You should keep some things separate, such as your toilet and shower. If your toilet is blocked, you can get worse. Although you may not be reminded for many years, these two systems can be connected. If one system is damaged, it could have negative effects on the other.

What is causing your toilet to back up in your shower?

A properly functioning toilet drains through your main sewer line. This allows wastewater to flow from your home to your main sewer. However, if water rises from the drain in your bathroom, this is an indication that your toilet is not working properly. Consider your drains as a river and all its tributaries. The smaller streams (secondary lines) merge to form one river (your main line).

Even if your main sewer line is clogged partially, it can cause backups to smaller lines, such as those that are connected to your toilet or shower.

There are many things that could cause your line to become clogged. But here’s a list:

  • Roots of Trees: Plants are thirsty and your sewer line can provide water. Tree roots are capable of adapting to dry times. The roots of a tree on your neighbor’s block could reach your sewer line and cause water damage. Roots eventually can cause a blockage in your sewer line.
  • Flushed foreign objects: Toilet paper, thick toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, children’s toys and even “flushable wipes” can cause blockage in your sewer line. Water, human waste, and biodegradable paper should all be flushed down your toilet. Any more and you could be liable for serious damage.
  • Hair – Even though it is often slow, hair falls out when we wash our hair. Although it’s not an issue, the hair can catch other substances that should drain normally. It can slow down drainage, or even stop it entirely, if hair is caught in your drain.
  • Pipe Scale: A mineral layer made up of calcium and magnesium that naturally occurs in our water. As long as these elements remain behind, scale can form anywhere water touches, including pipes. This can lead to a blockage of your sewer line.
  • Grease Oils, fats, and grease can cause serious problems if they get into drains. They can also travel to your bathroom from the dishes you wash in the kitchen. If grease becomes too thick to block the main line, you might see problems down all the drains.
  • Other miscellaneous material: Sometimes there are many things and substances that can block your sewer line. A clog can be caused by detergents, soap buildup, or other materials. This could make your toilet and shower drains stop working.

The Fix: How to Stop your Toilet from Backing up in Your Shower

You now know the cause of your toilet backing up into your shower. It is time to fix it.

Be careful before you reach for the gnarly chemicals that claim to get rid of any clog. It’s unlikely that any amount of drain cleaner can solve this problem. Drain cleaner can make the problem even worse. Instead, these are the best ways to clean your sewer line.

  • Turn off the main water supply before you do anything else. The risk of flooding is increased if there is enough water in the drain. You can find your main water supply shutoff in your basement, garage or close to your water heater.
  • Unclog your drain line with a drain snake You will need to carefully feed the toilet snake down your toilet. Be careful as this could leave permanent marks. You should spin the snake clockwise when you go into the drain. Next, turn the snake counterclockwise while you pull it out. Take off the drain cover screws and remove it from the shower drain. The drain snake should be pushed into the curving pipe. It should spin counterclockwise as you go in, and clockwise as you go out. If you succeed, you will find the clog and the snake will draw it out as you spin it.
  • Clean the air. Sometimes a blocked ventpipe can cause the toilet water to back-up into the shower. Find your vent pipe by looking up from the roof. It will be found over your bathroom. Search the pipe with a flashlight. Use a retrieval instrument to carefully remove any blockages near the top of your pipe. To push down any debris further down the pipes, spray it with a gardenhose or a drain snake.
  • Call a local Pasadena Plumber: If all of the above have failed, it’s time for a professional Pasadena Plumber. Our Pasadena Plumbers will assess your situation and find the best solution. No matter the reason, from tree roots up to pipe scale, our skilled Pasadena Plumbers have both the technology as well as the expertise to solve the problem.