House drain problems....any plumbers?

[Dan B.]

I have a drain circuit in the house that's gurgling and the lowest drain will backup on occassion...it's only reached the drain opening twice in four years but I'm tired of the gurgling and there is obviously a problem. The drain causing problems is not a sewer drain and we do not have a public sewer system. The septic tank was emptied last winter and did not solve the problem.

It's a grey water drain that is located on the first floor (house is two levels and built on a pad). The upper level has the kitchen drain sink, dishwasher, and bathroom (sink and tub) that seems to be on the same flow system as the lowest drain. When the upstairs tub is drained (or shower running) the drain downstairs will gurgle and as stated earlier, sometimes back up.

The lower level has a shower, sink and washer drain that do not seem to effect the problem drain when used so I'm assuming they are on a different pipe system before thye meet and go out of the house.

If there are any plumbers in the house that can help to solve the problem or is within servicing distance of the Armagh area (on Route 22--40 minutes west of Altoona and 40 minutes east of Monroeville) to take a look....please post, shoot me a PM or call/text 724-840-7145.

[Mater]

i'm not a plummer,But got plummers crack!:D

[scorpio333]

Not a plumber, but I do all my own plumbing stunts. First thing I'd do is check the vent for that circuit. Spiders, birds, leaves, etc sometime like clogging them up and it can affect flow.

[Dan B.]

I usually tackle my jobs also but was looking for some ideas. The vent was something that was kicking around in my head. I'll give that a try!!

[CollinsPC]

Might want to check the vent stack if they are different stacks that could cause a slow drain.

[Dan B.]

There are multiple stacks.

[PaxtonShelby]

What would you do to check to see if a vent is clogged? I have a vent outside that pops up out of the ground along side the house ( not a roof vent ). Maybe shoot the pressure washer nozzle down there on a lighter setting so as not to harm the pipe ( assuming terra cotta down there )?

[scorpio333]

Try a drain snake to check them, lower it in gently and see if it hits anything. If it does, use a garden hose. Find one of those straight hose nozzles, lower it in then turn it on.