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View Full Version : Bubbling/overflowing toilet in an apartment


lashrum
Oct 20, 2008, 07:19 PM
I have lived in an apartment complex for 5 months. Over the past month, the toilet has overflowed 4 times. The times that it has not overflowed, it bubbles until all of the water is drained out of the bowl. It also drains really slow and fills up very quickly.

The on site maintenance has worked on it several times and there are still problems with it. They said that it is something that I am doing.

I had the same thing happen about a month after moving in. It took 2 apartments flooding at the same time before they called a plumber.

Any insight would be helpful.

Flying Blue Eagle
Oct 20, 2008, 09:46 PM
Lashrum - Boy that maintenance man sure pulled your leg with the answer that it is something that you are doing!! Tell him for me that he is full of it and trying to get out of doing his job, if I was his boss and knew about this - he would be walking down the street twiddling his thumbs and wondering what happened. You have a stopped up sewer line and if they can't rod it out with a snake then they need to use a rotor rooter to clean it out , is any one else in the same complex having the same trouble? Knowing that will help the plumber that tries to pin point the problem better and maybe safe time . Good luck and GOD BLESS :: F.B.E. PS _ GO TO THE MANAGER ABOUT THE PROBLEM

lashrum
Oct 21, 2008, 04:31 AM
FlyingBlue Eagle - thanks for your help. I figured that was the case. My 5 yr old is afraid to even go in there because of it. I'm not sure if any one else is having the same problem but I will go talk to the manager about the problem again.

speedball1
Oct 21, 2008, 05:21 AM
I agree with FBE that your maintenance guy's blowing smoke up your skirt.
Those bubbles tell me that there is backpressure and that indicates a blockage on down the line. Any back ups in the tiub or shower? Did the maintenance dude even run a closet auger, (see image ) in the bowl to ckeck if it was clear? That's the first step. If the bowl's clean the next step would be to pull the toilet and snake the branch. Let us know what the manager says about the other units. Any problems there? Regards, Tom

lashrum
Oct 21, 2008, 09:58 AM
speedball1 - It has not backed up in the tub or shower. They have snaked the toilet. Since the it bubbled all night and all morning until I left, I have asked the office again to have some one look at it and told hem what seems to be the problem. Thanks for the insight. I'll keep you posted.

speedball1
Oct 21, 2008, 03:49 PM
Lashrum,
Tell the office that you have a partial blockage downstream from your bathroom group that's sending backpressure, in the form of bubbles, to your bathroom group. If you see bubbles when you haven't flushed or drained anything then that puts the problem out in the common area. If this is so then this should not be your responsibility to pay for the repair. Good luck and let me know how you make out. Tom

lashrum
Oct 22, 2008, 09:26 AM
It backed up in the tub this morning... The complex called in the Drain Doctor today. And I did find out that the apartment right beside me is doing the same thing.

speedball1
Oct 22, 2008, 10:14 AM
It backed up in the tub this morning....The complex called in the Drain Doctor today. And I did find out that the apartment right beside me is doing the same thing.

I hope the expense was picked up by the complex and not you. Good luck Tom

lashrum
Oct 23, 2008, 05:57 PM
Yes they paid for all of the repairs. Thanks for all of your help