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Author:
ikawashere (NY)
I recently removed a toilet and vanity from a second bathroom (my house was originally two apartments) and now every time I flush the toilet, drain the bathtub, or even brush my damn teeth, water either doesn't drain or bubbles up through all other drains. I have snaked the drains, using a classic reel style, then I went and bought a flat style snake, and I am getting nowhere. I haven't been able to flush my toilet more than once a day. I have the old toilet drain covered to prevent any gasses from coming back up, but the water and refuse just pushes back and has flooded the old bathroom several times. I have not found a clog as of yet, and as you can probably tell, I'm getting a little fed up with the smell of sewage, plus not being able to take a shower or wash my dishes. Please help!
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Author:
stuckinlodi (MO)
Why did you remove the toilet and vanity from the seldom used bathroom? Did the problems with the bathroom you regularly use start immediately after you did the work in the other bathroom? To understand, all you did was pull the toilet and cover its floor flange, then remove the vanity (which had a sink and faucet??). What did you do with the drain that was under the vanity?
Is the building/home made in such a way that your apartment plumbing drains flow to the other old apartment area that you removed the bathroom fixtures from? I'm wondering if there is a blockage over in that area, maybe you should run the cleanout snake down the toilet pipe or sink drain over there where you remove the toilet. Also, any chance something fell into the toilet drain (closet bend) after you pulled the toilet? Are there other apartments in this building, or just these 2 that are now one living space?
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
ikawashere (NY)
This problem began when I removed the toilet and vanity. I have tried snaking everywhere, and to no result. my assumption based on how far I got with the snake (about 20 feet) is that there is a backflow valve in the drainage system(?) Or that the clog is a rather hard one. the only thing that fell in to the drain was a little bit of wax from the toilet ring. I am going to crawl in to the 18" crawlspace (I'm 6'2 and about 190) tomorrow and see if I can access another cleanout under the house, or see what might have happened. Then, if worse comes to worse i'll measure for the outlet to the septic and start digging as a last resort
Would not having the old toilet drain sealed make that much of a difference in drainage? It is well water, so maybe calcium buildup got knocked loose, adding to debris?
And I removed the toilet and vanity because there was no use for two in a 750 ft "ranch". makes a much better laundry room
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
stuckinlodi (MO)
I don't think not having the old toilet drain sealed would cause a problem, other than you could have sewer odors come into the house. What I meant earlier was that without knowing how large the building was or how many apartments there were in total maybe your main drain was connected to other apartments in the building before it headed outside. So the blockage could be in the main sewer line as it passed thru one of the other apartments. But it sounds like it is just the 2 apartments in the building based on what you said later.
Also, I've never heard of hard water deposits/calcium buildup getting to the point that it could clog the main drain.
I'm not sure 20 ft is enough of a snake length, the clog could be further downstream than that. Odd about the timing with the bathroom conversion to a laundry room but you could have a septic tank problem. Is there an inspection door somewhere on the septic drain inlet so you can see if the house is draining ok into it? If that septic tank is full of solids, and they eventually do get full, then all drains in the house would backup. That's when you need a sewage service to come and pump out the septic tank. We used to have it done every other year. The way you describe how all the drains are backing up would indicate a blockage in the main drain line or at the septic tank. If you open a cleanout plug under the house be prepared, backup sewage and nasty water could run out onto you.
Honestly, it might be best for you to call an experienced drain cleaning service or plumber to clear the blockage. You've tried a number of times but the snakes you are using may not be up to the task on this one, it might require someone with more experience and better equipment to fix the problem.
Edited 4 times.
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Author:
UStralian (NY)
When you pulled out the vanity, was there a pipe that went upwards which you sealed off, or disconnected from the pipes that went downwards? Sounds to me like you've sealed the vent stack. The rest of the drains/toilets in the house need a connection to the roof to vent sewer gases and prevent vacuums. If you blocked that off, you'll get gurgling in drains when you flush toilets, slow draining, sewer gas bubbling up through traps, etc.
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Author:
ikawashere (NY)
no, it wasn't the vent, the vent runs through the wall to the roof. I taped off the actual sink drain itself. where the p-trap was connected.
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Author:
PlumberLoren (CA)
I would suggest you not use tape for sealing waste and vent systems. Get the correct cap to seal those openings.
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