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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Q: Dear Ed, I started a "small" bathroom renovation that has turned out to be anything but small! The room is down to the bare studs and I was ready to start bringing in all the shiny new stuff when the plumbing started getting crabby. If I run my dishwasher the draining water backs up and gurgles up through my tub and toilet drains. It isn't a lot of water, but if I run the dishwasher and washing machine together then there is a considerable amount of water overflowing from the open drain lines! I have run rooter snakes through the drains all the way to my septic tank so the drains should be clean. How is this still backing up? I need to fix this mystery now before I put everything back together. Please help! Dawn (Colorado)
A: Hi, Dawn. Your letter had a very big clue that may help you find your problem. First, keep in mind that a washing machine and dishwasher separately use a lot of water. When they discharge the water into a home's drainage system, it can really push the system to the limit. Now, you are running both of those fixtures at the same time, so you are doubling the load of water going into your drains. Pus it's soapy water creating a lot of suds.
The first thing I recommend (and this applies to everyone) is try to avoid running a dishwasher and washing machine at the same time. Remember there is only so much water a normal drainage system can usually discharge easily into the sewer system. Once into the sewers, the water is now drained from a home.
However (and this takes us back to your clue), you are not on a city sewer system. You have a private septic tank. I'm also on a septic tank. Take it from personal experience and my plumbing background, your problem may not be in your drains at all, but in your septic tank and leach field. If the septic system starts to fail, the water may not drain completely from the house and may cause a back-up. My advice, before you do anything else, is to have a licensed professional check, pump and/or repair your septic tank and leach field. Once you restore your normal outdoor drainage flow, you should be good to go with the inside bathroom drains as well!
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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