A tenant called and said she found dirty water in the bath tub when she got home after a day at work. The tub and toilet were draining fine this morning. She was out the whole day.

All the vent and drains is on one wall, on the left is the sink, toilet to the right, and the tub to the far right. The vent is behind the sink, and the drain runs to the right.

There is a condo on the other side of this wall, and the plumbing is exactly the same, like a mirror.

This is what she found in her tub.



My first instinct is to find a drain cleaner tomorrow and pull the toilet, and snake it from there. However she is concerned the snake running inside the bathroom will make a mess everywhere, and wonder if the snaking can be done from the roof through the vent.

My thinking is since she was out the whole day, and came home to find this backup, most likely this is caused by a blockage further downstream in the common drain between the two condos, some time during the day the other condo caused a blockage in the common section of the drain, and may be even plunged and plunged only to be sending dirty water back into her tub?

After a while the tub dirty water receeds. When flushing the toilet it doesn't flush, water rises in the bowl but eventually it lowers to normal level.

The sink seems to drain OK but that could be because it's simply higher.

How likely the blockage is in the common drain that can be cleared by snaking from the roof?

snaking from the roof is a way down the list. really dangerous.

a professional rooter company will do things to protect the room from spray from the cable.
If they are not stop them until they do. Have some plastic available for them.

Because your main line is clogged you will have to find a clean out. If you can't find one then you are going to have to pull the toilet. Option C: have a new two-way clean out installed.

If it's a condo and the problem is in a common pipe, who's responsible for the cleaning?

"Because your main line is clogged you will have to find a clean out. If you can't find one then you are going to have to pull the toilet. Option C: have a new two-way clean out installed."

Once the water recedes it comes back real quick with one to two flushes. This tells me the clog is close by. There is a CO right outside where the pipe exits the building, about 15' downstream of the bathroom. That CO is clear, no water build up, so the clog is upstream of the CO but downstream of the toilet/tub.

I have never seen a company protect items from the snake. Every time they do it they end up with micro droplets of sewer dirt all over the walls and floor.

steve, it depends on whether you go strictly by the "condo by laws".

If you go by the by laws, all piping once it enters the "common space" is owned by the condo association and so they would be responsible for the cleaning, repair, replacement etc. "Common space" here includes the wall cavity between condos. So if a kitchen drain backs up, and it's not the p-trap, and as long as the clog is downstream of the p-trap, then it's condo association problem, theoretically.

HOWEVER, no one can practically go that route if you have an emergency situation. No one can wait days and weeks to call a meeting so that the association officers can meet and vote and approve to allocate the fund to hire a plumber. So as an individual unit owner I have to play dumb and ignore the bylaws, and my first priority is to solve the problem. Once I solve the problem then I will present the plumber's bill to the HOA and ask them to reimburse me. If they do fine if they don't, well, they don't.

I expect your two toilets are connected to a sanitary cross, and if so it will be very difficult to snake through the toilet opening. Down the vent or find a cleanout may be the only options.

There isn't a 4" CO until the pipe exits the building, and that CO is clear and flowing.

Units 3 and 4 have identical and mirrored floor plan and plumbing. All the pipes inside the wall cavity are completely symmetrical.

The toilet doesn't flush well, and water level is way down.

The tub is backing up, dirty water coming up.

Sink seems to be draining, but that could be due to it being higher.

I know the lav sink drains into the vent stack directly, the toilet and tub ties in downstream somewhere (both units), is there a way to determine if the blockage is upstream of the tub/toilet tie in? If it's upstream then I have to pull the toilet (I doubt going through the overflow hole of the tub with a small snake will do anything). If it's downstream of the tie in then snaking through the roof is an option.

Seems if it's in the common pipe then the other unit will be experiencing the same but I can't get the owner of that unit to respond.

if their tub was also backing up, they would respond.
I would use a small snake and go thru the tub overflow.
not a perfect solution but it might work and at least it will buy you some time.
nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"If it's downstream of the tie in then snaking through the roof is an option."

IF your vent stack is either completely vertical or they installed direction fittings.

I install vent 90's when I can. Can't put a snake through those fittings.

I got a drain cleaning company coming this afternoon. Hopefully they can get this resolved. Fingers crossed.

The vent should run straight down and at the bottom is an elbow to turn horizontal. I hope they put in a long sweep 90 there and not a vent 90. The rest of the way should be all drain elbows.

Got a local family owned drain rooter company to come out. Nice guy. I worked out a deal with him to not only snake the vent from the roof for the affected unit, but snake ALL vents that protrude the roof while he is up there. I then talked the HOA into paying him that amount. WIN WIN. Problem solved.

Fantastic! Sounds like you need to keep him in the rolodex....

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Not a plumber by trade but a fierce DIYer

Yes he is on my Rolodex. I might call him to locate my line at the property where I needed to know the location of pipes on the outside. He said he can put a transponder on the snake.

well I was completely wrong about cabling from the roof!! I'm just shocked you hired a pro and wasn't up on the roof doing this yourself.

that's one of the cool things about plumbing...no single method for a single task.

too funny about your tenant with the cats. would be wise to bring in another pro to do the copper work.

I have no experience with a massive snake machine and I have heard too many stories about injuries to those trying to use one. So this I will leave to the pros.

The copper work I believe I can handle myself.