This is more for my own knowledge and curiosity. I manage a single floor office in a building that was built in the early 1970s. Recently we had a toilet plug up and the sinks stopped draining. We called in a well known and highly regarded plumber to take a look at it. He initially had a trouble finding any problem, but eventually snaked the sewage drain line under the building and found a clog halfway between the building and the street (where it connects to the city sewer line). The moment he cleared the clog, we got a geyser of raw sewage from every toilet and sink in the office. As you can imagine, it's a huge mess but at least we have a good insurance that's taking care of the cleanup.
Anyway, the plumber said he's never seen anything like this after 20 years in the business and he's not sure what could have caused it. We spoke to the city and they claim nothing on their end could have caused such an event. Plumber thinks the only way it could have happened is if a city pump kicked on or something at the moment the clog was cleared. The city denies that is possible, perhaps due to fears of liability? Anyone have thoughts or theories on this?
Anyway, the plumber said he's never seen anything like this after 20 years in the business and he's not sure what could have caused it. We spoke to the city and they claim nothing on their end could have caused such an event. Plumber thinks the only way it could have happened is if a city pump kicked on or something at the moment the clog was cleared. The city denies that is possible, perhaps due to fears of liability? Anyone have thoughts or theories on this?