Question
PLEASE RESPOND ASAP! Hi. I live in a townhouse for 3 years now. My bathroom & my neighbor's bathroom face each other. When they use their sink, it gurgles in my sink trap & the sewer gases come into my bathroom & house. I can hear it gurgling even if I'm on the first floor. I have to keep the window open because of the smell. This started a few months ago & it's getting worse. What could be causing this? I would like to have an idea on the solution before I call the landlady. She seems to always want to take the easiest & cheapest way out of the repairs. I live in Pennsylvania.
Thank you very much. I appreciate this service that you provide.
Answer
You and your neighbor have a common drain line shared between your units. When there is a back-to-back plumbing like you have, the chances of having a drain blockage is doubled. The gurgling sink is a sign of a partially plugged up line. And the sewer gas entering your bathroom could be the result of a dry trap or partially dry trap.
Possible Fixes
Call a plumber in your area to do one or all of the following:
1. Run a cable through the bathroom sink
2. If #1 didn't fix it, the mainline should be cabled. But I doubt if it's a mainline issue since the toilet is not gurgling.

The possible fixes outlined above should take care of both the gurgling sink and sewer gas, if not, feel free to let us know.

Answers provided by plumbers at Portland Plumbing Plus LLC

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