Problem with washer draining / water backing up.

[Pitterpat]

Had a problem with washer draining last night, I was not here at the time but saw the aftermath. It was in the 1st spin cycle and draining. Water came up out of the floor drain, the washer got turned off and water stopped coming out of the floor drain. Then about 5-10 minutes later bubbles started coming up out of the bathroom sink drain and the toilet started bubbling.

When I got home all the water was down but the bubbles were still in the sink. I plunged the toilet (it was not stopped up but for good measure I plunged it). and drained the rest of the water out of the washer by putting in the spin cycle. No issues then.

Any ideas? I have pics of the crawl space area where the plumbing is and will post later.
Pat

 

[Redwood]

Sounds like a classic case of a clogged main line.

The fixtures other than the washer may drain okay for a little while but you need a plumber to come out and clean the drain ASAP cause it won't get any better on its own for sure. If you are on a septic system it may need servicing.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Gary Swart]

Washers pump water out at quite a high rate and the clogged drain line can't handle that much so fast. The other fixtures drain by gravity, so there isn't as much water all at once...yet. Clogs do not get better or go away on their own, they get worst. You need a professional plumber with a professional auger to clear the drain. Don't bother with chemicals, they will not clear the clog and will in fact create a hazard for the plumber.

 

[MACPLUMB]

All of the above ! ! !

 

[Pitterpat]

Thanks guys... Tell me, how does a main line get clogged?

Pat

 

[Redwood]

It could either be a problem with the line or, someone putting the wrong things down the drain.

A savvy drain cleaner may be able to tell what is going on to some degree based on what he sees, feels, and hears when working on the line.

A camera inspection may be needed if he feels there is a problem with the line.

 

[CSP]

Do you have a lot of trees near your main line? Roots could possibly be in there making a home for free. If that's the case you need to destroy them before they ruin your line, which is costly to repair.

 

[Jadnashua]

The drain line needs to be properly sloped, and can't have any sections where it is trying to go back uphill - even just going horizontal for a section can be a problem. If the original fill wasn't great, or the layout wasn't correct, it could become horizontal or even uphill. That area will cause solids to slow down, and eventually can plug up a line. Also, if a joint was bad or failed because of movement (say a truck driving over it, or something shifting, it could allow roots to find their way in, or even collapse the pipe partially (or completely), and cause drainage problems.

If they run a camera down the line, they could see standing water that might indicate a belly (dip) or horizontal section, or an up-hill bump. They could also see if there were any breaks or tree roots.

 

[Pitterpat]

No tree roots in the front yd where the main line goes to the sewer. Thanks