Hello,

Warning Long Post but I would appreciate any expert advice.

About a week ago the basement drain started backing up, rather even backfiring. So I put some drain cleaner in. I also noticed that it seemed to be the main drain because when ever the upstairs toilet was used the basement drain would start spitting out water. Also the basement toilet would gurgle(with bubbles) from time to time.

I got a handy friend to come by and rent a snake machine and snake out from a vertical clean out in a vertical 4" pipe. After going in for ages we could not go any further. So we took that out. The problem returned after a day.

So I called a professional plumber. He first snaked through the basement drain. Then he took off the toilet and snaked from there. The problem didn't fix. He said probably its at the city side and that he had done the best he could and charged me $180.

I called the city guys and they came after a while. They said that the problem seems to be on the house side. Because if it was on the city side the breather would accumulate water. I called the plumber guy back who charged me 180. He said that the house has an old P trap which sometime becomes useless over time and that the main lawn would have to be dug up and a straight pipe would need to be installed. Which would cost around $3000.

I am still not sure if that is the problem. The blockage if that what it is, is only partial and water does drain over time. The basement flush backs up and drains slowly. I have stuck a towel in the basement drain so water doesn't come out from there. I have also checked the vents on the roof by putting a small snake in them.

Can anyone figure out what the problem here is?

Thank you.

PS:- The professional Plumber also mentioned that after going in for a long while the snake could not go any further.

"He said that the house has an old P trap which sometime becomes useless over time and that the main lawn would have to be dug up and a straight pipe would need to be installed. Which would cost around $3000." Her needs your money and you need a different plumber. Find a plumber who will run a camera down your drain and find the block. It is likely right at the junction between you and the city riser. By the way, a P trap is under your sink, not under your lawn.

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I called the plumber guy back who charged me 180. He said that the house has an old P trap which sometime becomes useless over time and that the main lawn would have to be dug up and a straight pipe would need to be installed. Which would cost around $3000.

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There are no "P" traps in the sewer main from the house to the street. There are running traps but they don't just "turn useless", if the plumber got past it with a snake then it's not useless. Besides, how did the plumber know there was anything under ground unless he dug it up or ran a camera through the line? And if the problem was a trap he would have run into it just outside the house and not on farther down the line as he said. I think he can't get to the partial clog to finish the job ,(my bets that it's out at the city raiser) and just tossed in the $3000 estimate to get you off his back.
You still have a partial blockage that allows some of the discharge to pass but when the volume increases when the washer discharges or the toilet flushes it won't pass the clog and starts to back up out of the lowest fixture in your house. Wherever the plumber couldn't get his snake past is where I would check first. Get a plumber out there that can work a snake through the clog and who won't attempt tp pack you with a $3000 bill for work that you don't need. Good luck, Tom

Hey,

I got another plumber to come by, he also snaked from a couple of places with a 50ft snake. I have poured liquid plumber a couple of times. But to no avail. I cannot figure out what the problem is. Probably I will have to get a video inspection done. BTW the basement toilet gurgles from time to time. But I have already checked the main went and it seems open.

ANy ideas?

Gurgling usually means a blocked vent stack.

Hello guys,

I got a camera guy to come through. Basically there is a main trap used before the pipes go to the outside pipes. Here in Toronto this used to be the case for homes built 40-50 years ago. He showed me on the camera that there was a lot of grease deposited in the line. I could see the grease "coming back to fill the gaps the camera had created" as he took the camera out. The guy thinks we might have to dig it and replace it with a straight pipe.

Are there any chemicals e.t.c. so that we can fix this without digging?

Thanks in advance.