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irishvermin · Jul 12, 2009, 06:54 PM

Bathtub was draining slow lately so this morning I plunged it and got a lot of hair and gunk etc pulled out from the drain. It was looking all clean and clear so I thought I had done a good job. Went on to my next task of the day, laundry and while the second load was running I heard water in the bathroom, I run in to find the tub full with dirty water and the toilet overflowing with the same. Luckily it had just started so I cleaned it up, however, the water level never went down. Not a slow drain, no drain at all. I bailed 90% of the water out, and tried plunging like crazy some more but to no avail. Went to store and bought a 15' hand auger snake and put all 15' into the shower drain, also went to kitchen sink and snaked all 15' into the clean out there as well. Still no draining. Any water I turn on in house ends up backflowing into the tub so I'm guessing my main is clogged somewhere?

Do I just need to get a longer auger? Is my plunger clean out of the shower drain this morning related? Or am I facing bigger problems?

Thanks for any help.

Milo Dolezal · Jul 12, 2009, 08:36 PM

Yes, your common drain pipe has blockage downstream. Rent good snake from Home Depot ( not smaller than 1/2" ) find clean out and snake it. Use entire length of the snake. Do is several times. It is a dirty work - but give it a try.

irishvermin · Jul 13, 2009, 05:26 AM

Well here is an update to the situation... as of midnight last night before I went to bed the tub had actually drained after being full all day. I cleaned out all the gunk in the tub and tried running some hot water, but it started to fill up right away again. Left it sit overnight and 6 hours later this morning I was able to flush the toilet without a backflow into tub, and I even took a shower. It drained perfect until the end of the shower (about 5min) and then it started to fill up a bit. But by the time I was done drying off the water had gone down again. Also, don't know what it means, but just before the water started to backup I could hear the toilet gurgling, and then while it slowly drained after my shower the toilet would gurgle some.

Thanks again for any help.

Milo Dolezal · Jul 13, 2009, 05:41 AM

You definitely have a sewer blockage somewhere. Sometimes, weight of water column inside the pipe will purge the clog to some point. This may be what's happening in your case. However, you should deal with it because it usually doesn't go away itself. It will build up and enclose your sewer again. If you think you cannot clear it yourself, call drain cleaning plumber. It is what this type of plumbers deal with all day long, every day. He should be in and out.