[berthbj]

First off, thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Two months ago we moved into our 1st house - a renovated 4BR/2BA built in 1941 in Birmingham, AL. The previous owners (flippers) finished the basement and a shower was connected to what appears to be an original toilet and sink. I can't be certain, but it also looks like the washing machine, kitchen (main level), and dishwasher drain connection to this same main drain are new (because they're PVC). All of these connections are within a few feet of the large 3"-5" cast iron, potentially original, pipe that goes into the concrete basement floor.

We've always noticed that the toilet in this bathroom had a low water level in the bowl but no other visible weirdness. A few weeks ago, the toilet would sometimes gurgle up into the shower drain after flushes. Last week, we discovered lots of lint filled soapy water in the toilet, shower, and bathroom floor. After cleaning it up, we turned on the sink, then shower, then flushed the toilet without problems. But when the washing machine was turned on and started pumping water out, the toilet and shower overflowed again. To test further we also activated all water sources in the upstairs (main level) bathroom, but noticed no overflow in the basement bathroom.

A trusted plumber has made 4 attempts to snake 100' of line with a blade down the pipe via the drain under the toilet. They pulled quite a few rags and unidentifiable stuff out and got their machine stuck a few times until finally getting all the line they had to go down the drain. The drain still overflows with washer use. They also used the pressure method of clearing, without success. They say they can't do anything else. Another interesting bit is that it appears that the drains for the main floor bathroom flow into another large cast iron pipe in the basement that goes out of the front side of the basement towards the street. It's as if the basement drain goes somewhere else and yet we have no indications of a drain pump or septic tank.

Is a camera analysis of this pipe our best option? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[speedball1]

If the plumber has cleared the drain lines and all the fixtures, except the washer, drained without backing up then it's time to take a close look at vthe washer pump and the volume it puts out. We have got many complaints like yours, especially from those with new Maytag washers. The newer, more powerful , washer pumps can put out so much volume that they overpower the system, especially in ther's a partial blockage that will allow the other fixtures to drain past it but will backup when the washer discharges. As for the low level in your toilet bowl, look inside the tank and check the small tube that runs from the top of the ballcock to the white overflow tube, It must be connected and filling the tube as the tank fills. Also the water level in the tank should be 1/2" under the top of the white overflow tube. Good luck. Tom