Burping toilet

[King3244]

Hi,

I have searched for an answer to this but with no success for my particular problem which is as follows.

I have a rancher with a walkout basement, two bathrooms upstairs one in the master bath and a powder room and two (back to back) downstairs....one in the a master bath and one in a powder room.

When the toilet in the upstairs powder room is flushed the toilet in the downstairs powder room burps. Flush either toilet upstairs and no problem in the lower master and flush the upstairs powder causes no problem in the lower master bath.....LOL....follow all that!

All the toilets are Eljer Titans (excellent toilets by the way) except for the burper which is a American Standard....all the toilets are low flush 6 litre.

We just switched from septic to municipal sewer. We have installed a 2 hp grinder pump which has a lift of 50 feet and a total run of aprox. 400 feet. It was installed per code and to manufacturers specifications.

We cannot determine for certain if this problem started before or after the pump install....but I find it hard to believe that the hook up to sewer is causing this.

I suspect some kind of venting problem but if I am on the roof and the wife flushes any of the toilets I can feel an inrush of air at the vent stack.

Any comments or suggestions appreciated and thanks in advance for any help.

Bob

 

[Jadnashua]

My guess is they did not vent the downstairs fixtures properly and are using the drain from upstairs as a vent for them. They need their vent run above the flood plane of those upstair. Once a line becomes a drain, it is no longer a viable vent, but will work unless both floors are trying to do something at the same time. Without a vent downstairs, the water rushing by is trying to suck their traps dry. Because those upstairs have an open vent, it doesn't affect them when something downstairs drains. If they are plumbed with proper vents, the vent may be clogged.

You can combine the vents to prevent multiple roof pentrations, if you do it high enough, say in the attic (which is often the easiest).

 

[Sponsor]

 

[King3244]

This is not a situation where the trap is trying to be sucked dry. When that upstairs toilet flushes there is a force of air (I guess) that causes a bubble or small belch upward in the lower toilet. It is not sucking it down rather it is forcing the water up.

It is like if you had a balloon in the toilet bowl and broke it and when that air escaped it belches up through the water surface.

I had a closer look today and the upper master toilet and the upper powder room toilet are on separate stacks. I cannot see because of being underground which stack that the lower level toilets drain into.....but from location I would say the lower toilets drain into the same underground pipe as the powder room toilet....but that is just a guess.

The toilets vent, along with the washer drain, first to the bottom of the upstairs floor and then from there I suppose into the attic and through the roof.

I guess after writing that, that it has to be a venting obstruction of some sort or why would it just start doing it?

It was just recently pointed out to me by the better half as in "oh yeah that has been doing that for the last month or so".

Thanks for the input, Bob

 

[Jadnashua]

Bird's nest, bird, squirrel, rat, leaves, etc. can block a vent.

 

[King3244]

I am going to get up on the roof and check the vents tomorrow....thanks.