13 year old video that just keeps on giving. Accept my good Karma flowing your way for taking the time to post this!

You know you're a true man when you still heart comments 7 years later

Solved my problem! 23 year old first time homeowner. Thank you

awesome casual approach, as many a homeowner will just "lose their mind!" when being troubled by plumbing pipes.

This so worked for our problem. Our toilet was trying to over flow and all the drains in the house were gurgling even the laundry room at the washer. We had to do both the vents and the second one did it. Thank you so much for posting this. Saved us some much needed money.

2:32 "First, we take the garden hose, and then we look at Skeeter over here." But I don't have a Skeeter! I guess I gotta get used to the gurgling toilet. lol

Please give Skeeter his own TV show. He is definitely ready for prime time. (But keep the ladders away from him... He no likey!)

Part of living in apartments is dealing with slumlords and having to fix your shit yourself anyway. Trained me well for home ownership but I got sick of fixing things nice for the next tenant. That's the main reason i wanted my own house. If I'm doing it anyway might as well be putting the work into something of my own.

you know you’re a true man when you still heart comments 13 years later

Yep! Thanks a bunch; Toilet took multiple flushes in one sitting to get down. Just tried your method, took 5 min., and it's now a one flush toilet.

Well if you're worried about stuff getting in there, vented caps do exist to cover it but allow it to flow freely and keep the debris out.

I’m going to try this tomorrow.. this is my cousins house and she doesn’t have a lot of money, so a savings would be such a blessing.. I saved the video so I can get back here, I’ll let you know my results and thank you so much for the video, you’re awesome!!

OH my gosh!!! THANK YOU!!! Pretty sure this will fix our problem unless its an animal or something else that would make it so difficult to get out, but really just had two plumbers out here spent $320 dollars all together and problem still is not fixed, so really really appreciate this. We have the exact problem you do, run the washer and toilet and kitchen sink gurgle while the tub backs up, NOT fun :)

The downstairs toilet was trickier. Pulled it and poured over a gallon of Draino down the pipe (can't pour it down the toilet if the toilet doesn't flush) and let it set overnight. Poured 5 gallons of hot water down the pipe and it didn't sound right. Poured a second 5 gallons down and then heard the music of water gushing down a long water slide to a happy ending. The clean out outside confirmed water was going through. Put the toilet back on and....no flush. This meant that the problem was at the toilet itself, perhaps in the trap of the toilet. I had previously snaked it with no results but I got the snake out again. Managed to get it inserted and started turning the handle. Mysteriously, water started draining from the bowl! Gave it a few more turns just for good measure before retracting it. Poured a 5 gallon bucket down and it went! Did 2 more just to be sure and it flushed like there was a vacuum going out to the septic. I have no idea wth was going on or what the obstruction was. Maybe it was a combination of things.

Dropped $160 on a battery operated snake just to find out that all the lines feel clear. Gonna try to check those pipes tomorrow to see if that's the issue. Thanks for posting this video. I was operating under the assumption that I had a huge clog in my drain line.

Great video, had this problem for awhile where the toilet would bubble when i showered, then the shower started to get backed up. Stuck a hose down the vent, flushed until the tub was about half way full with dirty water, leaves, and what appeared to be slime/sludge. Started to drain faster then i had ever seen it before. Thanks again

Thank you soooo much.. My husband and I snaked it and ran water through it and it works great!!! It only took a few minutes.. I can’t thank you enough. Happy Memorial Day and Happy Birthday to me! Lol

Thank you so much! my washing machine does not drain and it smell like sewer when it is filling up with water! I've had 3 plumbers come take a look and all they did was use the snake on it. It would work for a bit and then go back to a slow drain. Vent pipe was never in their diagnostics so I will try it :)

Success! We followed your instructions and the vent was blocked. The hose down the vent unstopped it. Thank you very much.

Came for the advice, stayed for the ducks

I got creative for a 2nd story bathroom/vent pipe. Pipe snake encountered no resistance so I poured a half gallon of Walmart Great Value Drain Cleaner Maximum Strength dissolves tough clogs fast Professional Strength Gel from the roof down the vent pipe. Instructions say wait 30 minutes and then follow up with hot water to wash it through. I waited almost 2 hours and then went back up there with 2 buckets (3 gallons) of hot water and poured them down. Checked the toilet and there was still no flushing. I figured I'd have to call someone and had been beaten. 3 HOURS LATER, after telling the gf to not use that toilet, she was sitting on the couch and I was in the kitchen when I suddenly heard what sounded like someone flushing the toilet upstairs. It sounded like there was 20 feet of full pipe flushing down. Sure enough the toilet started flushing again. Just to check, I put about 15 gallons of water down that toilet and it went down with no problems at all. Monday I'll be doing the other smaller vent pipe for the toilet directly below this one. The drain cleaner was less than $6.00 a bottle.

@shartne Yeah, I'm glad I didn't have that problem! When I flushed the other vent pipe over the bathroom even though it was flowing just fine, lots of roaches came running out of the top of it everywhere! That explains why I found roaches in the bathtub once in a while in the summer.

Thanks Harry...wow 721k views...a lot of plumbing issues out there. That's why I'm here. Good vid! Love Skeeter.

Yeah, plumbers are EXPENSIVE! Yet I don't know a single rich one... go figure, lol.

Thank you! I fixed the problem last year doing this and had forgot how to do it! Thank you!

This has been quite the day for us. A week or so ago we noticed there was a leak in our main water line into our house. We weren't able to get to it until today. My husband exposed the pipe and saw that there was a valve there that the water was leaking out of. He tried to tighten it and then was trying to remove a nut that was on top of it, not realizing it was the valve itself. water started spraying out and he shut it off at the main shut-off. At this point he inspected the valve he'd removed and realized the washer was bad. Went out and got a replacement and put it back on, no leak. Yay! In the process of turning on the faucets in the house to get the water going again we noticed that under the house there was a broken drainage pipe (I'm assuming that's what it's called. very new to all this.) when we turn on the kitchen sink it seems like the water is just draining under the house. If we flush the toilet or run the bathtub faucet the water level in the broken pipe would rise a little and overflow it. Not much, but some. It's the weekend and seeing as we have no idea how long it's been like that, we decided we'd just call a plumber or something on Monday. I decided to take a shower (different shower than the one we were working with earlier) and noticed the drain was clogged. Didn't think too much of it as I have long hair and it happens. But when I pulled the hair out, it didn't fix it. Also, the toilet in that bathroom is clogged. No amount of plunging seems to help. The sink in that bathroom seems to be working fine but the sink next to our washing room in the garage nearby also had some standing water in it. We decided to try flushing the drain vent after watching your video but the water backed up into the garage sink and bathtub (but didn't seem to in the toilet). Any idea what this could be? We're probably going to have to bite the bullet and call a plumber but it would sure be nice to not have to blow the few hundred bucks that's going to cost..

I have a washing machine that leaks, I have checked all the hoses and the mechanics are looking fine. I have noticed when it leaks there are a few leaves. Thank you, I would have never have thought to go to the roof! I do not have any issues with backing up to the sink or bathtub or gurgling noises. I will let you know how it works!

Very helpful. Still diagnosing downstairs tub sink and toilet backup. Upstairs running fine and main drain clear.

I love your little duck! I have an issue with a sink gurgle when the washer drains. No where else, just the sink. I have run a hose down the only air vent I know of to no avail. I think there is probably another short air vent connected to the washer drain somewhere and may vent under the house. I'm not going under to see! Next is putting in a new p trap below the washer drain stack and running a snake down that drain as far as I can while I have it opened up. Maybe years of lint is part of the problem down there somewhere. My husband built this house and he knew where all these connections were but he can't tell me from Heaven. Your video was great and good luck with those pine needles.

Thanks man ,it worked for me ! I can use my washer now,my wife is super happy 😊

I did exactly what you did, also added a "pressure bladder bulb" to my hose. The problem was that the vent pipes in my house were NOT leak proof... so we had water come out of the walls..one thing to be aware off. Glad I only run it a short time... I think a snake might do less potential damage, but hey, thats how we learn, right? Thanks for the video.

Thank you! Worked like a charm. Glad I started here before snaking!

You're a genius. Thank you so much! did this and it worked. you saved this homeowner hundreds of dollars!!

Here is something I do to help prevent clogged drains. About once a month, I fill the tub and all sinks about 1/2 way, once that is done, I pull the plugs and let them start draining, and flush the toilets. This pushes a lot of water all at once down the main drain, so if there is anything in the pipe that could start causing a clog, it is usually pushed all the way to the city or septic tank. A very easy and cheap way to possibly prevent a main line clog.

The hose, worked for me and done in 30 minutes - awesome. Also great tip by Liberty Patriot to put a 180 elbow on it. Thank you both !!!

I didn’t know what I was doing but this worked amazingly! I feel so accomplished. Thanks!

Thanks for the comment! This is a very common issue as you have seen. :-D

1. Checking for leaks? The first one was at the hose bib! haha 2. I think it is great you have A/C set up for the duck. 3. I bet he would like a bigger tub. Dig a hole, line it with heavy plastic and place rocks around the edge. You will see a big smile on his beak. :)

DUDE ,YOU R DUCKING AWESOME! I HAVE SPENT FOREVER SNAKING DRANO ETC.. THE SNAKE GOES THROUGH CLEAR , WATER WOULD'NT GO DOWN, I STARTED THINKING MAYBE THEIR WAS A VENT. SEARCHED YT AND WA LAA .BAMM. I AM BROKE AS A JOKE. YOU SAVED ME BIG TIME!

Thanks so much for this! Had the same problem and just finished hosing out our vent stack. Toilet has never flushed this good!

Wow! Thank you! My landlord is elderly and will try to do things himself. We just had a bad hurricane and the neighbor's tree leaves probably got stuck in there. I didn't know these existed!

You're alright, man! Not bad!

Hey Skeetes! If you're flying around Northern Oregon swoop on by and take a load off. You can rule the roost for a few days and I'll give you some nice treats...

Yeah I just paid a plumber $229.99 plus tax to do this. Wish I'd seen this video first! Very informative!

Nice video, i wanted to ask you , if you live in a block of flats. how would it work then? I mean if i have no hose or if i dont know of where the external vent pipe;s location? What i did in the kitchen sink is i ran a rubber shower hose (shower hose which you plug on the facets and then use as a portable shower) from the facet straight to the drain and it seems to helped the drainage. Please share your thoughts or suggestions on this and my question. Thanks

What would I have done without Google & KZfaq?!....Many thanks to The Duck!

What could possibly go wrong cleaning a drain vent? I rented a Milwaukee power snake which was used to clear an upstairs tub to vent pipe which was teed to the soil pipe. Starting from the tub to the vent, the snake found black walnut shells from squirrels which jammed the snake causing it to break off inside the pipe. The bathroom floor had to be sectioned off and cut using a circular saw. The pipe to the vent had to be cut, allowing the removal of the broken snake. A wet/dry vacuum placed on sawed end of pipe and a juice can (seal) on roof vent pipe allowed the shells to be sucked out of the vent and soil pipe. Three days later after using a rubber union on the sawed pipe and replacing the bathroom floor and replacing the rented Milwaukee snake with an exact new one, I was done! Nothing is as easy as it looks. Chit happens!

This guy should do voices for cartoon characters. What a great voice! Enjoy the videos too. And the duck!!

Omg I’m gonna try this! If it works I’m gonna love you forever. When I do laundry the toilet used to bubble up... I used chemicals to unclog the toilet and now the bubbles have moved to the kitchen sink..... stay tuned

In California a plumber is NOT allowed to get on the roof to clear anything. (Due to insurance issues) It doesn't matter that most older homes in Los Angeles were built with roof vents. We had to have a plumber relocate a clean out BUT we still have the backup issue just not as often. (the clean out isn't the real issue, the clay main has "moved" from a joint and we don't have 100% drainage from out main...another $2000 to $3000 to fix that) Really wish I had seen this post before we paid $750 to relocate a clean out that only works sometimes.

Question,,,, just bought a new house, and looks like the basement bathroom wasnt even vented into the main system,, is there a way to tell if it has been vented at all? the reason I suspect this, is because they installed a a small holding tank just outside the bathroom, that pumps to the main tank, they did not want to smash up the concrete to connect tothe main venting as it is at the other end of the house, my theory is they didnt bother to vent it at all? so bathroom toilet shower and sink suck air and gurgle like crazy as well as the toilet doesnt flush the greatest,, I am wondering if we should try your approach or get one of those Air Admittance Valves? Any opinion??

I just did this and it worked perfectly

I am having issues when we take a shower it bubbles back in the toilet and then water stands in the tub. It later slowly goes down and we have pushed a water hose in the drain vent and water started coming up in the tub with small debris. Had a friend snake it and got a little bit of hair and stuff but still having issues, could it be deeper in the pipe (used a 15 ft.) or just a tougher clog?

Well in the video I discussed checking to see if there is any backflow in the sinks or tubs or behind the washer anywhere when the hose is filling the vent. If the vent isn't plugged, and rather your problem is in the main drain, then yes you could get the water surging up into tubs and toilets and other low places. As far as a woman following hte procedure, it shouldn't matter, but if you were my girlfriend I'd tease you just because, lol! :)

A lot easier with a one-storey house than with a two-storey! My vent pipe seems to be blocked, but I'm guessing with ice rather than debris. Unfortunately, the thaw is a long way off. Getting up on the snow-covered roof could be deadly.

Thanks for posting this... it worked killer on my system!!

Harry the homeowner- we've had Roto rooter and a plumber out due to an odor in second bathroom and slow draining. I've spent $300 on nothing and this is genius yet so obvious.! thanks a million I'm trying this tomorrow. tell skeeter hi

Man,connect that A.C. window unit for Skeeter!!!! Lol !!!! Thanks for the vent tip,i will try this.

Another great home improvement lesson.

I have several of these vents on my roof. Is it usually the one right above the bathroom that's giving you the trouble that needs flushing out? I have 2 bathrooms. One is just fine and the second one is terrible. The toilet is clogged and whenever I plunge it, water fills up the tub..nasty sewage water. I really can't afford a plumber, so need to try to do this myself like you did!

Thank you for this great video. My house does this when it rains or after it is very windy and debris fall in the bathroom vent.

The stack vent is for allowing air to flow behind water.

clamp a 180 degree (2 x 90 degree) elbow on top of vent pipe, nothing will ever fall into and clog it ! Install so that it can be removed easy for future cleaning!

So my washer backs into my tub, all other drains work fine. Snake pulled up nothing from the tub (though it only went 4ft soooo idk) what do you suggest? Also snaked the drain where the washer hose goes but nodda. 😕

Thank you I’m trying this tomorrow ! I’ll give an update !

I have a situation the sewer came out and unclog my drain ran snake through the main drain to the road and then after he left or after he cleaned it out there’s just a strong sewer smell in the house now and when you flush your toilet or run some water in the sink, smell is even stronger. I think so also gurgle but there’s no water back up

Thank you so much for the great video - this helped me so much! You're a life saver! Cute duck too~

I have 3 toilets: 2 on the 2nd floor and one on the first. Showers in both bathrooms upstairs. When I shower in my bathroom, toilet gurgles. I tried plunging it, but it wouldn't go down. I then went downstairs and noticed that the toilet on the first floor was drained of water a d water was all over the floor. I live in a townhouse so I don't know if it is my issue or the HOA. Plus, the HOA takes care of the outside. I think they would be the ones to get on the roof. Any suggestions? Jim

@blktrek Awesome! Glad to hear that worked out for you. There are vent caps that you can put on their to keep out leaves, birds and squirrels. Thanks for the comment!

I watched this video to get a better understanding of the venting due to toilet gurgling and I tried my toilet and it flushed after 3 days of slow drain and gurgling , watching this video fixed my toilet 😂😂 thank you sir next time i will try the vent and hose method !

@twoheadz73 Hahaha! Simple as it is, that same problem got me twice. I need to put a screen over that thing, I think lizards, pine needless, and palmetto bugs are going in there and stopping it up. Thanks for the comment! :)

I would like to thank you for your utube video . It did solve my problem and it cost me nothing . Again thanks .

@groutaone Is that eskimo for "I love you, too" ? :)

I have 4 pipes on the roof, 1 is small like yours above the washer, 1 is small like yours above the kitchen sink, and 2 big ones on the other side of the house side by side between both bathrooms. There is a white pipe going from attic to roof which is 1 of the 2 big pipes outside. Which of the 2 big pipes is the plumbing vent?

Nice to know this. Good info. Might come in handy in the future. Thanks

Thanks for the info! I will let you know it this solves my gurgling problem. At first I thought It was a backed up inlet pipe to my septic tank.

It could be a broken/rusted vent pipe venting sewer gas into the wall. Thats kind of an unusual situation, though. I'd have someone look at it and get their opinion before you accept any answer from me, though. Are there any leaks or wet spots on the floor when you peek around there?

When my washer is going the water comes through my basement brick foundation (I drilled little holes in the bottom of the block to relieve the pressure). Luckily it's coming out where my sewer drain is in the basement but I want to fix it. Any ideas on how I can do this? Thanks, Rob

I've put new screens in my leased townhouse including the patio door screen. I've also installed the guts in both of my toilets and put a new fociet in the kitchen. A very expensive one. I haven't even got a thank you from my landlord. No water is backing up in the kitchen sink, I can turn the garbage disposal on the water goes down soon as I turn it off the water comes right back.

@MagicCadillac Yeah, the pine needles this year REALLY suck!

Okay great video I've got almost the same problem as u did so I'm going to give this a try!

Thank you so much!!! My house has been the same

Hey! I followed your advice and it worked great for about 4 days. Flushing better than ever. Now it's back to not flushing. Should I do it again or do you think it's something else?

When u flushed ur toilet did it also fill ur tub? Just bought a house and my toilets gurgle when washer drains, and tub fills with dirty water when my toilet flushes.

Nice work, man!

I L-O-V-E this guy and his duck and his know how. Calling my friend now to spot me TONIGHT to do this! Thanks!

Awesome! Glad I could help!

You can also do an easier route by using a clean plunger to use on bathtub drain usually does the trick. If it does not work, head off to the vent pipes on the roof and follow your instructions.

This must be the video everyone was talking about, they stick the hose in their vent and then get it stuck and get all pissed off lol.

is it safe to pour drayno or something down there?

Thank you for sharing, I have a question, perhaps you can answer, every time i run water in the kitchen, the bathroom floor gets soaked, any suggestions?

Perfect opening line!

@monarch1957 Yep, I gotta clean off the roof and the gutters again. For us it is also our rainy/muddy season. Though this year its later than usual.

That doesn't help unclogging the vent, it will however do wonders for the tub drain if it is clogged. Same process also works for a bathroom sink, just cover over the overflow hole with a wet rag or a second plunger.

Excellent video. Thanks!

That wasn't to insult, it was to give others something to relate to. We all know those kind of people.

Thanks gorgeous the awesome video! This totally worked for me

hey, I just wanted to know if this may help my problem. I have a modular home on blocks and my master bathroom (our only bathroom ) has been acting weird for some time. I have septic and a drain field. ok. my vent pipe is in the attic. I have ridge vents in my roof. my toilet bubbles when flushing and I can hear it drain through the bathtub but doesn't come up.When bath water is unplugged,loud bubbling and water come up through the sink and bubbling in toilet. would hose clear it?

Great idea! Thanks for sharing.

We have been having issues with our toilet flushing and when our tub drain the toilet and sink gurgle then the toilet doesn't want to flush and we have to plunge it. When we plunge the toilet the sink and tub gurgle. We have had our septic tank pumped out and snaked everything out but still having issues. I'm so glad I found your video. We were at a loss. We rent but our landlord is an older man and doesn't want to be bothered with any issues. When we were walking around the yard last fall we noticed a ton of red wasps congregating around the pipe on the roof. I wonder if they have build a nest in there and have blocked it?? Bot looking forward to trying to clear it out. Not sure what to do.