From the around second month we moved into our house our toilet has been backing up like clockwork. I'd plunge the toilet (which filled up the tub!!) sometimes I had to fill the kitchen sinks and 'force' water hoping that the 'clog' would go. Thursday night, May 20, 2004 the drain decided that it would be FUN to not budge a bit in the draining. I was up until 3 a.m. trying to plunger and even went as far as making a trip to Wal-Mart at midnight for Liquid Plumber!
If you don't see your shut off valve above ground or you can't find your emergency drain, you'd better assume that it's underground. You can hire a plumber to find it for you, but it'll cost you at least an hour's pay (about $50) We're going to leave the hole open, probably end up lining it with brick so it at least looks nice from far away. Here's hoping YOU never have this same problem!
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I guess it would be prudent to mention that I had at LEAST did an investigative search, with the help of Christine for my emergency shut off valve for the water from the city to the house as well as the emergency drain. Maybe it's a Georgia thing, but they were BOTH buried about 8 inches under a PLANT. And, they are SIDE-BY-SIDE! Ew! If only I had checked out the stuff right then and there, I would have had a decent nights sleep last night!
When I went out this morning to try and get my drain going I found the reason my plumbing kept backing up was ROOTS! Thin roots had found their way through a WATER-TIGHT SEAL into the drainage system! I was HORRIFIED. I knew that no one would believe me, so I took pictures.
