Toilet overflows. What should my friend do next?

[mm]

What should my friend do next?

You've written about this before, but I can't find it, and I think I have an added question anyhow.

My friend's basement toilet overflowed when his wife did the laundry.

I was over that night and I remember what someone wrote here, so I had someone flush the toilet upstairs while I watched the toilet downstairs. The water in the basement toilet moved noticably.

Today my friend had the plumber come over. He routed or whatever the drain to the street. After he used the first claw, he put on a bigger claw and put 100 feet of cable into the drain, so that he was all the way out to the city sewer, he said.

He says that my friend needs a new drain, from the house to the street, that the current one terra cotta and it must have broken and there must be water in a low spot of the drain.

What should my friend do next?

What should my friend do next.

[bob haller]

if there are roots in the line rock salt will kill the roots while leaving the tress unharmed

[Reed]

sounds like he needs to have a video inspection of the line to confirm the blockage

[mm]

That's a good idea. If the blockage is only water, at a low spot in the line, is that enough to make the toilet back up?

I remember someone here talking about a clogged air vent to the roof. Could that be responsible for all this?**

Also, I remember now that one or more people has recommended sewer pipe relining. The webpages are very encouraging. Does anyone have anything bad or good to say about that. It's supposed to be a lot cheaper and just as good or better.

I goolged and found webpages, but so far nothing in or just outside of Baltimore. Is there any chance it's illegal in some counties?

**I told my friend in advance that a clogged vent can be a problem but when he recited what the plumber had done, he didn't mention it and then he had to get off the phone, because his wife had cataract surgery today. (It went well, but still she needs attention.)