I have recently purchased a house built in the 1860's. The kitchen sink has a slow drain. There is a dishwasher, which leaks out of the vent while running. I am guessing this is all due to a clog of some kind. I have used an enzyme to put down the sink with warm water. So far I have had no luck. The bathroom sink on the same floor is also slow to drain but may be unrelated. I have not tried the tub as it has been disconnected from water. There is a garbage disposal in the single sink in the kitchen and I hear a bubbling when the sink is draining, even after I can see no water in the sink itself. Can anyone help??

There is little chance that this plumbing is original so it's a guess as to when it was installed and what codes were followed. Do you see a vent stack or stench pipe exiting above the roof? If so I'd start by rodding that line with a sewer rodder. Use enough snake to reach roof to basement plus 20' more. I would alos remove fixture traps and rod into the lateral lines running into the wall. You need a much smaller snake for this, something like a 1/2' drum auger. The bubbling tells me you vents are clogged but probably everything is a little constricted too.

There is little chance that this plumbing is original so its a guess as to when it was installed and what codes were followed. Do you see a vent stack or stench pipe exiting above the roof? If so I'd start by rodding that line with a sewer rodder. Use enough snake to reach roof to basement plus 20' more. I would alos remove fixture traps and rod into the lateral lines running into the wall. You need a much smaller snake for this, something like a 1/2' drum auger. The bubbling tells me you vents are clogged but probably everything is a little constricted too.

There is only the two stories. I wish I had a basement. I was told by a plumber that the 4 in pipes running up the outside of the house are vents. Should I snake those?