Toilet, Vent and Drainage Problems
Quote:
Originally Posted by sasquatch_tattoo
I have a problem with my toilet in my condo. Every day, sometimes several times a day, for the past 4 years, every since i got this place, the toilet will "gurgle" and all of the water gets sucked out of the bowl. Most times just flushing the toilet after this happens results in the bowl overflowing. Plunging the toilet seems not to really help at all, i have been told this is probably a clogged up sewer vent, with more than likey a birds nest in it. I did have the pipe snaked to no avail in curing the problem. The condo's here are 12 units, mine is on the bottom floor, out of 3 floors. I'm assuming the vents are in the attic, since there doesn't seem to be any pipes on the roof, except for the main boiler vent. The asst. mgr lives behind me and says sometimes she gets water coming up through her bathtub drain. Repeated requests to mgmt have come up nil for checking the problem out. Any suggestions? :confused:
The "gurgling" is a classic indicator of a vent problem and the water backing in the Asst. Mgrs. Tub at times is a indicator of a partial blockage downstream from the Mgrs. Bathroom group.
Let me explain about vents. When you pull a plug or flush a toilet the water going down the pipe sets up a suction. This has to be relieved by outside air. Hence a pipe through your roof. If the vent is blocked by a birds nest, a dead critter or iced up the water will pull suction through the nearest trap and you will hear a gurgle. It may be a fixture trap or the toilet may talk to you but you will hear it someplace. It is possible for the suction to pull enough water out of a trap to have sewer gas escape. Sewer gas is hazardous to your health and the methane content makes sewer gas explosive.
A partial blockage will let water drain OK until the volume of discharge increases dramatically, such as a washmachine letting go. Then the constricted pipe simply can't handle all the volume of water trying to get through and backs up in the lowest spot, a floor drain,shower or, in this case, a tub.
You might have had the "pipe" snaked out but the plumber missed the right one and left you with the same problem. You really have two problems. A blocked vent and a partial blockage in the sewer. The answer?
Get a experienced plumber is and show him this complaint. Have him snake out the vent pipe that connects to the fixtures that your hear gurgling and the line that keeps backing up. And while he's there have him ask the other tenets if they also have complaints. It would appear from your post that you've been living in a "sick building" for over four years. Good luck, Tom
