Have you ever noticed the toilet making a gargling sound when you take a shower? This can happen for a few different reasons and is something that you should take care of as quickly as possible. If your toilet gurgles when showering, you may have a plumbing problem that will get worse and require costly repairs, and a blocked sewer vent can also create health problems.
Here are the three main reasons why your toilet gurgles when showering:
Your drain pipes are blocked
The main sewer line is blocked
Your vent pipe is blocked
Blocked Drain Pipes
Something blocking your drain pipes is one of the main reasons that this happens. Bubbling in the toilet may start if your drain is partially blocked, although if water no longer flushes down the toilet, you could have a completely blocked drain. Many things can cause a blocked drain, such as hair, soap residue, oil, grease, and other contaminants.
Blocked Sewer Line
The drain pipe for the toilet is connected to the main sewer line under the house. If you notice multiple drains in the house are slow or clogged, the main sewer line could be the culprit. This can occur if tree roots infiltrate your pipes, if your pipes are losing structural integrity, if there is a build-up inside the pipes, or if something is blocking them like flushable wipes (which should not really be flushed), or if objects like toys get flushed or accidentally fall down the drain. Harsh drain cleaning chemicals with sulfuric acid can also corrode your pipes.
Blocked Vent Pipe
A vertical vent pipe that exits on your roof is connected to the main drain and sewer pipes to allow gas and air to travel safely throughout the drains without causing a disruption in the water flow. Your toilet may start to bubble if the vent pipe is obstructed and the plumbing system does not function properly. An obstructed vent pipe can be caused by tree branches, leaves, small animals, birds, even a tennis ball landing on your roof.
A vent pipe is meant to remove gases and sewer odors from the house and if the vent pipe is blocked, the gases will escape through other drains in the home. If you start to smell sewer gases you should have this fixed immediately as health issues could result such as nausea, drowsiness, shortness of breath, and headaches.
How to Stop Toilet Gurgling When Showering
One of the first things you can try if this happens is to use a plunger in your toilet, although this will only help if you have a blockage close to the surface. You should first attempt to plunge the toilet, although if a blockage is deeper down in your pipes this will not work. After you plunge the toilet, also plunge the shower drain. If you still hear the toilet gurgling when running the shower, consider cleaning the vent pipe and sewer lines.
Clean the Vent Pipe
Make sure the vent pipe has a screen to prevent debris from falling inside and causing obstructions. You have to get on the roof to see the vent pipe and you can clear most obstructions that you can see on the outside and take a garden hose with you to flush water down the vent. See if you can hear water pushing the clog down the drain and if this doesn’t work you can try a sewer snake through the vent pipe and then make sure it is covered and protected properly. Call a professional if you are not comfortable getting on your roof.
Clean the Sewer Lines
A clogged sewer line can cause the toilet to gurgle. If the previous fixes did not solve the problem you may need to call a professional sewer repair service. If the problem is tree roots growing into your lines they can use large equipment to get through the pipes to remove the clog or they may suggest hydro-jetting to clean the sewer lines.
It is important to take care of the plumbing in your house to prevent costly repairs and health issues. Be sure to get all of your bathtub drain parts including drain waste products and bathtub stoppers from Watco, available at FixMyDrain.com
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