what causes my toilets to bubble when i use the washing machine i checked all of the vents and they were all clean my pipes are cast iron and the house is 40 years old and also the toilets get cloged up and won't flush after they bubble

PalmMP3

First of all, leave the vents out of the picture (for now at least; although you may have to snake from there later). If the toilet gurlgles it's a sign of vent blockage; you said it bubbles which is a sign of partial blockage.

Having said that, here's what's happening: you have a partial clog somewhere down the line. Normally you will not notice it, since gravity-powered wastewater will slowly seep past the clog, before you notice it backing up. On the other hand, the washer - which is not gravity-powered, but rather uses a pump - discharges a heck of a lot of water very quickly. When all of that water slams into the clog at once at such [relatively] high speed, the impact causes a bubble of sewer gas to shoot backwards through the pipes into some unfortunate fixture, in your case the toilet.

So now the answers to your questions should be clear:
That bubble is the sewer gas shooting back up the pipe when the washer discharge hits the clog.
Simple: since the pipes are still filled with the discharge from the washer (which is taking its time, moving very slowly past the clog), there is no room in the pipes for the toilet to discharge, until the pipe empties out somewhat.

Now, let's talk about fixing your problem: do you have a snake, or can you get one (either your own, or a rented sewer machine such as the Ridgid K-60)? And are you comfortable with the prospect of snaking out sewer lines? If your answer is yes to both of those, post back here, and we'll tell you how to proceed. If not, and you want to call in a plumber, post back here anyway - at least we'll be able to tell you what to look out for so the plumber won't try to take advantage of your ignorance by charging you to snake unnecessary lines, etc.

Good luck,
Moishe
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randall99

does the old cast iron pipes ever collapse even when used on a slab house

PalmMP3

I guess that's possible - but I wouldn't know too well. I haven't yet physically come across collapsed lines (i.e. not in real life, but I have discussed them here on AHMD) in my plumbing career, no doubt because I'm not doing plumbing for long enough. Wait for morning, when Tom (a.k.a. speedball1) shows up. He's a retired plumber with over 50 years of experience. In over half a century, I have no doubt that the man has come across more collapsed-line scenarios than I ever will. I'm sure he'll be able to help you determine if your problem is caused by a collapsed line instead of a partial clog.

By the way, are you on city sewer or septic system? If you're on a septic system, have you checked it recently to see if it needs to be pumped?

randall99

I am on the city's septic system and I snaked out through the cleanout out by the yard i also have orengeberg

PalmMP3

I thought you said you had cast iron??!!

If your sewer line is indeed Orangeberg pipe, then you may be in deep <very bad word describing something that plumbers deal with all the time, especially in clogged toilets>. The problem could easily be a collapsed line, or a tree root that poked right through the paper of the Orangeberg. Not good at all.

speedball1

Listen to Moshie,
In my area we stopped using Orangeberg in the early 60's. Theses pipes are fiber that's been impregnated with tar. I w3as under the impression that most of them had been replaced with cast iron or PVC. I would take a good hard look at the sections that are Orangeberg and consider replacing either the entire sewer line with PVC or at least the Orangeberg sections. While I haven't run across collapsed cast iron lines myself I have heard of it happening. regards, Tom