how is my bathroom shower drain linked to my kitchen/ bathroom sink?
I cleaned my shower last night with comet. This morning, when i turned on the shower, bathroom sink, and kitchen sink, there was a pause like built up pressure, and then the greenish water that ran down my shower drain from the night before came spitting out. does this mean whenever i i turn on my faucet to get a drink i run the risk of drinking waste water.i rent an apartment. thanks for the help
i can understand if all the pipes drain into the same place but how can the tub drain back up and flow out of the kitchen faucet. isn’t it suppose to be a totally different system - incoming water supply / sewage drains. i don’t understand how that is even possible
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The waste pipes are mostly interconnected. Your problem sounds to me that they are not vented properly. The commode waste line is 3 inch above ground and 4 inch below ground. The sink wash basin etc has at least 1 1/2 inch line. They feed into the 4 inch waste line. If they are not vented properly they well not drain properly. It is same principle as holding water in a straw by holding your finger over one end. The incoming water is completely separate.
you have two seperate water supplies using different pipes. one is the incoming drinking water which feeds all your water taps, and anywhere you draw water from. the other set of pipes is the waste water system which takes water away, when you flush the toilet, or pull the plug on the bath, or kitchen sink, the pipes all go into one larger pipe and exit the house to join the main sewer.
All the 2″ drains in the house…the kitchen sink, lavatory sink, tub/shower and laundry all join up at some point to the 4″ main, that goes out to the street. The shower and/or tub is the lowest drain. Gravity=it’s going to back up there.
It is very common to connect the kitchen and tub drains when building a home. It is also very common to attach a lavatory sink and shower/tub drain line on the same vent line. If your kit sink backs up into the tub, they are connected and are stopped up. Snaking one should clear the other, if the blockage is where the common connection is located. You may have to snake both lines individually, if they are stopped up before they reach the common connection, but that isn’t likely given the scenario you’ve explained.
**Also, since you said you’re in an apartment, if you are on a lower floor and there is anyone above you, they could be connected to the same vent lines. If you’re on the top apartment, it’s isolated to your unit. Be extremely cautious trying to snake it yourself, so you don’t damage the pipes and create a leak into a lower unit.
Since the toilet is not affected, it can’t be the 4″ mainline.
The water supply lines are not connected to the drain lines.
Good Luck!!
Susan
No. The sewer pipes and water-supply pipes are separate systems entirely. I suggest calling the landlord.