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What would cause a plumbing backup whereby taking a shower and the backup comes out of the washer hookup pipe?

Help! This is the second time this has happened. My daughter took a shower and all this gooky water and stuff, black sooty stuff came out of the washer hookup pipe into the kitchen. Is this normal...I live in a duplex and we have city sewer system.

Public Comments

  1. your sewer drain between your duplex and the city line is clogged or partially clogged. a plumber can tell you if it is on your side or the city's. if it is on the city's, they have to pay to unclog it. i would check with your neighbors to see if they have similar problems. if so, contact the city. if not, contact a plumber and have him run a snake. if he says it is on the city side, the city should reimburse you for the expense.
  2. If the backup is occurring only in your apartment, then you have the blockage. Call a plumber, as you can't fix this yourself. There are usually cleanout access's that can be opened & the problem solved. Do this before it gets worse.
  3. Depends on what you use for soap that would produce soap scum...let's see what would be in the clog. Shampoo cream rinse bath soap lint from clothes type of laundry soap: liquid vs dry. Dry can cause a blockage because over time it is like cement. regular soap for bathing dishsoap... Sooty stuff: could be a break in the line...
  4. no its not normal...sounds like your line need to be cleaned out from your outside cleanout, you can try plunging your shower but you really have to know what your doing I know that sounds stupid, either that or get a plumer to come over and run a drain snake down through your shower and clear the line, it only gets worse,.....
  5. Same as Fred B.You probably have a sewer backup however every city is different, as far as being reimbursed,I though the same but when we asked the city about who's problem is it they, told us that they changed that rule or law and anything on your property front or back is the home owners ,so it can be snaked easily but check with the city as who has to pay for it, if that's a problem.
  6. Let's presume that the washer "hook-up" pipe is actually the washer drain pipe. (usually has a sort of bent hook made of black rubber hose and is hanging from a pipe or hole in the wall) If the yucky stuff is coming up the kitchen sink, then all of the drains (shower, washer, sink) are in series. Try this first--the easy way--pour some Liquid Plumr stuff down the shower drain. Follow directions on the bottle. Are there trees between your place and the street? If so, hit a hardware store and ask for a type of drain cleaner with copper sulfate as an ingredient. This will kill any roots that may have invaded the main sewer line and they will shrink and die. This is a band-aid for now. The roots will return and you can repeat the process, but the trees may have to be removed or the sewer main may have to be replaced eventually. Try the easy way first--oops! pour some of the Liquid Plumr down the sink as well. (¦<)>
  7. Sounds like a non-working diaphram(?) in the pipe systems. The piece that is faulty needs replacing. That all outlets goto one central outlet being controlled by downpour of content into the mains. The diaphram actually opens only 'one-way' and this sounds like it has gone into fault. Usually closing automatically when its not being used..it maybe frost..might be erosion..it could be something else. If all is coming back then it might mean also the central blockage is pushing all of its garbage into your drainage systems (is there a cistern? if so, is it working - does it still wreak?) whereby you have a bigger problem...if you call out the village sewage guys to check it out they will probably notice the blockage and fix it for you. I don't know if this is happens where you are..but where I am the case is solved like this; for every blockage outside of the home..in the street or alleyway..walkway etc the local county deals with it. For every problem found in your home you have to pay for it. Best get a certified person to take a look at it. Hope this helps.
  8. your shower is on the same drain as your washing machine, the drain is stopped up and it is backing up at the lowest point. the drain needs plumbers snake ran thru to clear line. Without seeing house, I would assume shower is on 2nd floor and washer is on 1st
  9. a sewer blockage is somewhere