[str8ladya]

I live in a two story house and have only one bathroom downstairs... I live in Maine and we have had a very hard winter this year... The roof is full of snow with thick ice under the snow.. for the last 3 to 4 weeks, whenever I use the washing machine, we get gurgles.:eek:.. LOL... from the bathroom& kitchen sinks and the toilet:eek:... I am a single parent and have no idea on what to do to fix this problem..! What can happen if I do nothing and hope that it goes away?:confused: I wouldn't do that, of course, but I am wondering what could happen:confused:

Thank you, Andrea:)... by the way... what is the vent that everyone is talking about and where is it?? Lol

[speedball1]

what is the vent that everyone is talking about and where is it??

That's the pipe that pokes out of you roof. 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 or a dead critter 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. While it is possible for the suction to pull enough water out of a trap to have sewer gas escape but it's more likely a smell will come from decaying food, grease or hair. A blocked vent is unlikly to cause oders. And now you know about vents.
Sounds like your lavatory vents blocked, most likely iced up from the cold. (that's why we moved from Wisconsin to Florida many years ago).
This can be unblocked by runnimg a hose down the roof vent and melting the ice or living with it until it thaws. You might want to consider installing Artic Vent Caps,see image) on all your vents. Here's a link for you to check out. Water Line Heat Trace Freeze Protection For Cottage, Home, Commercial Water Pipe Applications - Arctic Vent Good luck, Tom