Problem with Drain waste vent system...

[pug_ster]

Another plumbing problem with 80 year old, 3 story house.

This happened on a very rainy day 9 months ago. The tenant in the 3 floor filled up the kitchen sink with water and then let the water go. Somehow the ceiling of the 2nd floor kitchen started to become flooded. I called the handyman and he checked out the pipes and this problem could not be replicated when filling up the sink. I figure that maybe the problem is that water could not get out of the sewer drain fast enough because it was a rainy day after all and I forgot about it.

Now a similiar problem happen to my 1st floor tenant. It wasn't raining hard yesterday and he says that water is spewing out from the Bathroom sink drain. The 1st floor is above ground and we have a basement below. I am not sure how it happened, but I am going to talk to him about it.

On our house, we have a 4 inch waste pipe going from the basement to the 3rd floor that is attached to the toilet and the kitchen waste water on all of our floors. We also have 2 inch waste pipe going from the basement to the 3rd floor that is attached to the bathroom sink and bathtub. If anybody know how I can fix this problem, let me know...

[davidg73]

Originally Posted by pug_ster

I called the handyman and he checked out the pipes and this problem could not be replicated when filling up the sink.

first of all, you need a plumber not a handyman.

secondly, the DWV is supposed to be sealed within the structure. if water flowed down the drain and then out into the ceiling you have a leak. rip out the floor/ceiling but you need to find it.

since it is now doing it onthe 1st floor, you also have a clog or a clogged vent somewhere, though i doubt the vent would cause an overflow.

sounds like you need to find and fix a leak and clear a clog. 2 different problems.

[canoebuilder]

That's right, other then drains on sinks, there is suppose to be no openings where water can come out of pipes.
All vents are sealed and only opening is to the outside.
You have a leak between 3rd and 2nd floor and should be fixed...this is a very unhealthy and dagerous situation. SEWER GAS IS DEADLY!!!
There is also a blockage in the pipe that did move down from ceiling of 2nd floor to below 1st floor bathroom sink and is now blocking the waste water here.
Just because you see a 4 inch pipe in basement this doesn't mean that this is the pipe that is servicing the sinks that are backing up....in other words a smaller, independant pipe, may drain these problem areas.
Someone may have added and added more sinks to an existing line (which may have been desingnated as a vent pipe...a BIG NO-NO.
Get a plumber.
Gerry