Plumbing woes...

[nkjzmom]

Greetings from the wet lower level of a split-level house.

I was doing laundry this morning and water came up through the downstairs toilet at some point during the washing. It's not the first time this has happened and we've called utilities to check their lines and plumbers to check our lines. They both said it must be something under the slab and we should use our snake to clean it out. Can anyone tell me why this happens so often?

The first time it happened I had the dishwasher and washing machine on simultaneously, the next two times were just the washer (this has been over a couple of years). We have had problems with toilets clogging more often in this house than I have ever experienced and I'm getting frustrated by having to mop up water every few months. And I'm concerned about mold/mildew because we're already so humid here in Alabama. YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!!!

 

[golfgal]

There are companies you can call to come over and they put a fiber optic camera into your lines and see what the problem is. Most likely you either have a broken line or tree roots in your line. We were having similar problems and we had some kind of blockage in the line. They brought a high pressure water truck in, flushed out the line, problem solved. Our neighbors had similar problems to you and their line was broken and displaced, so they had to have it replaced.

 

[BunsenH]

We had a similar problem a few years ago. The drain from the house to the street was clogged and restricted, probably by tree roots or other damage. We called Roto-Rooter. About 30 minutes and $200 later, the problem was solved.

 

[AllyandJack]

I had this exact problem in June. We have a septic tank though.....$800. later, my yard was dug up and the problem was fixed.

 

[nkjzmom]

There are companies you can call to come over and they put a fiber optic camera into your lines and see what the problem is. Most likely you either have a broken line or tree roots in your line. We were having similar problems and we had some kind of blockage in the line. They brought a high pressure water truck in, flushed out the line, problem solved. Our neighbors had similar problems to you and their line was broken and displaced, so they had to have it replaced.

We have had that done from the front of the house (I forget what that pipe is called) out to the road but there was no blockage or damage that could be seen. I'm afraid it's something wrong with the slab under the house and that it is causing these plumbing troubles. I'm sure it's going to be expensive.