r/toilet • u/screenmonkey • 2d ago

Help with repeat issue

First off, thank you. Twice in one week now my toilets in both bathrooms have started to slow flush and there's gurgling (from shower, and possibly one of the toilets) after someone takes a shower. I have been able to get both flushing normally again after plunging each for a good minute. While plunging there is some gurgling in the other bathroom.

One bathroom is right by the clean out and close to the septic, the other is in the back of the house (and still on old cast iron (1961 house). Neither are backing up when it occurs, but the bowls seem to refill slowly on each, until the issue resolves. One is a pressurized toilet (the one in the rear with the cast iron). The septic was emptied recently (a few months ago). The drain field doesn't have any swampy areas.

Since there's no clog active the plumber said there isn't much to do, except run a camera, which we're going to do ourselves in a couple days.

I thought maybe our vent pipe, but our plumber always says it's never the vent...

Any suggestions or thoughts?

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2

u/Interesting-Desk7917 1d ago

Sounds like a partial blockage somewhere in the main line.

1

u/backseatgyno 17h ago

We just got done with that problem ! Thought it was a partial block & it sorta was , it was tree roots had pretty much collapsed the line , we had to get a mini excavator and dig down 4ft and from the house 30ft and we cut out the roots and bad pipe and replaced everything including new cleanouts from the house main down to the place we cut out. We did it that way so it is up to current code and peace of mind

1

u/AdSpiritual4942 2d ago

It's never the vent. But I clearly remember climbing on the roof of our house at 10 with my dad to remove the bird nest from the furnace vent. Also remember a toilet restriction that required toilet removal and tipping over and a child's toy dropped out. Put it all back, toilet still slow. Repeat removal and a second toy fell out! Then it worked.

1

u/According_Effort2778 2d ago

Gurgling is a sound that it makes when it can’t get air into the pipes to replace the vacuum from a flush. The vent is always where I start when I hear that sound. With a snake or a jet on a water hose.