Timmed
New Member
Hi all - I have a really weird problem I have been unable to diagnose. Typical ranch house built in 1963. There is a utility room on the first floor with a large sink. Directly below the utility room is a basement kitchen, also with a sink. The two sinks seem to share the same 2" drain pipe, which then travels under the basement floor to the sewer main.
Both sinks drain perfectly without impacting each other. However, if I fill that utility room sink upstairs and then drain it, water comes shooting up like a geyser in the basement sink below it. I've had the drain line professionally snaked so I don't think there is a clog.
That basement sink used to have some kind of 1-way check valve in the drain line, but I removed it thinking maybe that was the problem. When the check valve was in place the basement sink merely had water gurgle up into it, but now with it removed, the water really shoots up.
My theory is that dumping the upstairs drain might fill that down pipe with so much water that it tries to seek level, and pushes up through the basement sink. So in other words, if the water level in the drain pipe is above the sink in the basement, physics is going to push up the water seeking level.
Is it against code to have those 2 sinks sharing the same vertical drain line? Any ideas on how I might fix this? Thanks in advance, Tim
Both sinks drain perfectly without impacting each other. However, if I fill that utility room sink upstairs and then drain it, water comes shooting up like a geyser in the basement sink below it. I've had the drain line professionally snaked so I don't think there is a clog.
That basement sink used to have some kind of 1-way check valve in the drain line, but I removed it thinking maybe that was the problem. When the check valve was in place the basement sink merely had water gurgle up into it, but now with it removed, the water really shoots up.
My theory is that dumping the upstairs drain might fill that down pipe with so much water that it tries to seek level, and pushes up through the basement sink. So in other words, if the water level in the drain pipe is above the sink in the basement, physics is going to push up the water seeking level.
Is it against code to have those 2 sinks sharing the same vertical drain line? Any ideas on how I might fix this? Thanks in advance, Tim