sink, toilet, tub on only one side of house won't drain

[catdentures]

I have a mobile home where the sink, toilet, and tub on one side of my house won’t drain properly.
The sewage line goes from that side of the house to the opposite side and from there to the main sewage line for my street.
All other sinks, toilet and tub in the house drain just fine.
the sink and tub will fill with water and then hours later I’ll check and they’ll finally be drained. When that happens the toilet will finally flush, but then won’t after that.
I’ve tried putting drain cleaner in the sink and tub but that hasn’t helped.
Any ideas what's causing this?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Your main drain is clogged between the bathrooms that work and the ones that don’t.

You need to clean the pipes with an electric drain machine.

I suggest calling a pro or get ready for some serious DIY.

 

[Beecrazy]

The drain lines aren’t designed to hold pressure; I’ve cleared drain lines with a garden hose and an old towel. I’ve stuck the end of the hose down a drain or toilet and stuffed the towel around the hose to stop the water from coming up. it helps to have a second person control the facet while I hold the hose & towel in place.

 

[catdentures]

I tried the hose and towel idea and it didn't help. I opened the clean cap(?) and very little liquid came out. I ran the snake down it to be sure and that didn't resolve the issue. I found at least part of the problem. The sink wasn’t draining because of an ‘air lock’ of sorts. The drain vent under the sink wasn’t screwed on right or something and when I loosened it the sink drained fine. Toilet and tub still not draining right though. I ran the snake down the toilet again to be sure and no help.

 

[catdentures]

oh, one thing I found when under the house... the drain line goes in the opposite direction I thought. So instead of going from the problem side [guest bathroom] to the other side and then to the main sewage line, it goes from the opposite side to the problem side and then to the main sewage line. The drain line goes from right under the problem toilet to the main sewage line.

 

[Twowaxhack]

An electric drain machine should be used to clear the line.

Where to use the cable from depends on the piping arrangement, access to the piping and what fixtures are affected.

 

[Geofd]

If your toilet is holding water vacuum the bowl and tank out remove it, if the line is fu if water, snaking from there will be the est way, when you clear the clog the water will drain from the tub and toilet drains

 

[Beecrazy]

I’ve gotten confused as to what the problem is. From you posts I’m not sure if you have a clogged line or if the drain was installed improperly…or both? You said the hose & towel didn’t work but you didn’t say what happened or where you attempted it at. From resent post, it sounds like you should try it from the toilet. push the hose down the bottom of the bowl, holding the towel around it to hold the water below the bowel. If the is a plug in the line, water will be backing up into the bowel if you don’t have the towel positioned & held firmly in place. If there isn’t a plug or the plug removed, the water will not back up into the bowl (Even without the towel). When there is a plug: you can feel when it’s been broken free. Sometimes it takes some time to erode & move a plug. I will leave the water running for a period of time to be sure that the house drain is clear to the street.
My point, you need to determine why the toilet isn’t “draining”. Before running a snake & possibly getting it stuck; you can basically pressure test your drain line. A drain line should not be able to hold pressure for any period of time. House water pressure is about 40 psi. If a plug can hold the pressure, you need to snake the line. Poor drain can be caused by other things other than a plugged drain.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Putting a hose in the toilet pipe and sealing it with a towel is only going to push water into the tub.

The toilet and the tub are definitely affected. The lavatory is also. Unscrewing the studor vent allowed a little air displacement because the bathroom drain is clogged before it’s atmospheric vent

Then if the line doesn’t open and drain, all the water in the tub is going to pour out of the toilet pipe when you turn the hose off.

It’s a bad idea.

Call a drain cleaner when you get the money.

 

[Beecrazy]

if water backing up into the tub is an issue, plug that drain or any other effected drain. The weight of the water column and the water line pressure will tend to erode a plug. Put/get enough force behind the “dam” and the “dam” will fail. It might take some time; but it will fail. The momentum of the water will move & wash everything down the line.

 

[catdentures]

Hi, sorry for the vague reply regarding what I did with the water hose. I first tried it in the problem tub and it just resulted in water filling the toilet. So I tried in the toilet and it filled the toilet and tub.
Last night I bout 4 jugs of drain cleaner and poored 2 of them into the problem toilet and then 2 of them into the master bathroom tub at the opposite side of the house. I let them sit over night. This morning the toilet flushed fine. This evening the toilet has flushed fine a couple of times and the tub drains fine. Hoping this means the issue is fixed.

 

[Beecrazy]

What makes the hose method work is the water pressure. you really have to plug off all the drains effected by the blockage. Normally there isnt much of a pressure difference between the opposite sides of the blockage. The pressure from a hose, if you can contain and direct it toward the blockage could be about 100 times the pressure of the standing water
One of the issues with low volume toilets is that you can get stuff sitting in the line which could create a blockage. A sag or a rough spot in a drain line could keep stuff from moving down the line and can create a blockage.. Drain line depend on gravity to keep stuff moving. As I said earlier, you can push the end of the hose down into the toilet and turn the water on to flush the drain of any residual stuff to the main. It shouldn’t back up and overflow the bowl.

 

[Twowaxhack]

When you close off the fixture drains it can start filling up a vent all the way to the roof. A 3-4” vent pipe 20’ long can hold a lot of water.

If the clog doesn’t break loose, all that head of water will flood the bathroom when you turn the hose off.

Be careful or you might make a mess one day.

 

[pasadena_commut]

While I'm sure an electric rooter is the better tool, a manual drain auger will often work well. Cheaper and no chance of electrocuting yourself. I have one that looks like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-2-in-x-50-ft-Drain-Auger-82-971-111/301879201
(except I think it may be 75 ft, it seems longer than 50). It won't cut a path through tree roots, but it has done a good job clearing out clogged drains within/near the house. Generally once the screw reaches the problem and breaks up whatever is blocking the pipe the water behind it pushes the rest out to the sewer.

However, in one of the posts above a mention was made of the application of drain cleaner. That can be very dangerous. The Drano (or whatever) can sit in the pipe for a long time and burn the unsuspecting plumber or homeowner who eventually pokes around in it with some type of drain auger.

 

[Beecrazy]

When you close off the fixture drains it can start filling up a vent all the way to the roof. A 3-4” vent pipe 20’ long can hold a lot of water.

If the clog doesn’t break loose, all that head of water will flood the bathroom when you turn the hose off.

Be careful or you might make a mess one day.

A 4” pipe 20ft tall would have a head under 10psi and hold about 13 gallons. A tub can hold 13 gallons. In this situation, both the toilet & the tub were effected. If there was back flow, it could have been held in the tub. The pressure and the continuous flow will clear ”local” blockages. If you can’t put pressure on the blockage because of a vent pipe, moving the blockage is limited. I doubt that it would be effective if the blockage is between the house and the main because you cant build up enough pressure to move the blockage.
it’s certainly a safer method than using a snake or drain cleaners. if you run a snake there is the possibility that it gets stuck. If you use drain cleaner and it doesn‘t clear the line; it is still in the line and may interfere with whatever method you may want to try next.

 

[Twowaxhack]

A 4” pipe 20ft tall would have a head under 10psi and hold about 13 gallons. A tub can hold 13 gallons. In this situation, both the toilet & the tub were effected. If there was back flow, it could have been held in the tub. The pressure and the continuous flow will clear ”local” blockages. If you can’t put pressure on the blockage because of a vent pipe, moving the blockage is limited. I doubt that it would be effective if the blockage is between the house and the main because you cant build up enough pressure to move the blockage.
it’s certainly a safer method than using a snake or drain cleaners. if you run a snake there is the possibility that it gets stuck. If you use drain cleaner and it doesn‘t clear the line; it is still in the line and may interfere with whatever method you may want to try next.

It wouldn’t fill the vent unless the tub drain was plugged off. If the tub wasn’t plugged off then it would fill the tub and not fill the vent.

If it fills the tub and you’re working from the open toilet flange then it’ll drain the tub through the toilet flange when you pull your towel out. Water will drain from the lowest opening available.

Could you imagine 13 gallons of sewage flooding out of your toilet flange into your bathroom ?

It depends on what’s causing the blockage in the pipe if house or head pressure can clear it. In the process you must be very careful not to flood your house with sewage

It’s typically done with a drain bladder. The bladder seals the pipe and pumps out house water pressure keeping it from coming back. It takes the place of your towel.

You can ruin a house if you’re not careful with drain bladders and water hoses trying to unclog a drain. I’ve seen it done. Flooded it with sewage.

It’s worth talking about as the original poster needs to be aware of the possibilities.

Here is a cheap version of a drain bladder. General Drain makes a professional model.
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Brasscr...MItuaM6eaV-AIVhtzICh29EAcXEAQYAiABEgKgPPD_BwE

 

[Twowaxhack]

Drain bladders work best when you can position the drain bladder without any other drains or vents between the bladder and the clog. This allows the drain to pressurize.

If you have drains or vents between the drain bladder and the clog then you will pump water through those drains or up the vents or both.

It will only unclog drains that are sludged up or full of toilet paper, a soft stoppage. If it’s roots or a foreign object causing the problem then a drain bladder is only kicking the can down the road.

I use them as a last resort rather than a first line approach in most instances. Everything is situational.