Hi group - just wondering how I can determine where the clog is that is screwing up my bathroom plumbing. I've tried plunging the bathtub and the toilet but nothing is working so I'm going to have to invest in a snake for either appliance.
I'd rather not have to buy *both* a toilet snake and a drain snake. The tub drains very slowly during a shower - and the toilet "starts" to flush - but then the water level slowly rises and then goes back down again
*past* the normal water level and then doesn't fill up.
Any ideas ? Is it clogged in the tub or the toilet ?
It sounds like your main line (or it "could" be independant of each other.) Do you have a clean out plug outside your home? If so, open it and see if the flow is slow-moving. If it is - then it's between the house and the street. This is *if* you are on a city sewer line. If you're on a septic tank, the problem could lie herein. If the water doesn't quite make it from the toilet to the cleanout - your problem lies in the section under your house.
From years of experience, I believe your tub drain is clogged on it's own. Usually hair can be removed which will resemble a birds nest (previously discussed in this newsgroup.) I would begin with the tub, remove the chrome plate at the top of the tub and run a small hand cable down there first. You'll be surprised what you pull out. At the first sign of resistance, pull the cable out. You'll have to do this a few times and there's a possibility that if it hasn't been cleaned in quite a while, you could actually bind your cable up inside the pipe on the debris. Not trying alarm you - but inexperience can play havoc and believe me - human hair along with bar soap that never dissolved can be a mess..
I would also get a closet auger (about $12 at HD or Lowe's) and try that before I pulled the toilet and cabled the line. The reason I say this is that unless you see the water level going up and down slightly without the toilet being flushed - the chances are the problem is in the trap of the bowl itself. Most common problems with toilet stoppage: large amounts of paper, tampons and sanitary napkins, emery boards dropped by accident, caps from shampoo bottles, wires from bowl deodorizers that hang inside the rim of the bowl (not to mention kids toys, etc.)
I'd call RoterRooter. They give you a price and stick with it. I had a guy come out New Years day and he looked at the issue, came up with a price and spent hours till he got it fixed. I gave him more than he asked for. They might be a bit higher with their opening estimate but if a job turns out to be hard you'll get a bargain. Only exception is if they need to bring in a camera to check the pipes or their big pressure system.... both very rare events.
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