We recently moved out of a house that was built in the 1960's. The yard was full of beautiful mature trees of all shapes and colors, the roots of which had apparently eaten into our drainage lines deep under the lawn. Although the charm was irreplaceable, the infrastructure demanded an upgrade.
A week after putting the "For Sale" sign in the yard, I noticed the shower was slow to drain. We bought all types of drain clearing chemicals and poured them down the shower. It didn't seem to be working, but after each attempt we thought surely one more bottle would do the trick.
Laundry day came around, but I still hadn't put two and two together. I loaded up the washer and hit the button. After the first drain cycle, I quickly discovered that the drainage line of a washer is actually an open air system. The tube coming out of the washer is not connected to your plumbing; it is simply resting down within a larger tube. An open air system allows for fluids to enter and exit the system... which is exactly what happened all over my laundry room floor. Apparently my shower plug was actually a plug further downstream, prohibiting anything in the house to drain properly. Including the washing machine. Which, if plugged, drains back into your laundry room.
The yard had to be excavated, just short of the "For Sale" sign, and the piping was repaired. I can assure you that we didn't get any potential buyers that week. Four years of college and I still had to learn the hard way!
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