AboutCortez (cort) Cate Expertise I can answer most questions related to residential and commercial plumbing for buildings up to ten-stories in height. I have excellent knowledge of the UPC, Uniform Plumbing Code and UMC, Uniform Mechanical Code. In the event there is a question I am not sure of I will at least let you know what I think and try to give you realistic options. Some problems are unique and may not have a simple answer. In those cases I will try to give you all the variables I know of.
Experience Since 1972 a California licensed B-1 General Building Contractor, C-36 Plumbing and C-16 Fire Sprinkler Contractor; also installing and servicing Heating, Air Conditioning and Sheet Metal operating as C and C Building and Plumbing, California State License 279516. In 1995 I downsized the company to become semi-retired. Still I remain active in the construction industry.
As head of a company I placed personnel and job safety as the number one objective followed closely by training and continuing education. Always seeking to stay informed of leading edge technology in the industry.
Also I have spent several years as an Apprenticeship Instructor in the Pipe Trades Unions.
Additionally I am a certified OSHA instructor.
Question A year ago, I bought a brand new construction condo. There are only 8 units. A few months ago in my master bath, when I flushed the toilet, there would be a gurgle noise in the sink. When I ran the tub water, the toilet would almost overflow. On one occasion after flushing the toilet, there was some black stuff that came up through the drain in the tub. Not much, just a little..After a few days, the problem just went away. Today however, I put load of laundry in the washer and after a few, I heard a gurgle noise coming from my first bathroom (not the master bath)when checking in out, I noticed that the water in the toilet had drained down some and when looking into my closet which has the water tank, etc..the floor drain started to ooze out an abundance of black debris that contained an odor. After looking in my shower in the first bathroom, it was obvious that some had also come through that drain as well. There is no longer a problem in the master bath, and after having done nothing it went away, but now I have this issue. What needs to be done?
Answer Hi Danielle,
The methods of construction vary a great deal from one state to another; even from city to city there are often different rules as to what is allowed as far as construction is concerned. In some cases (actually quite frequently) Older Motels or apartments are converted to condominium projects. In these instances a lot of the original plumbing and electrical will merely be revamped or simply added to or in some cases remain exactly the same. Not knowing what your particular situation is I can only assume that your building utilizes a common plumbing system and all units or at least most of them are interconnected.
The black stuff is common for older metallic pipe plumbing and not normally a condition of the newer plastic pipe; but it would be possible even with the plastic system.
In your case it would appear that sewage from other sources can infiltrate your unit and this is to be expected under many condo scenarios.
You have either a homeowners association or a building manager in most cases. You should be very aggressive in complaints about this type of occurrence. It will continue to get worse and obviously could cause damage to your condo. What needs to be done and what will be done is most likely two different scenarios. Each system needs to be protected from the others but that would be very expensive to accomplish at this time.
Get together with your neighbors and address the problem if the association does not respond. Document what has happened and check your escrow and the CC&R’s (covenants, conditions and restrictions) of the condo project. Make sure you know what you are dealing with and that may be difficult to determine. You may have to hire a plumber to tell you how the system works . If you do be sure you get someone you trust and you have a good feeling about.
