I live in a condo that is thirty years old. I'm having the downstairs bathroom reno'd as we had a massive roof leak. During the reno's the plumbers reported that my bathroom wasn't up to code as there was no venting. How much of a problem is this? What can I do and what sorts of problems can this cause? I know, a lot in one question. But the plumbers took off the toilet and there is nothing covering the hole, they've left it like that for weeks as they're "booked solid" and aren't returning to finish the job. I noticed an awful sewer smell the other day and went down to discover that sewage was up, near the top of the hole! They've also half finished the shower in that same bathroom and sewage was in the shower drain. This happened once before, where everything backed up. How can I prevent this? A plumber came and snaked it, but it's filling up again. Help, please.

The plumbers left you with a direct open connection between you and the sewer allowing sewer gas to enter your unit. You should cover up all openings that are open to the sewer. This should be reported both to the Condo Association and the Health department at once. As for the vent that should have been there when you bought the condo the association should pay for bringing you up to code. Are your neighbors having drainage problems also? While the plumber might have snaked the drain lines he evidently didn't getall the clog or you wouldn't be having a back up at the present time. Call him back and make him do it right. Good luck, Tom