Hi there. We just moved into a home, and my fiance noticed that we were not getting hot water in the first floor shower. But we were in the second floor shower

I ended up removing the shower hardware int he first floor and tested the hot water by using pliers on the mixer valve. This method allowed for hot water to work. I reattached the hardware, and was successful with hot water again. I assumed it was good to go, until a few hours later.

My wife used the shower, and after my dog was put in the shower (with shower on). I wanted to check something in the basement and the water from the the shower on the first floor was overflowing the sink next to where the wash machines are.

I have a full sink of water now, and going to start draining / taking out the pipes below it to see if there is a clog. I feel tissue in the drain, and am hoping this is the issue.

How does tissue thats blocking the drain in a laundry sink in the basement cause A) no hot water, and B) a drainage issue where the water is actually draining upwards into the laundry sink?

I could feel the water pressure pushing up through the sink until I turned the water valve off.

Just trying to get an idea of how this progressed, and what to do if clearing the trap and drain pipe does not work.

 

I hope your wife and fiancé aren’t home at the same time. How do you schedule shower time? I mean you have wife, fiancé, and dog all wanting a shower at the same time.

 

My guess is that there is a ton of hair in the drain & that's why it backed up into the sink. If you corrected the adjustment in the shower body, you should have hot water all the time.

 

hi again mulligan –

I am not a plumber, just a newbie. But if I understand what you are saying I think the problem has nothing to do with the laundry tub drain in the basement. If you have a blockage in the main line past that laundry tub water will back up and come out the lowest point first. That would probably be the laundry tub in the basement.

In other words, the water from your shower is being blocked to some degree when it is draining out to the main sewer line and is thus backing up into the laundry tub.

I had a blockage in the main line from my house to the septic tank. Water would back up and overflow out the toilet in the basement. However, there was nothing wrong or blocked at the toilet itself.

Turning off the water supply would not affect the water coming up from the drain in your laundry tub.

I don’t think that problem has anything to do with the hot water problem. But to repeat myself, I’m no expert.

 

After snaking the S trap in the laundry tub the issue persisted. Ended up calling a plumber and needed the main line snaked. There were roots in the line. Will be using copper sulfate once a month to help break up the roots.

Now tonight there is a leak in the ceiling after we shower. Complete different issue.

Pretty brief, but any ideas?

 

Look at the caulking first. It may not be the drain pipe.