Yesterday I noticed water in my sink draining slowly although I hadn't been in the bathroom. I kept an eye on it and began to notice that when my neighbor used his sink (which is back to back with mine) my sink starts to back up with nasty water. My toilet and bathtub are fine... just the sink is a problem. I would call the landlord but I know she's going through a difficult personal time right now and it might take some time for her to come out. Is there some way I can solve this problem on my own?

Thanks to any and all help on this!

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Originally Posted by hil

Yesterday I noticed water in my sink draining slowly although I hadn't been in the bathroom. I kept an eye on it and began to notice that when my neighbor used his sink (which is back to back with mine) my sink starts to back up with nasty water. My toilet and bathtub are fine....just the sink is a problem. I would call the landlord but I know she's going through a difficult personal time right now and it might take some time for her to come out. Is there some way I can solve this problem on my own?

Thanks to any and all help on this!

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You have a partial blockage downstream from the two lavatories. The solution would be to rent a sewer machine. (see image) and snake the lavatory roof vent. Put out enough cable to reach the base and 16 feet more. Flush with hot water. Good luck, Tom

If the sink is on the same wall as the commode it might be possible to use a hand held drain cleaner with a 1/4 inch cable and run it down your sink with enough cable out to reach over to where the commode is, I am only suggesting this if your commode is on the same wall as the sink.

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Originally Posted by letmetellu

If the sink is on the same wall as the commode it might be possible to use a hand held drain cleaner with a 1/4 inch cable and run it down your sink with enough cable out to reach over to where the commode is, I am only suggesting this if your commode is on the same wall as the sink.

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Let me correct Letmtelus post,(sorry LetMe). If the two lavatories,( sorry agan but sinks are in kitchens while lavatories and found in the bathroom) are connected to the stack vent by a Sanitary Cross, (see image) all that will happen is that when you run a snake down the drain on one it will come up in the other and if they are connected by stacked Sanitary Tees,(see image) the snake could just as well go up the stack as down. The only sure way is to send a snake down the lavatory roof vent. Regards, Tom

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Originally Posted by speedball1

Let me correct Letmtelus post,(sorry LetMe). If the two lavatories,( sorry agan but sinks are in kitchens while lavatories and found in the bathroom) are connected to the stack vent by a Sanitary Cross, (see image) all that will happen is that when you run a snake down the drain on one it will come up in the other and if they are connected by stacked Sanitary Tees,(see image) the snake could just as well go up the stack as down. The only sure way is to send a snake down the lavatory roof vent. Regards, Tom

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I am not sure about in Florida but in
Texas we are allowed to arm a lavatory drain, over from the main stack 36 inches if we use 1 1/2 pipe, therefore we would not have a lavatory vent. And yes I know about the problem of back to back lavatories, that is why my city stopped allowing them many years ago, that is why I said it might be possible to do what I suggested.

And how do you direct the snake downward once nit hits the San Tee? Tom

Ninety-nine present of the time the stoppage is in the arm, if it does happen to be in the riser from the commode tee to the lavatory tee then we get on the house and go down the vent.

Lots of the houses here are ranch style and all of the plumbing vents are offset to the back side of the roof, in that case we put a clean out behind a mirror above the vanity, then we only have the four or five feet of vent to clean out instead of the forty of fifty from where the offset goes through the roof.

Letmetellu, go back and read the original complaint. You said;

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Ninety-nine present of the time the stoppage is in the arm,

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Go Then the askers complaint must be in the one percent because the arms are open enough to run from one lav arm through to the other. This puts the blockage downstream from both lavatories.
You also made the statement,

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I am not sure about in Florida but in
Texas we are allowed to arm a lavatory drain, over from the main stack 36 inches if we use 1 1/2 pipe, therefore we would not have a lavatory vent.

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Back to Plumbing School for you! In Florida we can ,also, arm out 3 1/2' with a 1 1/2 drain and 5' with 2" but to tell me the lavatories aren't vented is a hoot!! Whadda you call the stack they armed out to? Besides If the askers lavatories were configured like that one lav wouldn't drain into the othe. This is the third time I've had to post a correction on you. Since you're a shop owner perhaps you should let one of your plumbers post for you and you should pick up a set of Audels Plumbers and Pipefitters Library Books and start reading. Regards, tom

Hey thanks for all the suggestions. The last time I logged in I only saw Tom's and tried it. It took a while but IT WORKED! I ran into my neighbor and he told me his sink was backed up (but didn't notice if anything would drain into his sink when I ran my water) until I snaked it.

Thanks very much for the tip Tom! I'm now not completely disgusted thinking about my bathroom.

We're just happy you got fixed up. If we can ever be of assistance in the future just say the word. Regards, Tom