I have a third floor bathroom that gets backed up because of roots growing in thesewer line. The blockage is occurring somewnere under my foundation or a little farther out, outside the boundary of the house. What is the cheapest way to get some relief. I read something about flushing copper sulfate down. Would this work, or should I get a plumber to snake and cut out the roots

If you have a root blockage it will not be your 3rd floor that backs up, it will be your 1st floor or basement. Tootx or cooper will kill the roots, they degrade in time or a plumber can cut them out. However, we need to hear more details about your problem before I can go along with this as the cause of a 3rd floor drain issue. I suspect you have a drain blockage right below, behind the toilet on the 3rd floor.

The sewer line is connected to my 3rd floor basement. I have 3 other bathrooms in the house but they all work fine, which leads me to believe its only in this sewer line. The blockage is in a buried sewer pipe somewhere under the first level of my home as in under the foundation(I technically don't have a basement) or a few feet away from my house structure. But when I flush about 2 or three time, the water backs up. I have a valve opening on the first floor where water was leaking out but it has now been sealed. It can be opened to snake out the blockage or pour chemicals, but I rather not open it if I can just pour something down my toilet to open the sewer blockage

I am having difficulty with the term "3rd floor basement" 3rd floor is about 30 feet up in the aair and basement sits on the ground, are you using terms I have not run into? If you have a muli-level home and the top level backs up but not lower levels the clog is not under your foundation. If it were flushing a top floor toilet would back up into the lower floor toilet.

Yep clarify what you are calling the third floor basement. Normally, ground floor is 1st floor, below that is basement, above first floor is 2nd floor and above that is third floor. I think you are saying that lowest floor(first floor or basement) is backing up, Please let us know so we can give further suggestions on this issue. Lee.

Like Bob, I have a problem with roots clooging up a third floor bathroom and exerting 13 PSI of head pressure at the base but if you say so here's something that might help. If you wish to control roots RootX or Robics Foaming Root Killer that contain Dichlobrnic are two products you could try.
A less expensive way would be to call around to garden supply stores and ask for fine grain Copper Sulphate. Put a 1/2 pound in your toilet and flush it down. Repeat in 6 months. Hope this helps, tom

If you have a root blockage it will not be your 3rd floor that backs up, it will be your 1st floor or basement. Tootx or cooper will kill the roots, they degrade in time or a plumber can cut them out. However, we need to hear more details about your problem before I can go along with this as the cause of a 3rd floor drain issue. I suspect you have a drain blockage right below, behind the toilet on the 3rd floor.

Oops. I'm sorry. I meant
3rd floor bathroom. I purchased a product called zap root kill. Its basically copper sulfate but there are not clear instructions on it. It sounds like its in dry form.. Do I just pour this down my toilet and flush?


yep clarify what you are calling the third floor basement. Normally, ground floor is 1st floor, below that is basement, above first floor is 2nd floor and above that is third floor. I think you are saying that lowest floor(first floor or basement) is backing up,, Please let us know so we can give further suggestions on this issue. Lee.

Again sorry for the misconfustion. My third floor bathroom is backing up due to a blockaget somewhere below my house or below ground level. I have no floors below ground level. All floors in my house are above ground.

That's what you do with it. Simply flush it on down. Good luck, Tom

Okay, so its definitely the third floor bathroom, and only the third floor bathroom... This means you have a blockage in third floor bathroom drainage, somewhere before it ties into lower level drainage. If it were a root problem, it would affect the whole house, all levels,, unless your third story bathroom ties into main drain outside of house, which would be wrong in any code. You said you had a cleanout on the first floor that was backed up with water.. I would auger the drain from this cleanout. Once you have the drain cleard, have a plumber come out to send a camera down the drain that was plugged to see if there is a problem in the pipe(roots, broken pipe, etc.). Lee.

okay, so its definately the third floor bathroom, and only the third floor bathroom... This means you have a blockage in third floor bathroom drainage, somewhere before it ties into lower level drainage. if it were a root problem, it would affect the whole house, all levels,,, unless your third story bathroom ties into main drain outside of house, which would be wrong in any code. You said you had a cleanout on the first floor that was backed up with water.. i would auger the drain from this cleanout. Once you have the drain cleard, have a plumber come out to send a camera down the drain that was plugged to see if there is a problem in the pipe(roots, broken pipe, etc.). Lee.

My third story bathroom does tie into the main drainage but it also extends under the house before it ties into the main drainage so the root problem only occurs in the 3rd floor bath drainage below the first level, but before it ties into the main drainage.

My plumber did auger the entire drain and since we know the blockage was not between the 1st and 3rd floor, it had to be between the first floor and befoe the main drainage somewhere below the foundation.

The amount to camera and snake the roots is too much for me right now cause I spent a lot of money trying to determine where this backup came from. In any case, I went the store and purchased 2 lbs of root kill and Ihave been adding 1/2 down the toilet over the past few days. It looks like its working. The toilet is flushing regularly and my tub isnot getting backed up when I fill it. Time will only tell. I know this is only a temp fix and I will eventually need the pipe replace, but I will save the money for that. Thank you to all that helped me. If this problem reoccurs sooner than later II know exactly where tocome for help... HERE!!

Glad the root kill is working for you. Just remember to add 2lbs every six months (or as often as suggested on container) and hope for the best. Take care. Lee.

I can still here some bubbling inmy tub drain when I flush the toilet. The toilet does still backs up but it takes 3 or four flushes in a row for that to happen. I will ad two more pounds and then start adding id every six months.

Copper Sulphate will kill roots but not dissolve them. In time they'll rot away but if you want them gone now you'll have to auger them out. Good luck, Tom

Great thanks, I will schedule a plumber to come out as soon as I can afford it...