Hi Speedball. So, here is my problem. First, we just bought out house in June.
Since then this is the 2nd time this has happened. We only have 1 bathroom and
Its all backed up. We have already had a plumber come out one time and clear the
Line from the house to the first cleanout. It lasted about a month or a little
Longer. It is all backed up again. We have tried a plunger, a snake, and the
Water trick and nothing works. Absolutely nothing other than toilet paper gets
Put down the toilet and we already have a screen in the shower to keep the hair
From going down the drain and that has been there since we moved in. What
Happens is this... 1st the toilet clogs, we plunger it out and it comes up
Through the tub, if we plunger the tub it comes back up through the toilet. The
Plumber had said he thought it was our actual lines, that they are laying
Horizontally instead of slanted. We always have standing water in our
Cleanouts/pipes. What doesn't make any sense is that all of I!
T has been working fine for the last month. When I was in the shower my fiance'
Flushed the toilet and all of a sudden it started coming back up in the tub and
Ever since then we can't use the toilet or the shower. Any suggestions? And do
You know of anything we can put down the pipe that will quickly eat through
Toilet paper or hair? Please help... going crazy in st pete

Hi Speedball. So, here is my problem. First, we just bought out house in June.
Since then this is the 2nd time this has happened. We only have 1 bathroom and
its all backed up. We have already had a plumber come out one time and clear the
line from the house to the first cleanout. It lasted about a month or a little
longer. It is all backed up again. We have tried a plunger, a snake, and the
water trick and nothing works. Absolutely nothing other than toilet paper gets
put down the toilet and we already have a screen in the shower to keep the hair
from going down the drain and that has been there since we moved in. What
happens is this.....1st the toilet clogs, we plunger it out and it comes up
through the tub, if we plunger the tub it comes back up through the toilet. The
plumber had said he thought it was our actual lines, that they are laying
horizontally instead of slanted. We always have standing water in our
cleanouts/pipes. What doesn't make any sense is that all of i!
t has been working fine for the last month. When I was in the shower my fiance'
flushed the toilet and all of a sudden it started coming back up in the tub and
ever since then we can't use the toilet or the shower. Any suggestions? And do
you know of anything we can put down the pipe that will quickly eat through
toilet paper or hair? Please help.....going crazy in st pete


I'm going to need a little more information. Are you on a septic tank or city sewer? Please explain what you mean by the first cleanout? The first cleanout should by right next to your house. How old is the house you bought? There's no doubt that you have a blockage. I just need to know more about your system before I can address it. I am no fan of putting harsh chemicals down your drainage system. They never seem to work unless it's on TV. The only way I know to clear a clog is one of two things. (1) Snake out the line and (2) if you're on a septic tank, check the tank and if it's full have it pumped. Are you on one? Regards, Tom PS My companion has a condo in Gulfport on the water next to the Casino and a home here in Sarasota.

I'm going to need a little more information. Are you on a septic tank or city sewer? Please explain what you mean by the first cleanout? The first cleanout should by right next to your house. How old is the house you bought? There's no doubt that you have a blockage. I just need to know more about your system before I can address it. I am no fan of putting harsh chemicals down your drainage system. They never seem to work unless it's on TV. The only way I know to clear a clog is one of two things. (1) Snake out the line and (2) if you're on a septic tank, check the tank and if it's full have it pumped. Are you on one?? regards, Tom PS My companion has a condo in Gulfport on the water next to the Casino and a home here in Sarasota.

Tom,
First, we are on a city sewer. Yes, that is what I meant, it is the 1st one closest to the house and then we have another one about 10-15' from that one closer to the sewer line. We went to Home Depot and rented an electric snake and it did clear it so we can at least take a shower and use our toilet again. However, this is the 3rd time this has happened in the last 2-3 months. The first 2 times we had a professional plumber come out but this time we did it ourselves. We are just trying to figure out what is wrong and why this keeps happening. As I said before the blockage is always between the house and the first cleanout. We have metal galvanized pipes from the bathroom connecting to the PVC and it seems like this is where it is getting clogged. I wasn't sure if you knew of something we could use as a preventative measure, something to maybe eat through the toilet paper because that is what keeps clogging it up. Thanks for your help.
Skye
Ps. I'm a little familiar with that area and I love sarasota... its beautiful

Tom,
First, we are on a city sewer. Yes, that is what I meant, it is the 1st one closest to the house and then we have another one about 10-15' from that one closer to the sewer line. We went to Home Depot and rented an electric snake and it did clear it so we can atleast take a shower and use our toilet again. However, this is the 3rd time this has happened in the last 2-3 months. The first 2 times we had a professional plumber come out but this time we did it ourselves. We are just trying to figure out what is wrong and why this keeps happening. As I said before the blockage is always between the house and the first cleanout. We have metal galvanized pipes from the bathroom connecting to the PVC and it seems like this is where it is getting clogged. I wasn't sure if you knew of something we could use as a preventative measure, something to maybe eat through the toilet paper b/c that is what keeps clogging it up. Thanks for your help.
Skye
ps. i'm a little familiar with that area and i love sarasota....its beautiful

Good morning Skye,

By code your 1st. Cleanout should be within 18" of the house foundation. This would put the blockage inside the house. Is that the case here? If it is where are you snaking the line from?
What size is the galvanized pipes leading from the bath room to the PVC main? Since your house is on a slab and the drainage is under the cement slab how do you know what connects to what? Is your hoime in a older neighborhood or a newer development?
How old is the house? If a older home has the plumbing been remodeled?
Is the PVC a addition or original installation?
I realize these are a lot of questions but the more I know the more I can help.
Regards, Tom

Hi Tom. Our house was built in 1948. So, yes it is an older home. Its not on a slab it is raised up with a crawl space so that is how we know about the pipes. I don't know if the 1st cleanout is 18" from the house or not but it is very close. I would say probably like 3'. Anyway-when we snake it out we run the snake from the 1st cleanout up towards the house. The clog is always back that way. I think the galvanized pipes are 6" and the PVC is about 4" or something. I'm not exactly sure what size they are but my fiance' said that the galvanized pipes are larger than the PVC pipes that they connect to. I don't think that the pipes are the original pipes. I thought that houses of that age did not have PVC. Well, I hope that was all the answers to your questions. If not, I will answer them next time.
Skye

Hi Tom. Our house was built in 1948. So, yes it is an older home. Its not on a slab it is raised up with a crawl space so that is how we know about the pipes. I don't know if the 1st cleanout is 18" from the house or not but it is very close. I would say probably like 3'. Anyway-when we snake it out we run the snake from the 1st cleanout up towards the house. The clog is always back that way. I think the galvanized pipes are 6" and the PVC is about 4" or something. I'm not exactly sure what size they are but my fiance' said that the galvanized pipes are larger than the PVC pipes that they connect to. I don't think that the pipes are the original pipes. I thought that houses of that age did not have PVC. Well, I hope that was all the answers to your questions. If not, I will answer them next time.
Skye

Good morning Skye,

Yes the PVC piping was a add on. You've been snaking against the flow and that's always a bad idea. Cables can get stuck in fittings or even come up in a toilet stub up. The correct way is to go down a roof vent and "go with the flow". Rent a Ridgid K-60 sewer machine and send it down the main vent. Put out enough cable so it gets past the cleanout next to the house and use the largest spade tip that will fit, with some room to spare, in the vent. Let me know how you make out. Good luck, Tom

Good morning Tom.
We got the clog out on Saturday. The reason we did it that way was because when the plumber had come out, both times, that is the way he did it. I don't know what you are talking about as far as the roof vent. I don't know how we would do that. We have also had to take the toilet off every time. I guess what I was trying to find out was do you know of some way we can prevent this from happening again? Like I said we moved in June and this is the 3rd time now this has happened. We are trying to find something to serve as a preventative so that we don't have to go through this every 3-4 weeks. Thanks, Skye

Good morning Tom.
We got the clog out on Saturday. The reason we did it that way was because when the plumber had come out, both times, that is the way he did it. I don't know what you are talking about as far as the roof vent. I don't know how we would do that. We have also had to take the toilet off every time. I guess what I was trying to find out was do you know of some way we can prevent this from happening again? Like I said we moved in June and this is the 3rd time now this has happened. We are trying to find something to serve as a preventative so that we don't have to go through this every 3-4 weeks. Thanks, Skye


You wouldn't had have to take the toilet up if you would have gone down a roof vent. Is yours a two story house so the plumber didn't want to to get up there? Once in a while we have to pull a toilet when the clog's in the branch but snaking from a closet bend is a dirty nasty business when we pull the snake out and can get the bathroom filthy. You just don't snake against the flow and against the fitting configuration. It sounds like you have " back pitch" in your drainage and the only way to correct this is to redo the drainage that's sloped backwards. There is no preventive for this. I'm glad you've opened up your drainage but you're going to have to correct the back slope before you'll have a permanent repair. I'm sorry but there just isn't any magic solution you can pour down your drain to prevent this from happening again. Good luck, Tom