Why is my water gurgling?

[IndianaResident]

I've been out of the area for awhile, and now that I'm back I'm noticing a weird deal...

When water is running in one bathroom (shower, toilet), I heard a gurgling in either the other bathroom or in the kitchen sink, and vice versa when the kitchen sink is running a lot.

What do I need to do or look for here? I'm leery of it suddenly overflowing....

 

[hornadylnl]

Either plugged drain or bad venting.

 

[Scutter01]

Aliens.

 

[hornadylnl]

Are you on a septic system or city sewer?

Think of it like pouring gas from a gas can without the vent cap open.

 

[Indybeer]

Either plugged drain or bad venting.

Been there..... done that.....cost me $3000 the day before xmas

 

[Double T]

It is spring, make sure something didn't crawl in and block your vent.

 

[Glock]

Sounds like a clogged vent. It's trying to suck air in through the faucet you don't have on.

 

[IndianaResident]

Its city water system.

What do I do about bad venting?

 

[hornadylnl]

If you've got any clean out plugs, pull them out and see if you've got any obstructions. Go up on your roof and look for a 3-4" piece of PVC sticking up through the roof. Look down in it for any obstructions.

 

[goinggreyfast]

Whenever that happens at our house, it means that the roots from the trees in our back yard have clogged the drain out to the main sewer line. Roto-Rooter comes out, clears the line, and we are good for another couple of years. At some point though, we will need to run another line, but it's a short term fix till we can afford a few $K to fix.

 

[down3green]

.

Make sure all your P traps and toilets have water in them, too.


.

 

[Wild Deuce]

First off ... are you talking about noise from the supply side? or the drain side?

 

[Kagnew]

Whenever that happens at our house, it means that the roots from the trees in our back yard have clogged the drain out to the main sewer line. Roto-Rooter comes out, clears the line, and we are good for another couple of years. At some point though, we will need to run another line, but it's a short term fix till we can afford a few $K to fix.

Yep. Damn maple trees!

 

[IndianaResident]

If you've got any clean out plugs, pull them out and see if you've got any obstructions. Go up on your roof and look for a 3-4" piece of PVC sticking up through the roof. Look down in it for any obstructions.

I do have one of those, and I will look tomorrow when time allows.
Not that I don't believe you, but....what does a drain system have to do with a pipe to the roof?

First off ... are you talking about noise from the supply side? or the drain side?

I'm...not sure what that means.

I hear the noise out of the sink that is not running, when a toilet is flushed so I'm assuming that would be drain side?

 

[hooky]

I do have one of those, and I will look tomorrow when time allows.
Not that I don't believe you, but....what does a drain system have to do with a pipe to the roof?

That's the vent pipe so that basically the drains don't have to suck air through the same pipe the water is travelling through. It's the same principle if you just turned a water bottle upside down to pour the water out. If that vent pipe is blocked, you're getting the same action as that water bottle. glug glug glug

 

[hammer24]

Not that I don't believe you, but....what does a drain system have to do with a pipe to the roof?
QUOTE]

I always thought of a straw and a glass of water. Put the straw in the glass of water and cover the end with your finger (plug the vent). Lift the straw out and the water will not leave the straw until you remove your finger from the end (vent). But here is the better explanation.

The venting system, or plumbing vents, consists of pipes leading from waste pipes to the outdoors, usually through the roof. Vents provide a means to release sewer gases outside instead of inside the house. Vents also admit oxygen to the waste system to allow aerobic sewage digestion. Vents provide a way to equalize the pressure on both sides of trap, thereby allowing the trap to hold water, which is needed to maintain effectiveness of the trap.

A sewer pipe is normally at neutral air pressure compared to the surrounding atmosphere. When a column of waste water flows through a pipe, it compresses air in the pipe, creating a positive pressure that must be released or it will push back on the waste stream and downstream traps' water seals. As the column of water passes, air must flow in behind the waste stream or negative pressure results. The extent of these pressure fluctuations is determined by the fluid volume of the waste discharge.
Excessive negative air pressure, behind a 'slug' of water that is draining, can siphon water from trap seals at plumbing fixtures. Generally, a toilet outlet has the shortest trap seal, making it most vulnerable to being emptied by induced siphonage. An empty trap can allow noxious sewer gasses to enter a building.
On the other hand, if the air pressure within the drain becomes suddenly higher than ambient, this positive transient could cause waste water to be pushed into the fixture, breaking the trap seal, with dire hygiene and health consequences if too forceful. Tall buildings of three or more stories are particularly susceptible to this problem. Vent stacks are put in parallel to waste stacks to allow proper venting in tall buildings.

 

[goinggreyfast]

Yep. Damn maple trees!

Maple and an Elm...

 

[tv1217]

If it start's saying "Zuul", get the hell out of there.

 

[pearlman1966]

Whenever that happens at our house, it means that the roots from the trees in our back yard have clogged the drain out to the main sewer line. Roto-Rooter comes out, clears the line, and we are good for another couple of years. At some point though, we will need to run another line, but it's a short term fix till we can afford a few $K to fix.

Try some copper sulfate. Flush down the toilet should take care of the roots and lots cheaper than Roto- Rooter

 

[goinggreyfast]

Try some copper sulfate. Flush down the toilet should take care of the roots and lots cheaper than Roto- Rooter

How often?