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scout1912 · Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Brooklyn, NY

I live on the second floor of a six-floor apartment building in Brooklyn, it's a pre-war built in the 1920's. For the past several months I've had a terrible problem with water backing up into my bathtub drain. It isn't my drain that's the problem - this happens when I am at work and haven't been home for hours. It has nothing to do with when I run my own water. I come home and find all this brown stuff in the tub, it looks like it's part of the inside drain breaking off. It looks like bits of cardboard. There's no odor when it happens. I've also been home to witness this - the drain makes a gurgling sound and water starts coming up. This always happens after my upstairs neighbors are running their water - I can hear them turn on the water and then it all comes up my drain. Sometimes it's soapy water. The water goes back down eventually, but lately it's been so bad that I have standing water in my tub for hours. It happens when I'm not home, when I am home, when I'm in the shower, anytime. Normally my drain is very clear, my own water goes down fast and I use a hair catcher when I shower. I've used Liquid Plumber several times even though I know the problem is not my drain. My landlord is very slow to help and did have a plumber come by to snake my drain, and all he got out was a clump of hair the size of a nickel. They won't listen to me when I tell them it has to do with the upstairs neighbors. The landlord thought maybe they snuck a washing machine in but they said they don't have one. The landlord had the main drain in the basement cleaned out, but it made no difference.

I should add, the drain is a standpipe just outside the tub and I always make sure it's open. When the water starts coming up, closing the drain doesn't stop it, which I find odd. It's too much of a coincidence that this only happens when the upstairs idiots run their water, but my landlord doesn't seem to get it. I am at my wit's end with this. It's so disgusting having to deal with someone else's used water. I'm afraid to shower or take a bath because I never know when I'll hear that gurgling sound and have to jump out. Can anyone help me? I love my apartment, it's the best one I've ever had and I really don't want to have to move. But if my landlord and a plumber can't figure it out I don't know what I will do. It's Sunday so the landlord can't get the plumber to come today - meanwhile, I have six inches of water standing in my tub that keeps getting higher. I used a bucket to dump some of it out. If anyone can help me I'd really appreciate it, this is so incredibly upsetting. Thank you Crying or Very sad

thescruff · Moderator Joined: 03 May 2003 Posts: 4616 Location: Bath

Surely the Idiots upstairs have just as much right to use the bathroom as you have. And which of the idiots is causing the problem or are they all at it.

If they are still talking to you why not get them to run the water next time the plumber turns up.