I have a older home and it has 2 bathrooms, one is a full bath which was built with the home in 1954, the other is a half bath which was added at a later time and I don't know if it matters or not but they are on opposite sides of my home. The problem I am having is when I flush the toilet in the full bathroom it makes the toilet in the add on bathroom gurgle. How do I fix this? Let me give you some so background on what has been going on. First I noticed when I flushed the toilet in the full bathroom the kitchen sink and the half bathroom toilet would make a gurgling noise and air bubbles would come up in the half bathroom toilet. Also when I flush the toilet in the half bath it would fill up and then drain really slow. So then I came home and it smelled like sewer in my home so I went to home depot and rented a 75ft snake so I pulled up both toilets, I went to the washer room, and under the house to a clean out and ran the snake all the way out to the road and I did find some clogs but now I know they are gone. So I thought I had the problem fixed but now when I flush the toilet in the full bath it still makes the toilet in the half bathroom gurgle and air bubbles come up I guess on the good side the kitchen sink no longer gurgles... so I guess I have a vent problem?? I looked on my roof for the vents I seem to have three, one for the full bathroom, one for the kitchen sink, and another for the add on for the bathroom and washer room... but both have covers on top of the pipes to help keep things out of them so I am lost please help?? If I need to snake the vent pipes what should I use?

Remove the vent caps and snake both bathroom vents. Put out enough snake to reach each base and 20 feet more. Good luck, Tom

Thanks for the fast reply speedball1. Does this sound like it is the problem and doing this should fix it? Or is there anything else I should try along with snaking the vent pipes? Also I have already returned the snake I rented from home depot should I rent it again or should I just use one of the hand type snakes to do the vent pipes? I have a 50 foot snake that is the hand type with no motor. The one I rented from home depot was very heavy and it had a motor on it, I did not want to have to try to toat that up on the roof!

Any help is helpful!

Try the hand held snake first. Put out all 50 feet and afterwards flush the line with a garden hose. If that doesn't get it click on back and tell me about it. Good luck, Tom

OK, once gain thanks for your fast answer and thanks for the help. I am at work right now but when I get home I will do it and let you know how it goes.

OK here we go, I got on the roof and ran the snake down the first vent and no problem no clogs or anything then I took the hose and ran water down it as well and it drained fine, then I went to the other vent and when I ran water first it backed up and it drained very slow so I said OK here is my problem so I took the snake and ran it down the vent I hit a couple spots where there were clogs but now that I have done this the toilet that was gurgling does not gurgle anymore but the sink that is right next to the toilet does so I am thinking that I have gotten some of the clog out of the vent pipe. Well it is dark and I am pooped, no pun intended, also when I climbed under my house I located the vent pipe and noticed that it was cast iron to pvc with a rubber boot. Well upon further investigation I found that the cast iron is very brittle and in the elbow it is falling apart so I plan to cut this elbow out and put in a pvc elbow so coming from the roof it will go straight down into a pvc elbow and that way I do not have to worry about it falling apart like the cast iron. So I say all that to say I also think I have a build up of a clog that is part dirt, leaves, and such along with the falling apart cast iron elbow. So I think when I cut out the cast iron elbow I think I will be cutting out my major clog? Does all of this sound like a common problem and if after I have freed up the vent pipe and replaced the elbow it still does the same thing what else can I do to fix it?

Please help!!

Free up the vent. I think that will take care of your problem. If it doesn't click on back and tell me about it. Good luck, tom

Ok I freed up the vents and it still does it. I have posted a pic to go along with the way my house is set up and which is making the gurgling noise and which one is the part of the house that was an add on. The first problem I was having was that the bath room #2 toilet would not flush and go down and when I flushed the toilet in bathroom #1 it made the sink in the kitchen and the toilet and sink in the bathroom #2 gurgle. I rented a snake and snaked 75ft down both toilets and the washer drain so I am pretty sure there is not a clog anymore. I then got on the roof and ran a 25 ft snake down the vent pipes of which both had some leaves and dirt in them and I ran water down them and in the one above the bathroom #1 it flowed freely and in the vent above the Kitchen sink it backed up so I went under the house and noticed that it was cast iron to pvc so I cut out the wye that was cast iron and put in a pvc wye. When I cut out the cast iron I noticed a bunch of dirt and rust and it was clogged up but after I put in the pvc I ran water down the vent pipe and no more clogs the water ran freely. So I said to myself... self you are done it should be fixed... but after I came into the house to see if the problem was fixed I flushed the toilet in the bathroom #1 and I still made the sink and toilet in the bathroom #2 gurgle and when I flushed the toilet in bathroom #2 it still just filled up and went down real slow... So please help! I need to know what I need to do next!

Thanks


Hey everyone, I need to add something that I found out today. I need help with this or this may help you help me to solve my problem. Someone told me to fill my sinks up with water and which ever sink drains slow that is the vent that is having the problem? Does this sound right? But anyway I did this and when I filled up the sink in the bathroom #2 and let the water out it made the toilet in the same bathroom gurgle? When I did the others they drained fine. Does this mean anything?


I think I may have found my problem... I was sitting around waiting on someone to help me out and I said to myself that the bathroom #2 has to join into one of the vent stacks but as I looked in the attic I found that it does not it is just vented in to the attic and not tied into a vent that goes out of the roof so I am going to snake that pipe as well and maybe that will fix my problem? Any suggestions would be great!


I am at a lost for words right now, I really need some help! I thought I had found the problem once again but it did not fix it! I went into the attic and looked at the vent pipe that goes to the bathroom #2 and it had a vent valve on it and I took it off and ran a snake down it and when I flushed the toilets in both bathrooms, one at a time, everything seemed to work great. But then I put a new vent valve on it and it went right back to doing the same thing that it was doing before. So I know I cannot leave the vent valve off because I will get a sewage smell in the attic so my question is what else can I do to fix this problem? Am I missing something? Could it be a problem at the street and do I need to call the city to come take a look at it? I NEED HELP BADLY! I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE PRO PLUMBERS AND I NEED YOUR HELP!

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It tells me that bathroom#2 has a klocked vent.


What's it going to take to get you to toss the AAV and revent #2 bathroom vent back to a roof vent using a inverted sanitary tee? Do it and let me know how it works now. Good luck, Tom

Well I guess I could try to do this, but my questions is why should this have to be done now? I have been in this house for 3 years and never had a problem so if the AAV has been good enough until now why is it not good enough now, shouldn't something have to change for me to have to change the vents? I know I am not the pro here but just thought I would ask? Well I guess I need to go to the roof?

OK finally I have it figured out and I am finished! I just ran the vent out of the roof and it fixed everything!
So a big thanks to you speedball for all of the help!

Ok but now I have another question and since you are the master plumber here not me can you tell me why after all of these years the aav was no working anymore? I mean I know things wear out and that's why I put a new one on but it did not work either? Can you tell me why?

Not without being there to see for myself. This is exactly why I always recommend a natural fitting over a mechanical one. Be it a dishwasher air gap or a AAV. Natural'is always better. Glad you got all fixed up. Cheers, Tom

Yeah I am glad I had a chance to talk to you or other wise I may still be puzzled. So thanks once again!