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Our house is 51 years old. We’ve lived in it for 36 years. 20 years ago, the kitchen sink started gurgling whenever the sump pump went off in the basement (the sump pump is directly below the kitchen sink). The plumber came out and rodded our sewer and the problem was solved.
Two months ago, the sink again started gurgling whenever the sump pump went off. We called the plumber again, but this time he had trouble getting the 4” rod through our sewer out to the city sewer in the parkway due to root buildup (we have overhead sewers, but only had an inside cleanout).
So, we had him dig down and install an outside cleanout at a point after the 4” cast iron connected to the 6” vitrified clay. He then proceeded to finish rodding all the way to the city sewer with a 6” rod.
Following all this, he sent a TV camera through the sewer all the way from our inside cleanout to the city sewer connection, and the pathway was clear except for some rootlets hanging down from the top of the pipe at some connections. We are to apply foaming ROOTX annually to keep those under control.
All this, however, didn’t solve the gurgling problem. In fact, it has gotten worse, to the point where the liquid from the sink trap can be seen bubbling up to the bottom of the sink drain. On one occasion, my wife reported suds actually rising up into the sink which smelled like Tide laundry detergent (our washing machine in the basement empties into a laundry tub which drains through open PVC into the sump).
The sink drains without delay; there is no odor; there is no problem with any of our three bathrooms. Also, we tried running water into the sump while inspecting the sewer via the outside cleanout. Sure enough, when the sump goes off, a rapid surge of flow through the sewer results just as is expected from a sewer with no backups.
Our plumber says he suspects the vent stack might be clogged but is concerned because he feels it will be very difficult for him to get his large rodding machine up on the roof so he can rod the vent.
We’re also concerned about this idea because 1) It seems sort of like overkill to use such a large machine on such a small pipe (we only have one stack on the roof), 2) we wonder what will happen at junctions where the vents from various fixtures connect to the main vent, and 3) we’re concerned about the weight of such a large machine on the roof.
Is there any way to check if the vent is clogged without taking such a heavy machine up to the roof?
Also, I have my own small rod: a RIGID Power-Spin 88387 for ¾” to 1-1/2” drain lines up to 25’ long that’s operated with an electric power drill – would that work on the vent stack?
Is there anything else that could be causing this?
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