is it...Septic, or sewer?
.

Err...what did you mean? I don't know the difference between the two...

[mschrank]

Err...what did you mean? I don't know the difference between the two...

Easiest way to tell: Do you pay for sewer service (usually part of your water bill)?

If you have a sewer, you're hooked into a municipal system where your waste is carried away to a water treatment plant. This is more common in urban areas.

If you have a septic system, your waste goes first to a holding tank where the solids settle and eventually decompose. The liquids flow out of the tank to the drainfield mentioned by Ed above. On these systems, the tank needs to be pumped out every 3-7 yrs. This system is more common in rural areas.

[radhak]

Yes, I pay a monthly sewer charge.

The SA guy just appeared, and without even getting into the house pointed to an overflowing manhole in the middle of the street up front. Says it's all clogged and we need to call the city.

Calling...on hold...hope they understand 'emergency' !

[cabinetman]

Yes, I pay a monthly sewer charge.

At least now you know where your stuff goes!! And so do we.
.

[Alex Franke]

Says it's all clogged and we need to call the city.

I wonder if your neighbor now thinks that your morning visit clogged them up as well!

[Uncle Cracker]

My neighbor lady (single) had her septic tank serviced last month. I didn't even know there were any tank jockeys in my neighborhood. Most of us have sewer connections. The guy running the crew spotted me getting my mail (and holding my nose). He asked me with a wink if I was friends with my neighbor. My confused look prompted him to explain that they had pulled out about half of a 5-gallon bucket of "pre-emptive devices"...

[radhak]

Well, the city guys were here, and cleaned up the sewer for the whole street and it's all fixed!

They said it was clogged up big time down the street with grease, et al. Hopefully that resolves our intermittent back-ups too.

The guys looked surprised when I gave them a tip. I thought I saved money today by not having to call somebody else .

[mschrank]

Good to hear you got it figured out. Nice break for you that it was on the city and not you!

[chopnhack]

I have had friends have that problem as well Radhak and you mentioned one of the major problems leading to it:
grease. So many folks put used oil/grease in there drains not realizing that it hardens as it cools and mixes with....well everything that goes down a drain, hair, etc. and gums up the works. If your neighborhood has lots of trees and they are dropping their leaves, that can add to the strain. A couple of months back a neighbor had his toilets backing up into his tub, I had him call the city too. Glad to hear things are getting back to normal for you.