Toilet Issues in the Winter?

When we flush the toilet during cold weather, we hear a loud air-like sound in the shower drain. What's causing this and why does it only happen in cold weather?

Only until a licensed plumbing specialists, such as Roto-Rooter, looks at your residential plumbing will you fully know the problem, but it sounds as if your drain line is clogged or your vent is blocked.

If there is a vent, the pressure is relieved up to the roof, with all of the yucky smells. When the water runs down the drain, the air behind it has to be replaced. If it is not, the pipes will try to suck it from another drain....typically the drain line close to the toilet, such as the shower drain.

Why just in the winter? Often times a squirrel or a bird builds a nest in the vent. In the summer time, the nest are porous enough that air can flow through the branch lines.  But in the winter, the moisture in the pipes condenses and forms ice on the nest to form a complete plug and freezes shut.