Very perplexing situation. Problem in Front Bathroom

1 - ranch house front bathroom and back bathroom both on same side of house about 15- 18 feet apart (best guess - a bedroom in between them) - first floor

2 - clean out extends just beyond the back bathroom and front bathroom ties in with a Y (that is what it looks like when I dug up the ground

3) - No problems prior to Friday night. Normal flushes, and normal sink drainage

4) - bathtub in front bathroom barely used over the last 10 years or more. Occasional baths (1 a year) - and a few years ago for short hair doggy bath. not touched in last year except to wipe out during normal cleaning routine

5) front bathroom low useage (one person living in house gone most of day) back bathroom is showers, grooming, etc.

6) Town sewer lines

*Symptoms - Friday night front bathroom would not flush. Tried plunger- didn't work. Took a break and tried again - now backing up into tub. Read online to try dish soap and hot water - so a little dish soap in all (sink, toilet, tub) - followed by hot water (not too hot). Nothing happened, but sink now filled with water. cleaned out water from tub and called it a night.
Back bathroom ok, shower in back ok, kitchen sink ok. (so far!)

Saturday - looks a bit better...but then flush - backs up into tub. In comes Liquid Plumber (I know - a no, no) - half bottle in tub, half bottle in sink - wait a while. Nothing.

Saturday afternoon nothing - call a 24/7 plumber (too busy) - find a franchise company (national) who comes for a fee of 99.00 - looks at the situation and without touching anything gives me an estimate of 800.00 to pull up the toilet, snake, and replace toilet with no guarantee. could not get the cap off the clean out but Says it is in the line. no thank you.

Sunday - looks a little better (hopeful) - try to flush toilet - backs into tub - water in sink black/green! Plunge sink and water in toilet moves/ plunge toilet and backs to tub - clean it all up again and try more LP (I know) - let it sit over night after lots of plunging (cleaned up first - scooping water out of tub and sink)

Monday - sink empty, tub looks drier, flush toilet - comes up in tub. Monday call another plumber - Monday night sink looks dry, tub dry, no water sitting in drains - leave it alone.

Tuesday morning - sink dry, run water and it appears to go through, tub dry, toilet normal looking - let it alone hoping my prayers over night worked - plumber arrives. We flush toilet and bowl water rises and a little water also backs up into tub. toilet gurgles a little . Plumber looks at pipes under house - seems ok - removes toilet, runs snake about 50 feet and comes up with a few roots. (not much) Essentially he had no major findings (nothing was brought up or broke loose). felt like he should have run into the problem within the first 10 feet (BEFORE) the back bathroom. went outside to the clean out - no water in it. feels a problem lies between the front and back bathrooms - we dug around the pipes a little- I didn't notice any water - a lilac bush sits above the line ? Pipe coming from back bathroom out to sewer is PVC, ---pipe from front bathroom is original clay merging into (tar? pipe) -which I think means original to 50's house.

tonight - run water in bathroom sink - it seems normal kept on just a bit and didn't see a fill up, but perhaps it would take longer. Ran water in tub and went down ok, but if I kept faucet on a period of time saw some "gulp gulp gulp" in the toilet with a little water coming in toilet.

Solution - dig up my beautiful side flower bed - replace the old pipe and perhaps along the way see if a tree root has infiltrated? Would love to avoid the $$$$$.

Plumber did not run anything down the clean out - BTW. Based on the posts here - I asked him to check the vent - he went into the attic and said the system is very well done, and that the front and back vent together and if a vent problem I should have a problem in both bathrooms.

If on the town side, should have problem in entire house.


I want to ensure the integrity of my entire system (front & back bathrooms and kitchen) - yet don't want to spend tons of money digging up my beautiful flower beds and pipes to learn that was not the problem after all. Too much money involved to play a game of chance. Meanwhile praying my back bathroom keeps working ok.

So puzzled by this: 1) seems obvious the problem is coming from front tub and toilet but why didn't snake find anything in those first 10 - 20 feet? 2) no previous warning signs like slow flush or gurgle prior to Friday night.

Bad weather on the way - plumber coming back to install new pipes on side of house in week or two.

Any other thoughts on what could be happening? much much appreciated... I am trying to apply logic but facts don't seem logical ...



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The stoppage is on the branch line serving the front bathroom. It may need to be snaked multiple times if it is a 'soft' stoppage. A jetter machine works best on soft stoppages.



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quote; plumber coming back to install new pipes on side of house in week or two.


WHY? Since it does not appear that you have pinpointed WHERE, or even WHAT the problem is. A snaking by a "good plumber", which you do not seem to have had yet, will either cure the problem, or tell you where it is, if it has to be dug up. The "tar" pipe, if that is what you have, IS, or can be, a problem and usually has to be replaced.

How does a licensed plumber go under your house to look at sewer pipes ? Are your pipes exposed to the elements?

A sewer camera, can be just as handy in the hands of an expert, as a camera is to a medical doctor in discovering issues internally.

Once the line is cleared to the street, have them camera the line to inspect for damage and defects.

Let us all know the results.
Best Wishes

The plumber who was excellent and handled this house for years and years has passed away. I was pleased with the professionalism with this new guy and he did seem thorough. But, I had the same thoughts as you - I asked the same questions - He could not answer and said likely there is an issue in that pipe. His best deduction. He came recommended to me by neighbors and friends - has a good reputation. I guess I have to decide to spend more $$ to have another plumber opinion (on my third now) or go with this guy...tough decision..

Hi and thank you. He went under the house to determine if there was an issue in general with the plumbing and to determine how the front and back lines merge to the sewer lines.
He does not have a camera (which I don't think most of my local plumbers do) - but he has ordered one. I guess the 800.00 estimate (with no guarantee) to snake and use a camera from the first guy might have been better - though I was not comfortable with his demeanor. I will continue to pursue re-snaking and finding someone with a camera. thanks!



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I also do not have a camera, but that is because it is cheaper for me to contract with a professional service, which has ALL the equipment, besides just a camera, needed to evaluate the system.

as an addendum

I called my city public works who explained to me how the sewer lines run / connect/ in my neighborhood and to my yard, gave me some suggestions, and offered to come onto my property to my clean out pipe and try to help - for free! Great town I live in - said they will do all they can to assist me.

they also gave me another plumber who they call to assist with town issues - so I have done so. Let's see where this all goes.

Thank you to all who responded!



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