Several times during the past year the toilets and tubs have backed up...in every case, it's when the clothes washer is running. We've had plumbers tell us it's roots in the main line (which they rooted) and then most recently they said they hit mud when they were using the snake. They said the main line at the outside cleanout had a hole in it; they replaced the two cleanout pipes a few days ago. Today, the lines backed up again. When I removed the top to the cleanout line to look inside (both were empty), I heard a lot of gurgling. Can anyone offer any ideas about what's causing the problem and how to fix it?

 

You may still have mud buildup down your main. Try flushing it out with a water hose and expandable bladder that fills with water and seals the line to keep it from backing up and flushes stuff out downstream. You can probably rent the bladder at a rental place. Just call around and tell them what size line that you have to flush out (probably 4").

 

the clean outs that you say are dry,where are
they,at the house or at the street?

 

The cleanouts are at the house. When I took off the cover, there were beads of water near the top like they had been wet, but the water had drained off by then, I guess.

 

the stoppage could be occuring inside
the house,the beads of water are just
condensation(naturally occuring)trapped
air will prevent the water from touching the lid.
let me know if I can further assist