LESLIE: Something’s bubbling in Tennessee and it’s at Linda’s house. What can we do for you?
LINDA: Hi, I have a bathtub and a toilet that sits sort of close to each other and when I drain the bathtub the toilet bubbles up and then the water drains out of the toilet almost all the way.
TOM: (chuckles) That’s funny. The reason that’s happening, Linda, is because there’s a venting issue. The toilet is probably not vented properly or the bathtub is not vented properly, so what you’re seeing is an imbalance of pressure in the drain lines and it’s kind of sucking or drawing down the toilet as it tries to find air to replace all of the air that’s being pulled out by the action of the drain. So you need to have a plumber evaluate where the drain pipes are – where the vent pipes are running and you may need to add an additional one somewhere to let more air into that system so that doesn’t happen. That’s a fairly common condition in a house that’s not vented correctly.
LINDA: Alright, well thank you very much.
TOM: You’re welcome, Linda. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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