I believe there are bugs coming from some of my drains, both in the kitchen and bathrooms.

Scott
by Scott
We even had a frog come up through the toilet in the upstairs bathroom last week. Are there any simple, effective ways to prevent this traffic?
  17 answers
  • Hudson Designs Hudson Designs on Aug 18, 2011
    Hi Scott, Just pump out the septic tank if you have one. If you are on city sewer then???? Call the health department. But to add screen in the pipe is not good. A dried out pea trap can be open route for any thing the the sewer ant's, roaches, gas fumes, but you will get sick from the smell. All sinks, showers, and toilets should have water in their traps.
  • Walter Reeves Walter Reeves on Aug 19, 2011
    What kinds of bugs are you seeing?
  • Terry Haas Terry Haas on Aug 22, 2011
    Does your house have a crawl space?
  • Donna G Donna G on Aug 22, 2011
    well if you have your own septic tank sounds like you have a leak in one of the lines maybe ...
  • Donna G Donna G on Aug 22, 2011
    well if you have your own septic tank sounds like you have a leak in one of the lines maybe ...
  • Give the drains a good cleaning, for the bugs, they may be attracted to something in there. As for the frog....do you have kids?
  • I don't have a helpful comment for your problem but from a comedy perspective a frog came out of my drain once, i thought my wife was going to......die. It was the funniest thing i ever laid eyes on. She nearly tore the shower down getting out of there......hahaha good luck
  • Scott Scott on Aug 22, 2011
    we are on city sewer, and i've seen silverfish, spiders, and of course the small frog. the house does indeed have a crawl space.
  • Paul M Paul M on Aug 22, 2011
    Scott you have a hole somewhere in your drain lines. There is no way that the system can be sealed and operation properly if you have traffic like that. To fix the problem find the opening and repair/replace it/them. You may have more than one. If you don't know how to get to the bottom of the problem yourself call Mr. Plumber, they are on call 24/7.
  • Marsha C Marsha C on Aug 25, 2011
    Do you have a plumbing company that offers a video camera look at your system? That might save you time and find where/if the problem
  • Clare H Clare H on Aug 26, 2011
    It sounds like you have gotten good recommendations already and it's a good thing you weren't counting on me for advice - I'm just SO grossed out! A frog? But, seriously, I hope you figure this out soon
  • Hope Bee Hope Bee on Aug 26, 2011
    I haven't seen a frog, but I see plenty of spiders, including black widow and brown recluse-- and one or two silverfish. Atlanta has it all. I went walking at a nature park with a paved trail and encountered a copperhead snake. Let us know what you decide to do to take care of the sewer issue--good luck!
  • Charlotte C Charlotte C on Sep 01, 2011
    i'm with clare H-grossed out by the thought of a frog in the toilet! glad i havent eaten breakfast yet
  • if you are really worried about it you can have the line camera inspected, then providing there are no repairs to be made to the line itself, you can have what's called a backwater valve installed. this will keep things that are in the "main" municipal sewer line from coming through your line into your home. i suggest cameraing the system first to determine i there are any collapsed spots or holes in the line first though.
  • Atlanta Plumbing Plus Atlanta Plumbing Plus on Sep 01, 2011
    I'm glad some good folks have suggested having a sewer camera run down the line. It sounds as though you have a hole in the line somewhere. If the hole is on a part of your line under the crawl space, then you may have some sewage seeping out there, which is a health hazard. If the hole is in a part of the line buried in your yard then tree roots could grow in to the line and eventually clog it. Either way, you need to find that hole before the problem becomes worse. Typically, when we run a camera down the line, we like to show our customers exactly what we are seeing so they can understand the problem and make an informed decision on next steps. Your plumber should always do that for you. Good luck with the problem.
  • Atlanta Plumbing Plus Atlanta Plumbing Plus on Sep 02, 2011
    Good answer Sheila G. I hadn't thought about the vent line. I guess I should have consulted one of my plumbers before I answered on their behalf. They are the ones with the plumbing licenses. I just sit behind the desk. Glad you gave the great answer that you did!
  • sounds like the septic tanks in the caribbeans