Soap Bubbles in toilet and shower
I just read a posting from someone (back in 2006) who had a similar problem to mine. I live in a high-rise with 40 stories. My unit is on the 6th floor and there have been problems with this particular bathroom since just after the building was completed - 2 years ago. No one has lived in the unit unit recently (me), but right after we closed on the unit there was a terrible back-up from this bathroom that damaged the carpets, baseboards, in the adjacent bedroom and hall, etc. The damage was done by sewage backing up from the shower and overflowing from the toilet. No one was living here at the time. A year later (still an empty unit) this occurred again, damaging carpets, etc. Each time the builder replaced all and we hoped the problem would not return. I moved in 5 months ago with no problems until two days ago when I noticed the toilet gurgling. It would start then stop and start again. Then while I was standing there I noticed soap bubbles streaming down the sides of the toilet bowl. Soon the whole toilet was filled and soap which started running over the sides onto the floor. It looked like a comedy skit, but it wasn't funny. I also noticed some bubbles coming from the shower, plus I heard gurgling in the sink. Then it went away, after tons of mopping, and flushed normally. Two nights later the gurgling started again and the bowl filled completely with soap bubbles. This time there was tons of soap coming up from the shower drain. The bubbles were tiny and hard, with little soap odor. Is this a blocked vent problem? Where's the soap coming from? Should I sue the developer? Thank you.