Sanitary Sewer Troubles

[George Bokros]

My son's house was built in ~1959. The PO replaced the toilet with one of the new water efficient toilets that use 1.6g per flush. He has lived in the house for five or more years with no sewer troubles. They bought one of the new water efficient washing machines and is now having trouble with sewer plugging up. The plumber told him that the issue is the low water flow with the toilet combined with the new washer. The plumber said they need to change brands of toilet paper and flush twice to move the sewerage. Plumber also said that the houses of that age were not built for the low water usage toilets and that is the root of the problem. The sewers in newer houses have more pitch to the sanitary sewers.

It is our understanding you cannot purchase a new toilet that is not a water saver toilet. The used ones he has found are like $499 and need a rebuild. My questions are:

Is there a solution to this problem that is not super costly?

Is the plumber full of sewerage on this issue?

Can a new non water saver toilet be purchased these days?

Thanks

George

[Howard Garner]

Take a day and drive to Canada. Buy a new one there.

[Brian Elfert]

How is the toilet the issue if the problems started after buying a new washer?

[Brad Adams]

I run into this all the time, when a customer gets a new washing machine the sewer troubles start. The old old washers pumped out enough water to flush out the main. The best thing to do would be to camera the sewer, it most likely has a belly in it, causing back ups.

[Bill Cunningham]

Take a day and drive to Canada. Buy a new one there.

Good luck on finding one up here unless it's old and used.

[Wade Lippman]

Good luck on finding one up here unless it's old and used.

New houses have to use 6l toilets. That implies that higher volume ones are still available. Doesn't it?

[Jim Koepke]

The plumber told him that the issue is the low water flow with the toilet combined with the new washer. The plumber said they need to change brands of toilet paper and flush twice to move the sewerage. Plumber also said that the houses of that age were not built for the low water usage toilets and that is the root of the problem. The sewers in newer houses have more pitch to the sanitary sewers.

This doesn't sound quite right.

Plumbing is one of the building trades that some want home owners to respect like the dark arts. There are a few things that can cause big problems. One of them is an air vent that has become plugged up or wasn't connected properly. There needs to be air coming in behind the water so it doesn't create a vacuum going down the drain. There may also be roots intruding into the drain pipe.

Depending on the pipes, one may have collapsed causing a problem.

I can tell you my definition of misery, it is digging up and replacing a section of clay pipe with plastic pipe to install a clean out. DAMHIKT!

jtk

[Mike Cutler]

I run into this all the time, when a customer gets a new washing machine the sewer troubles start. The old old washers pumped out enough water to flush out the main. The best thing to do would be to camera the sewer, it most likely has a belly in it, causing back ups.

+1.
The plumbing doesn't know, or care, how much water an appliance is using. Somewhere there is a blockage. Most likely a combination of old powdered soaps, lint, and toilet paper, maybe a cracked pipe, etc. Sometimes it takes years.
A co-worker had to have his DWV opened up and repaired due to the accumulation of years of dental floss being flushed down the toilet.

[Jerome Stanek]

It could also be to much fall in the lines water will out run waste if the fall is to great

[Jason Roehl]

+1.
The plumbing doesn't know, or care, how much water an appliance is using. Somewhere there is a blockage.

Oh, but it does! When there are "solids" in what you flush, it takes some amount of water to keep them moving along depending on the slope of all the drain pipes. Too much slope, and the water scoots on by, leaving the solid stuff behind. Too little slope, and the water can't "float" the solids away. More water helps overcome a little error either way in this, which could be due to the house settling or heaving.

[Bill Cunningham]

New houses have to use 6l toilets. That implies that higher volume ones are still available. Doesn't it?

You may find one in a scrap pile, or at the Re-store (sells used building stuff) but even in Canada you are unlikely to find a new one that's still a waterhog unless some supplier has a old..old..old. one still in stock from years back..

[Duane Meadows]

Oh, but it does! When there are "solids" in what you flush, it takes some amount of water to keep them moving along depending on the slope of all the drain pipes. Too much slope, and the water scoots on by, leaving the solid stuff behind. Too little slope, and the water can't "float" the solids away. More water helps overcome a little error either way in this, which could be due to the house settling or heaving.

+1. The "plumbing" doesn't know or care... it is an inanimate object! But you will care in time, if there is not enough water flow to move the solids along! You may also learn more about the "black art" of plumbing:rolleyes:!

[David Weaver]

Too bad on the timing, George. I curbed two 1953 casting american standard toilets in the last year, one just a month or two ago. Either one of them would've given your line a dose with each flush. Our water and sewer here is costing me a little under 2 cents per gallon and I couldn't tolerate them blasting a dime's worth of water into the sewer every time someone used the toilet. My house is 1958, and I've had no problems (also have a HE washer).

[C Scott McDonald]

Fill the bath tub up and let it go to flush out the pipes then.