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-   -   Bathroom Tub & Sink drain slowly (most recent) & Toilet bubbles when Washer empties (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=464465)

  • Apr 13, 2010, 10:14 AM
    leeisshrek
    Bathroom Tub & Sink drain slowly (most recent) & Toilet bubbles when Washer empties
    I recently purchased a 50 year old home (Oct 2009) and moved into the home in March. The house is one floor (crawlspace), has a utility sink that the washer drains into, and has only one bathroom - which all drain into the town sewer. The problems are starting to escalate, and I need some advice quickly. The symptoms I currently have are:

    -Toilet Bubbles when Washer Empties (always happens)
    -Bathroom Sink Slow to Drain (A full sink will empty 1/3 at normal speed, stop and bubble a bit and then very slowly drain)
    -Bathroom Tub Slow to Drain (10 min shower will be OK for 1st half, then will backup and drain very slowly)

    There is a PVC pipe located just outside the area where the pipes exit the house that I believe is the 'Main Cleanout'. I can give you additional information if you need it, but judging from previous posts I included most of what I thought was relevant... Please HELP!
  • Apr 13, 2010, 10:20 AM
    ballengerb1

    That bubbling tells me that possibly your vent stack is clogging. The air is trying to vent through your toilet since the stack to the roof is not open enough. Rather than going on the roof right away I would rodding the drain via that clean out but becareful since you could have standing water inside the pipe. I sometimes get a 1/8" screw and a 1/8" drill bit and drill a hole in the cap. If water squirts out stick in the screw, if no water then open the cap.
  • Apr 13, 2010, 10:27 AM
    leeisshrek

    If there is standing water inside the pipe, that would indicate a blockage in the line between the clean out vent and the street? And that would be what is causing the tub and sink to backup as well?
  • Apr 13, 2010, 10:30 AM
    ballengerb1

    Yes it would confirm the blockage is further downstream toward the city sewer
  • Apr 13, 2010, 10:43 AM
    leeisshrek

    Any idea what is causing the tub and sink to clog up? It has happened more so recently...


    If the tub drains well for 5 minutes and then both the sink and the tub drain slowly I assume there is a blockage in the line after those two connect together. 1) Is that a safe assumption and 2) how far would they go before connecting? Also, (3) wouldn't that also affect the toilet which I assume is the main line the sink and tub also drain into?
  • Apr 13, 2010, 11:24 AM
    ballengerb1

    Post #5 human hair, skin, body oils. Post #6 question 1.) fairly safe assumption. 2.) probably in less than 5' but every home is different. 3.) yes but toilet may only be 1.6 gallons while a shower is much more over 10 minutes. You could also try rodding via the tub over flow plate but I think the clog is several feet beyond the tub drain. Removing and rodding via the toilet is also an option but not much fun.
  • Apr 13, 2010, 11:39 AM
    leeisshrek

    Post #2 Response - I will drill the small hole and evaluate the clean out pipe in about 3 hours.

    1) Is the tub the easier way to rod from? 2) If I try rodding via the tub overflow plate, I would do that with a rented auger (or snake - or are they the same) from inside the tub correct?

    All this becomes irrelevant if I have standing water in the clean out pipe, because 3) that would indicate the blockage between there and the street is what is backing up the tub and sink right?
  • Apr 13, 2010, 11:57 AM
    leeisshrek
    Post #2 - If I can open up the clean out and rod the pipe (to the sewer line), how would that eliminate the air bubbles that come up the toilet when the washer empties?

    Thanks for all of this by the way!
  • Apr 13, 2010, 01:34 PM
    ballengerb1

    The air bubbles are the air trapped inside your drain pi[pe which get displaced when new water enters the pipe. Remember there is also still the chance your roof top vernt stack is clogging too. You rod that from the roof with enough rod (snake, same thing) to reach roof top to basement floor plus 20'
  • Apr 13, 2010, 03:41 PM
    leeisshrek
    Update - The tub drain is PVC, there is some kind of a loop trap at the end of it, and it runs into the line from the toilet. The sink has a short line to the large cast iron (only remaining major cast iron piece is the piece that runs up to the roof) that is the waste line for the toilet. The toilet flushes well, and there is no flow problems at the outside clean out. Is it possible that there are two clogs - one in the tub waste line and one in the sink waste before it empties to the toilet? If so, how to I rod the sink line? From the roof?
  • Apr 14, 2010, 07:15 AM
    speedball1

    Please explain "loop trap", Tom
  • Apr 14, 2010, 07:22 AM
    leeisshrek

    I have several updates to my situation:

    VISUAL ANALYSIS: In the crawlspace, I saw that the tub drain has a PVC p-trap and a cast iron 10' pipe which drains directly into the cast iron house main line. The bathroom sink drain has a PVC trap that connects to a small cast iron pipe that makes a turn and drains into what I assume is the vent stack above where the toilet waste drains out. New Symptom - It also appeared as if the bottom few feet of the vent stack was very wet.

    MAIN CLEAN OUT: I opened the main clean out outside and I could see a small stream of clear water flowing easily to the street. The utility sink (that the washer drains into) and the kitchen sink are the closest to this main clean out, and when the kitchen sink is on I see an increased flow and no backup from the street. Although I did not see how the main clean out looked when the washer emptied, the washer/utility sink has no trouble draining. I therefore believe the utility sink drain pipe is clear but that does not eliminate the possibility of a clog in the house main drain before or after it intersects with the utility sink drain.

    PLUNGING RESULTS: Initially when I got home the sink & tub clogged up immediately and would then drain very slowly. I tried plunging both, and some nasty black crap and water came out of the overflow in the sink but it would not drain any faster. Clear water came out of the tub overflow when I plunged it, but it also would not drain any faster.

    SINK: I started with the sink and snaked 10, 15, and then 20 feet of cable through the drain (and trap). I did not reel back any gunk when removing the snake from the sink or the tub. I then poured a couple pots of hot water into the drain through a funnel (initially in 4-cup pyrex increments, and then I poured the 2nd half of each pot because it is a porcelain sink). The seemed to help some, but then the drain would back up with hot water. It honestly seemed a little worse than before! Ahhh!

    TUB: I then moved to the tub because I was somewhat frustrated. It was much a little bit easier to snake 20 feet of cable into the tub drain, and I then poured several pots of boiling water with some baking soda into the drain. In between pots of boiling water I stopped up the tub and filled it with some hot water and then let it rush down. Every time water was poured / drained from the tub it made some heavy gurgling sounds, and when I would drain the tub between pots it would initially stop up and then drain very slowly as if there was nowhere for the air to go. After several pots of hot water the tub improved significantly.

    TOILET: One time as water drained from the tub it caused the toilet to bubble similar to when the washer empties. As I was getting ready for bed I went to use the toilet, and it had some trouble draining as well! In my frustration I poured a bottle of foaming liquid plummer down each drain (tub and sink) and let them sit overnight.

    THIS MORNING: The tub seems to drain very well now (one short shower this morning as compared to two longer ones yesterday), but the sink still clogs and drains somewhat slowly. Also, when I went to flush the toilet when the sink was still clogged, it flushed a tad slower than normal and the water levels seemed to fluctuate up and down in unison in both the toilet and the sink.

    Please help!


    I bought a 25' 3/8" auger last night and that is what I used to snake the two drains. If I am going to try and snake the main house line from the clean out under the bathroom, any tips on whether that will work with what I purchased? Would a 1/2" flat sewer rod work better?
  • Apr 15, 2010, 07:44 AM
    leeisshrek

    After testing several other ideas, I ventured up on the roof and found that it was a clogged vent stack. That is what was causing the complete clog in my bathroom sink. I used my 25' auger to break that up and down, and now everything flows well.

    What would you advise for preventative maintenance in the future?
  • Apr 15, 2010, 07:50 AM
    ballengerb1

    Most vent stacks are open at the top but you can pout screen over it or buy a cap. Roof Vents: Roofers World Store

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