clogged shower drain...

[pshammas]

hi all...

I'm fairly new to the forum and have encountered a really irritating (and gross) problem.

Every time I run my kitchen sink, dishwasher or bathroom sink, the drain in my shower drain starts pushing out this nasty mixture of liquid & gunk - it looks incedibly similar to red clay. It's happened two days in a row and I have been unable to get a plumber out over the weekend.

Any clues on what this could be? We have a well, but no septic tank, if that helps. I appreciate any help on this!

thanks!
-pasc

[Gary Swart]

Your main drain is clogged and need to have a professional auger it out. The red stuff could indicate a broken drain line. If you live in Georgia where red clay soil is prevalent, I would really suspect that. When the plumber augers the drain, he should be able to determine what that material is. In the meantime, DO NOT pour chemicals into the drain. They won't help the problem and will create a potential hazard for the plumber. If you already have treated the drain with a chemical, tell the plumber when, what, and how much you used for his safety.

[Redwood]

Maybe not a main but you do have a clog. Toilets are not affected?
You need a plumber to clear out the clog... DIYers seldom have good results and a pro will Git-R-Done!

[grazzy]

i went thru the same experience when the missus stuffed most of our worldly possessions down the garbage disposal. I tried the hose and bladder trick, liquid drano, 15' snake and the whole bit before giving up. when the plumber came i told him about the drano, but i had already used the hose/bladder to cough most of it back out into a drain pan. he used about a 50' electric snake and cleaned it out in a jiffy. after watching him, i believe i could do it myself now, but i'm glad i called him. the $150 charge was probably the best deal i got the whole week. when it gets that bad, it's time to pick up the phone.

[hj]

You are the kind of customer we like. You watch us and think you can do it yourself, and then when you can't you call us back for another lesson.

[grazzy]

the $150 charge was probably the best deal i got the whole week. when it gets that bad, it's time to pick up the phone.

i believe that's what i was saying, but thanks for repeating it.
if non-plumbers didn't try it first, we'd miss out on a whole lot of fun. I've only had to call for backup once in the ten years i've had this house with seven toilets and more plumbing than you can shake a stick at.

[bombjay]

pshammas.
My thought is is may just be the line that picks up the fixtures you mentioned.Not the main. Please follow up and let us know what problem ended up being.