Split level house. Downstairs bathroom below grade. Walked into bathroom and found toilet full of suds! WTF? Drains slowly when flushed, but not noticeably much different than normal. Wife did two loads of laundry and has been cleaning all day for Passover, so lots of dishes too. Kitchen sink leads to same drain then out to septic. Ideas?
You have a blockage in the main line, call plumber
Blockage likey means no Exodus.
You don't want to be hit with the 11th plauge, raw sewage!
John Welsh wrote: Blockage likey means no Exodus. You don't want to be hit with the 11th plauge, raw sewage!
Yeah, don't want that one.
Upstairs toilet and sink drain okay with no affect on downstairs toilet. Sink in same bathroom downstairs drains okay with no push back through toilet. Wife is doing dishes currently as I watch toilet for change. No change.
Why all the suds though without water level increase?
If you have an access to the septic tank pull it and see if it's plugged right at the inlet. Depending on local ordinances the tank may have an inlet weir. Mine does and it has blocked on occasion and shows up in the slop sink in the garage. No fun.
We have a shower in the same room which has drain lower than the toilet. Shouldn't it back up there first?
vwcorvette wrote: We have a shower in the same room which has drain lower than the toilet. Shouldn't it back up there first?
Unless you just found the location of the blockage...
vwcorvette wrote: Why all the suds though without water level increase?
Water drains slowly, but soap floats?
Flushing normally now. Bowl empties completely. I plungered the heck out of it. Wife is gonna try a shower while I watch...
the toilet you dirty bastards!
Suds are gone. Wife in shower.
I sent food coloring down the kitchen sink to see if it backed into toilet. Negative.
4 minutes so far. No level change.
Shower done. No change in level and suds all gone. Flushes fine. Wtf?
vwcorvette wrote: Suds are gone. Wife in shower. I sent food coloring down the kitchen sink to see if it backed into toilet. Negative.
You started it...
Most likely you have roots growing into your drainage pipe leading from the house to the street. Could be a crack, or a dip in the pipe that always holds water. Roots catch the paper you flush. Water back up behind enough to where you get the suds when you discharge a large volume of water over a short period of time. The faster away the clog, the worse it can get before you see the symptoms. Even if the drain is free of roots, it will clog and unclog continuously over its life cycle. You just don't get to see it happening. It may have been a one time deal or not may come back again. Each time more frequently until there is a real problem. Monitor it, and if it comes back, you need to call a drain company and have them clean that pipe all the way to the street. If you have a septic tank, pop the cover and see if the water level is above the inflow pipe.
It's a Passover miracle.
vwcorvette wrote: Flushing normally now. Bowl empties completely. I plungered the heck out of it. Wife is gonna try a shower while I watch... the toilet you dirty bastards!
This made me snort out loud at work. Thanks for that. 
Suds in the bowl? Do you have one of these?
You say septic, when was the last time it was pumped out? They can fill with sludge up to the top if neglected.
Do you have small kid(s) who may have washed something in the toilet?
Where is the washing machine in relation to the toilet in question?
Did anyone drink a bottle of dish soap? Just thinking outside the butt.
24 hours and all is well. No backing up and no suds. The kitchen sink, the upstairs bathroom toilet and sink, and the downstairs sink all drain to the same main pipe. The washer and shower in the downstairs bathroom drain to a different pipe closer to the access plug in the crawl space. May as well call Roto-rooter. Been over 7 years since they were here to drain the swamp.
BTW, thanks for all the great commentary(?) and helpful suggestions.
Certainly don't want to have plumbing issues with two Seders worth of fruit compote to deal with!
If your septic system is older it may be slowing down. As they get older they cannot drain as quickly as they should when you use a lot of water. So when your wife did all the laundry it backed up into the tank, and then later on it slowly recovered. But if I am right it will happen again. You should come up with a plan for replacement.
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