The only reason a toilet will gurgle like that is because of a clog in the mainline. Call maintenencr. They will have to clear it from s cleanout or pull the toilet. No coat hanger or other stupid stuff. A coat hanger wont make it through the toilet let alone the main. And if the water pressure wont clear it a coat hanger sure as shit wont. Call maintenance. Also be weary on using the other plumbing particularly in that bathroom. Everyrhing ties into the toilet. So if you start running a load of laundry it might come back up in the toilet or when You take a shower.
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Toilet keeps unclogging and clogging itself and I'm not sure what's causing it
- Thread starter TheChuggernaut
- Start date
Eye for an Eye
Member
If sewer is something that's provided in your rent, it's more likely that your drains are shared with other apartments. If your bathrooms are located on different sides of your apartment, they're not likely on the same affected line.
I know our main line is in between the first two apartments, and our 2 neighbors on the other side share a main line. If something happens in one, it can cause a back up in the other.
I know our main line is in between the first two apartments, and our 2 neighbors on the other side share a main line. If something happens in one, it can cause a back up in the other.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Toilet paper by design breaks down in water. It's pretty hard to have it permanently clog up unless you're using paper towels or something.
The issue with this is that where are there air bubbles between your house and the street? That rat would have to go straight under water for at least 3-4 minutes.
Edit:
Some brands do better than others. I won't fill in the details, but this could be important to why clogs are happening.
Septimus Prime
Member
Yeah, I had this happen at my house last year. I had to call a plumber, and he had to remove the toilet and run a 4-inch cutter through to clear it.
I'm guessing someone flushed some wet wipes.
Grizzle_Dat
Banned
Its not unclogging itself, its still clogged. The water is slowly seeping through and giving you a couple flushes until the pipe fills up again.
If you don't have septic get some drano and put it in there.
If you don't have septic get some drano and put it in there.
Your drain should never be filled with water if working properly. The only water that should be sitting in the drain line is in the toilet bowl or p-traps. Even in your toilet there is only water in the bowl and a few inches into the interior drain. The rest has no water in it.
Double post but do not put draino in the drain. The bottles even say do not put down the toilet. You will just get a toilet full of diluted acid. And the maintenance guy who will inevitably have to snake it could get chemical burms if it gets on his skin.
NoblesseOblige
Banned
Beavers
Grizzle_Dat
Banned
He can put it in there after the water levels recede then flush it. He just needs to get it into the main drain
Best just to call maintenance. Particularly with older drains draino can eat through and cause leaks. If the management found out he used it, and noticed a leak the could try and get him for damages. Draino isnt too effective in a 3" or bigger drain line anyways.
TheChuggernaut
Banned
If I owned the place I would give this a shot, but I get free maintenance so I'm going to go that route. I appreciate the suggestion though.
I'll update the thread after it gets fixed
TheChuggernaut
Banned
Okay. Quick update. So this is in fact happening. Walked into the bathroom and noticed the bathtub had filled up about an inch with dirty water. Now the other toilet is clogged as well. I'm going to call our emergency maintenance number in the morning
Septimus Prime
Member
It's the main line for sure. You'll need a plumber to take care of that.
darkinstinct
...lacks reading comprehension.
But that acid would really annoy the rat and the snake in there.
We had something similar to this, but the rat was so fat it got stuck half way through the pipe.
Those "flushable" wet wipes shouldn't be allowed on the market, they are terrible for drains and sewers.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/...the-new-york-city-sewer-system-says-dont.html
TheChuggernaut
Banned
Update: Maintance came this morning and attacked my toilet with a snake for about 10 minutes while scratching the shit out of my toilet bowl in the process. It turned up nothing, but the toilet is flushing again, although now the water pressure is really low. He mentioned checking the roof, because I'm guessing that's where the mainline is, but it was raining so he ended up not. He told me to keep an eye on it, and to give him a call if it clogs again, which I'm expecting to be later today because my good friend the gurgling noise is back with a vengeance
That's creepy and gross to imagine
We had a huge blockage in the outside drain from baby wipes. It caused a blockage to the toilets that was periodic because it would take time to back up to the second floor - so it only became noticeable if you flushed quickly a few times or emptied a bath too. Otherwise it drained slowly so wasn't noticeable
Apparently the flushable baby wipes don't break down at all (evidence - disgusting giant ball of wipes in our drain). Plumber said he hated them and wishes they were banned
TheChuggernaut
Banned
So the whole building is clogged, not just my apartment according to the maintenance guy. Now I'm wondering why no one in the other 7 apartments called.
30yearsofhurt
Member
They're probably not squeezing out monster sized fudgesicles like you are.
Exr
Member
Youll need a plumber with a long mechanical snake, probably around 75 feet. After they run that itll be fine.
What toilet paper brand do you use?
Some types can never really break down due to the thickness.
Also call a plumber or rent a snake tool if you're a DIY type. Expect to pay at most $200 for someone to snake out your sewers. Sometimes tree roots can grow into the main lines. Flushable wipes also clog lines since they never break down.
If you're worried about a backup, you can start throwing your used toilet paper in a trash bin.
edit: Looks like the OP's sewer lines are backing up.
Some types can never really break down due to the thickness.
Also call a plumber or rent a snake tool if you're a DIY type. Expect to pay at most $200 for someone to snake out your sewers. Sometimes tree roots can grow into the main lines. Flushable wipes also clog lines since they never break down.
If you're worried about a backup, you can start throwing your used toilet paper in a trash bin.
edit: Looks like the OP's sewer lines are backing up.
It's gonna be those "flushable" wipes. It is always "flushable" wipes.
Alebrije
Member
TheBaldEmperor
Member
Wtf is that???
Tree root?
Tree?
StopMakingSense
Member
Yeah your landlord needs to get that sorted out asap. Your bathroom is the first hole up the line from the blockage, and if everyone in your building uses enough water at the same time, your apartment will get flooded with grey water.
Speaking from experience.
Speaking from experience.
It's definitely some kind of root we had decided but the plumber wasn't really sure either. The previous owner was an older woman and we found some weird things when we moved in like a bath tub full of gallon jugs of water (well, Florida thats not that strange I guess) so theres no telling what she was flushing. It looked like some kind of root or seeds that were flushed and just grew in the pipes for years.
TheChuggernaut
Banned
Alright, so dude had to use like a 200 foot snake down the mainline on top of the apartment building, but he pulled out something that I didn't ask about. Toilet still seemed like it flushing so, but I took a nap and now both toilets are flushing normally again, so I'm going to call it fixed. Thanks to everyone for the great advice and the not so great advice. You're awesome, GAF
TheVampire
Banned
"It's funny how much one little snake can change a man's life.
My bathroom used to be where I went to find comfort and peace.
Now it's the sum of all my fears."
chicko1983
Member
I'm sitting on the John right now and jumped when I saw that
This is pretty funny. Clearly your toilet wasn't the only drain affected since the sewer water was coming up elsewhere, so snaking the toilet would have zero effect. Also, if he's using a snake from the roof, chances are high that it isn't a proper sewer snake and he probably did a very poor job. I doubt he even had a camera to stick down the roof vent to make sure everything is clear. You'll need to keep an eye on things.