Clogged drain problem that doesn't make sense

[mstudio]

My neighbor called me to say water was coming out at the base of her toilet when flushed. I thought, easy, needs new wax seal. Well, when I went there, the toilet is flushing fine with no leakage. Shower and sink are within 4 feet of toilet. The sink is clogged so I tried the shower. It drains but there is a backup into the toilet drain, so that's where she saw water coming from bottom of toilet.

I removed the toilet and ran the shower, the water rises in the toilet drain. I plunged the sink drain and it now drains with no backup in toilet drain. I tried plunging the shower to no avail. The toilet flushes and drains fine. I'm perhaps assuming incorrectly, but I figured the drain for the shower/sink is connected to the one for the toilet. So why would the shower backup into the toilet drain if it flushes ok and the sink drains?

I'm trying to help her out since the two plumbers she called want $300 just to come out on a Sunday morning.

Drano down the shower drain? Keep plunging? I tried a simple snake I have but it won't make the turns through the pipes.

Also, all of the pipes are in the terrazzo floor so not accessible.

Any thoughts?

[Markintosh]

Maybe its a volume issue. A toilet is only going to produce about a gallon of water per flush, which won't necessarily fill a 3 inch drain pipe if partial clog is down stream a bit. A sink faucet also does not produce all that much volume of water.

But a shower can produce a couple of gallons of water a minute, and maybe filling the drain pipe with water to the point where it is at the wax seal, causing the leak.

I would consider running a snake in the toilet.

[pqrst]

Maybe use some food coloring into the shower drain to help troubleshoot? See if color shows up in toilet bowl?

[mstudio]

Not a bad idea, might be fun, too!

[mstudio]

I would consider running a snake in the toilet.

Yeah, thanks. My feeble little snake that I own doesn't want to make the turns. I think you are correct about the volume.

[pqrst]

Home Depot rental dept is your friend for things like that. Or harbor freight. The caveat is that an oversized tool (lol) could damage or break the pipes and then that is real trouble.

[BernDog]

Does this need to be fixed this morning? Is there another toilet available somewhere? Monday plumber prices are much cheaper than Sunday prices. Also, check into a “rooter” type of service instead of a plumber.

Edit: Actually, you don’t need another toilet. Put the toilet back with a new ring. Just don’t use the shower until it’s fixed. You’ve diagnosed the problem, and the toilet should be fine to use.

[mattkime]

Its generally better to manually clear a blockage. Having a clogged drain is a mess, but having a clogged drain with a bunch of acid in it is an entirely different problem. that said, if you want to reach for a drain clearing agent I wouldn't bother with Drano. maybe try some of this - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pequa-64-oz-.../202248317

but you need to be good and careful with it.

[Ombligo]

Snake it, I use this from Lowes for $25. I makes the corners, goes over 20-feet, and works by hand or drill.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Cobra-1-4-in-x-...1000774924


You could also run a scope down the line to see what's there, but if the snake doesn't clear it then time to call the plumber..

[mstudio]

Thanks, she does have a second bathroom. So since the sink is draining and the shower is backing up, can I assume the line from the shower to toilet is clear? I'm thinking Markintosh is right in thinking the clog is after the toilet.

I'll see where she wants to go from here. I'm willing to help her out, but I don't want to be responsible for any damage to her almost-impossible-to-access-sunk-in-terrazzo® pipes.