# Washer draining causing sewage to backup into bathtub



## SuzyQ is Me (Aug 19, 2011)

A couple days ago when my washing machine was draining, I heard water gurgling in the bathroom. Upon checking it out, I discovered sewage coming up in the bathtub which is just behind the wall from the washer. I called a plumber who said I may have a blockage in the main line and he is coming tomorrow to check it out. Meanwhile tonight, desperate to wash a load of laundry, I ran the washer figuring I'd let it drain a little at a time. But the tub quickly began backing up and even after waiting an hour I was unable to let the rest of the water out of the washer without more sewage coming up in the tub. I am stressed enough (I'm recently unemployed), but now on top of that, I noticed a puddle of water sitting on the bathroom floor outside the tub. I knew I hadn't splashed any water out of the tub, but to be sure, I dried it all up and came back a while later and sure enough another puddle. This has me even more worried because I just remodeled my bathroom 6 months ago. When I did so I had this same plumber pull out my old fiberglass molded shower and replace it with a nicer tub, which I then painstakingly tiled around myself. I also laid the floor tiles myself. Part of the reason I bore the expense of replacing the tub was that the old tub appeared to be leaking somehow onto the floor and the plumber told me it was probably the overflow valve and he would have to cut through the tub wall to fix it which would be expensive anyway, so it made more sense to just replace the tub for a little more money. Now I'm concerned that some of the tub tile will need to be ripped out, or that my floor tiles all have water under them. I don't know whether this is all possibly related to a blockage in the main line that may have been present before and was dismissed as an issue with the overflow valve, or if a blockage has just forced the problem back up into the overflow valve and now up through the grout of my floor tiles.

By the way, about 6 weeks ago I had a problem with my kitchen sink at the opposite end of the house. The plumber came out twice to snake it through the cleanout or vent on the roof. This cost me $200. Could this problem be related? I read somewhere that the lower drains would have backed up first if the main line was the problem at that time, and I think the plumber was hinting at that also, but it seems like an odd coincidence that I'm having these two problems so close together. I need some advice before I spend more money that I don't have. By the way, my house is on a slab.


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## Just Bill (Dec 21, 2008)

The only thing I can for certain is, you have a partial blockage dlownstream. From your description, normal useage is not a problem, but washers dump a lot of water quickly, and the blockage is bad enough to slow the volume. If this line was cleaned earlier, that work did not do the job and needs to be redone.


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## SuzyQ is Me (Aug 19, 2011)

If he snaked the kitchen sink before from the cleanout or vent on the roof above the kitchen, I'm not sure whether this would be considered the same line or not. At that time he determined that the blockage was between the kitchen and bathroom. The first time he came out for that problem he seemed to clear the clog but a week later it backed up again and he snaked it again. It is now about 5 or 6 weeks later. Is it possible that he just pushed the clog further each time and now it is somewhere between the bathroom and sewer? Like I said, I just want to be informed. I "believe" he's a good guy but I suppose he could be tempted to think in whichever way is most favorable to his pocket if he thinks I don't have a clue.  Thanks for your input.


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## Marbledust (Jun 26, 2010)

#1....test the tub drain,for a leak.
#2....run the snake all the way to the street.
#3....you may need a camera guy to look at the sewer pipe?


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## biggles (Jan 1, 2008)

things come in 3sssss :wink: kitchen..tub/washer and water on the floor the plumber snaked whatever the vents had in them an i take it the kitchen worked better:huh:..the gunk he snaked took a trip to the next restriction making it worse...he should of checked the main house dran into the house and down the front of the house and do a good flush out filled tud or washer cycle dump...the water on the tiles is most likely just a burp of water on an internal vent the tub has...if it was a leaking tub it woun't stop...call the tub installers and see if there is some kind of vent built into it...


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## SuzyQ is Me (Aug 19, 2011)

Well...still waiting for the plumber. Anyway, a friend came this morning and put the garden hose into the cleanout and determined no problem between house and street, so problem is in the inside water line. So, no tree roots or anything like that I guess - thank goodness!! Plumber did say he would bring a camera. Evidently problem is between washer/bathtub and cleanout, which is a distance of approximately 20 feet, so hopefully not a huge deal. Thanks all for your advice. And thanks Biggles for the Aaron Tippin video. I hadn't heard/seen that in too long and that's one of the BEST.:thumbsup:


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