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We have two toilets in our house and it seems that the guest bathroom seems to get clogged more often than not. This issue is normally resolved by clearing the overflow outside. I was about to attempt this fix but noticed that the toilet now flushes properly. Nothing was done, to my knowledge, to clear this line.

I have now noticed that the master bathroom, which is on the other side of the house, is having issues. The toilet can be flushed, however, it does not flush the waste. It appears to be clogged as well. Shortly after flushing gurgling sounds can be heard and the water drains slowly.

I’m curious as to what appeared to be a clogged toilet is now clear and the other toilet is now experiencing issues.

Can someone provide any type of feedback or have experienced this or a similiar issue? I have called a plumber out to clear the guest bathroom and all they did was snake the line. Since this is reoccurring and now has moved to the other side of the house, I feel that there is more to it than just a clogged line.

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  • You seem to mention two issues - a clogged toilet in your guest bathroom, and the master toilet not flushing due to lack of water. If your master toilet is not releasing enough water from the tank to the bowl it will not flush. Can you check the tank is being filled up, and when flushing (hold the lever down) it is completely draining the tank?
    – mikegreen
    Oct 8, 2015 at 23:45
  • Do you have any other issues with sinks or showers/tubs draining slowly? (Try pouring down a bucket of water to see). If so, that could indicate an obstruction in a vent line. Is this a septic or municipal system?
    – gregmac
    Oct 9, 2015 at 5:46
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    This is no longer an issue. As I suspected the main line was clogged. Some hot water and a few plunges to the outside trap has cleared the line. Once this was cleared both toilets now function as intended. My guess is that the guest toilet clog finally moved out of that line and made its way to the main line and got stuck there. Since the master toilet has the farthest to travel to get out to the main line, I feel as if the pipes got backed up which then caused that toilet to not flush properly.
    – A.Cancino
    Oct 9, 2015 at 15:33
  • Since your solution did not answer why the guest bathroom was frequently clogging could you let us know the type of pipes. As ojait said it could be roots in the line ant the problem will get worse over time, if plastic pipe there could be a messy glue joint that is catching waste and building up. With a bit more info we may be able to suggest a fix so this won't be a reoccurring problem.
    – Ed Beal
    Aug 13, 2018 at 16:57

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It's highly unlikely that the blockage transferred from one toilet to the other.

If your septic waste line is on a septic tank and leach field you may need to have it emptied.

If you are continually clearing blockage in your main septic line then you might want to consider having a plumbing service clear the main line. The reason I mention this is that it sounds like tree roots have infiltrated your main sewer line. To deal with these tree roots, specific tools are required. The problem could also be a restricted or broken line.

On the other hand, next time you are clearing the line (with a snake from the cleanout?), see what comes back attached to the spiraled head. If you are clearing it regularly, chances are you will see whatever it is attached to the snake.

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