Thank you lefty.....now how can I find the common drain? & trace the vents to the roof? Will it be abs or copper? I have an approx 6" steel pipe going up through my bathroom to the roof - is this the one?

 

I'm not lefty, and I don't know what he is helping you with, but it sounds like you're looking for a vent stack over your bath, and yes, that open cast iron pipe sticking up through your roof will be it.

 

Oldguy - thank you - will check tosee if that's clogged - lefty was helping me with a gurgling sound in the bathtub and kitchen sink when either drained (bathtub gurgled when kitchen is drained and vice versa). I still don't know what a common drain is but will stick snake down bathtub and kitchen - will that do it?

 

Maggie,
I would just get a hose and try to wash the vent stack out (it goes into the drain system) to try to stop that gurgling, before I snaked the drain.
Snake the drains, if you still have the problem.
Good Luck!

 

Thanks for pinch hitting for me Old Guy.

Yes Maggie, that 3" or 4" cast iron pipe going through the roof would aloow you access to the main waste line of the house. Should be easy enough to get a hose down through that and try to clear the clog out. Getting a snake through the kitchen or bath tub drain might prove to be difficult and ineffective. The snake would have to be small enough (probably a 1/4") to get it through the trap and would be too flimsy to clear the clog. It would probably be too short to even get to it. If going through the roof vent doesn't cure the problem, look farther for a cleanout. Another alternative would be to call a drain cleaning service. They have all of the right equipment to clear the line, will guarantee their work, and and aren't that expensive.