Hi.
Recently, we had a problem with our upstairs bathroom. I think one of our kids may have pushed a small plastic toy down the bathtub plughole. Now, when the toilet flushes, water fills to the brim and slowly goes down. Any attempts to plunge the the toilet results in brown "toilet" water backing up into the bathtub. To top it all, while this water sits in the bathtub, it leaks into the downstairs kitchen ceiling at one point. I can't see exactly where the leak is coming from because it is further into the ceiling away from the acess panel we have. It is not happening at the drain directly from the bathtub but that goes through a white box-like-thing(??) and the pipes follow on through the kitchen ceiling/bathroom floor until the leak point. I can feel where it's leaking from, I just can't see it.
Any help would surely be appreciated.
Nathan

speedball1

hi Nate,

How small was the plastic toy? Small enough to slip through the tub trap? If so then it's out of the bathroom branch and into the sewer. You have a blockage downstream from the tub branch and into the toilet main. I think the plastic toy was just coincidence. The area the blockage's in confirms it. If it had caught up in the tub drain the tub would be stopped up but the toilet would flush just fine. The toilet will have to be pulled and a sewer snake ran down the open closet bend to clear the line. I have a hunch that once the line's cleared the leak will be taken care of. good luck, Tom

nmwaldron

Hi, the toy was about two inches. Is pulling the toilet and running the snake an easy thing to do? Where do you buy the snake from?
Thanks for your help.

Nathan

speedball1

Pulling a toilet, snaking out the line and resetting the toilet is a dirty, nasty job best left to us dirty. nasty plumbers. You don't buy a Ridged K-60 Sewer Snake. You rent one. Unless you have plumbing experience I would call in a plumber. Be sure to tell him about the plastic toy. It may still be in there. Regards, Tom

nmwaldron

Hi, thanks for your help. Do you know whether something like this would be covered by homeowners insurance. Would the ceiling need to be repaired, drywall replaced etc?

Thanks again

Nathan

speedball1

I wouldn't have the foggiest about insurance. We get paid when we do the job and let you hassle the insurance claim. It would depend on the amount of water damage to your ceiling as to replacing drywall. Sometimes a simple can of paint will do the job. good luck, Tom

nmwaldron

Are you english?? lol
..I'm originally from derbyshire, england....foggiest sounds very familiar.
Thanks for all your help.

Nathan

speedball1

[quote=nmwaldron]Are you english?? lol
..I'm originally from derbyshire, england....foggiest sounds very familiar.
Thanks for all your help.

Nathan
No Nathan, I'm a second generation Swede. Both sets of grandparents over the "old country". However I was in your country back in WW2. Seems like some of the old "sayings" stuck in my head all these years. Cheery bye! Tom