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labbysmom · Jun 6, 2007, 01:47 PM

HI
The problem began with our ensuite toilet - unless I hold the lever down, the toilet won't flush completely each time. It just swirls and swirls.
Then I noticed the same thing happening with another toilet on the same floor (top storey) and in the main floor toilet.

I've tried the plunger, cleaning out the rinse holes and the hole and the front in the bowl, but nothing works.

Should I call roto-rooter and have them clean out the toilet vents? Do I even have separate toilet vents or are they tied to sinks?

There are no drainage problems anywhere in the house which makes me think it's the toilets themselves, but 3 going at the same time?

TIA!

ballengerb1 · Jun 6, 2007, 02:30 PM

Your plumbing likely uses just one vent stack but there can be branches. It does sound as though you have a sluggish vent. Can you safely get on your roof to rod the vent? If your drain is partially blocked I'd think you'd be seeing slow draining of bath tubes, do you?

labbysmom · Jun 6, 2007, 02:51 PM

No. We have a jaccuzi tub in the ensuite which is rarely used so I just filled it and used the jets for a few minutes as it occurred to me that maybe there was an air lock in the vents?

Well the tub drained fine although it did seem to gurgle a lot even though there was till 4 or 5" of water still to drain.

I flushed the toilet a couple of times too, as I heard the tub water draining down the toilet pipe. But everything is exactly the same.

Our shower in the ensuite drains fine too.

So, I guess its not the vent?

Can 3 toilets all go kaput at around the same time?

TIA

speedball1 · Jun 6, 2007, 03:00 PM

If your Juccuzi gurgles as it's draining then it''s attempting to vent through the tubs trap and not the vent. This tends to point to a vent blockage. Did the tub always gurgle or is this something new? Are you on city sewer or a septic tank? Regards, Tom

ballengerb1 · Jun 6, 2007, 03:00 PM

No No it is the vent. The gurgling is the telltale sign of a blockage in the vent. The shower drains fine because there is much less water going down the drain than with a flushed toilet. It is your vent.

labbysmom · Jun 6, 2007, 03:49 PM

Thank you all for your speedy replies.

The jaccuzi tub hasn't been used in months so I cannot be certain if the gurgling was heard before. There is no way to get on the roof ourselves, its very sloped and cedar shaked (need I say more? :)) We are on city sewer.

A few months ago I called Roto Rooter and they said the roof vent was not for toilets and a sluggish toilet probably meant the sewer line was partially blocked.

But we've recently within the last 2 weeks had a sump pump installed in our basement (another issue) and its water output is now tied to the sewer line and there are no problems. Nor has the toilet problem corrected which is what I thought might happen (in a perfect world) if the water in the sump pump is flushing and draining and thereby clearing any blockage.

Hmmm, does the plot thicken?

Edit to note: I just called Roto Rooter. I was told they do not auger roof vents first. The first thing they would do to auger the toilets to the main sewer line and then take the toilets off and check the traps and then and only then would they attempt the vent. I'm in the Vancouver area of Canada, is that perhaps normal practise here?

speedball1 · Jun 7, 2007, 07:32 AM

"A few months ago I called Roto Rooter and they said the roof vent was not for toilets and a sluggish toilet probably meant the sewer line was partially blocked."

They told you the toilets didn't vent out the roof? Outrageous! But if that's true then you've located the problem. However, I don't believe it for a moment. Nor do I believe that a partial blockage would affect all three toilets and not the washer.

" I was told they do not auger roof vents first. The first thing they would do to auger the toilets to the main sewer line and then take the toilets off and check the traps and then and only then would they attempt the vent. I'm in the Vancouver area of Canada, is that perhaps normal practise here?"

This is not how we do it in my area. If there's a question about the vent that's where we start. Unless we're forced to we do not pull toilets and snake from the open closet bend. It creates a incredible mess in the bathroom as you pull the snake out of the sewer to say nothing of the smell.
As far as checking the trap in a toilet, pulling it and looking in the bottom wouldnb't tell you anything as the trap's tucked away where you can't see or get to it except with a closet auger and that's what we use while the toilet's still in place. Pulling a toilet and snaking from the closet is only be done as a last resort in my area. Of course they don't want to get up on the roof but how can you check a roof vent from the ground? You have been dealing with Roter-Rooter guys. I don't have a lot of faith in their plumbing expertise. Perhaps it's time to call in a licensed plumber and get a second opinion. Regards, Tom

labbysmom · Jun 7, 2007, 05:44 PM

Today I called a plumber. He asked me some questions and then told me that the problem was not the vent. He said our main floor toilet could not be affected by a vent on the roof. Since the other two toilets are upstairs, and there is one downstairs, he claims it's the sewer line to the city. He would happily come out and flush and camera inspect the line for $500. I thanked him for his time and hung up.

This is so frustrating. I know you are in the USA, but what do folks pay to have just their vent cleared?

Thanks