Hi, I have been having issues with my bathroom plumbing. The toilet does not seem to flush properly at times and it gurgles in the bathroom sink and at times the water level goes so high it nearly overflows. I have tried plunging the toilet, but that doesn't seem to do much. However, if I plunge the sink (with it empty) the toilet water level decreases rapidly and the next several flushes seem to go fine. I'm thinking I have a vent issue, however, I don't seem to have pipes(s) coming out of the roof. When looking at the branches of pipes in the basement, I can see where the sink, tub, and toilet all head to the main line and there is one additional pipe that seems to be going up, but I can't determine where it ends. I have looked on the outside of the house and the only vent I can see looks to be the cover on the vent from the bathroom fan. Is it possible I'm mistaken and how would I know? My problem is further compounded with the fact that I don't have an attic so to speak and I have no way to access the space between the roof and ceiling so I can't get a look up there. Additionally, I do not have municipal sewer, but rather a cess pool and was told that if I uncover it (I thought I should probably have it pumped) I will have to bring it to code and it will cost me thousands of dollars.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I am spending more time thinking about my toilet than any normal person should have to.

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
It sounds like you have a older home with "S" traps and no vents. Is this correct? Do the pipes under the sink and lavatory go through the floor and not into the wall. Let me know. Tom

Hi Tom, thanks for your quick response. I looked and you are correct all of the pipes run through the floor into the basement.

Thank you ,

Jennifer

You're correct! You have a older home that isn't vented. This alone will make your fixtures drain slower. Outside of replumbing your home, which I don't think you're ready to do, you could get someone in to install AAV's,(Air Admittance Vents) on the lavatory, kitchen sink and anything else with a trap. This would vent your fixtures allowing them to flow more freely.
Can you tell me more about that pipe?
That's about the best I can come up with. Good luck, Tom

The branches look like this all connecting to the larger pipe that exits the house:

1). 1 line coming from tub connecting to great big pipe
2). 1 line coming from sink connecting to pipe from tub
3). 1 pipe leading up through the floor connecting to big pipe only it is up higher 6 to 8 inches higher on the big pipe from the pipe on the tub, cannot see what that hooks to...

Is it possible I'm confused and pipe #3 is for the toilet or does the toilet exit directly into the larger pipe?

It is also noteworthy that we have lived here four years and only started experiencing problems in year two, in the past gurgling, slow drainage occurred predominately in the colder months (we live in NYS) and subsided when the weather got warmer.

Thanks again,

Jennifer

It sounds like the large pipe's the sewer main. Years ago I was plumbing in Wisconsin where most of the older houses all had "S" traps and they got along just fine. But they still ran slow and gurgled and they needed to be snaked and purged every once in a while. What size is pipe#3? I can't tell you much more then I already have. Regards, tom

The #3 pipe is approximately 6 inches. What is an S trap and how do I purge them? The pipes seem to be cast iron so they aren't easy to get apart... I am trying to contact the previous owner to see if they can shed some light on this since they installed a new roof and did many renovations they might have some insight into what that extra pipe is and where it leads.

Thanks,

Jennifer$

Hey Jenny, By "purging" I meant flushing and perhaps snaking the drain lines.
Before we get into changing anything let's see what the former owner has to say. Regards, Tom