I'm in good company...'love it.

You could buy a 25' or 50' electrical fish tape used to pull electrical cable to feed it in. Big box DID stores carry them.

I saw those on Amazon this morning...'may do that.

Call a rooter and get it reamed.

Sorry to rain on you parade guys but his problem sounds like a little more then just a usb camera or a fish tape can handle. it may work, unless you really like a challenge, Don. Even if you had a camera, you have to know what to look at. What if there's a split on the pipe where the roots are coming in? All you see will be a bunch of sticks like things there and I bet you will completely missed the crack. Plumbers charge 300 bucks to run that thing. It will pin point exactly where the issue is and how deep. When was the last t ime it was clogged? If this happens all the time, then there maybe a break somewhere. If it hasn't happened in the past 8-10 years, call your rooter guy and cleat out the blockage and enjoy. If the snake can't clear the blockage, then they will advice you to do the camera trick. Or, just rent a snake and have a go at it yourself. Try a clean out first to reduce mess inside the house. If not, there should be one behind the toilet somewhere, but not always. They get plastered over sometimes. Go through the shower or vent from the roof is necessary.

You put too many words in there. Fixed it for ya

Just got out my pump and hose...have to get the 4" of water out of my shower basin first.
OK, so if the water is coming up through my shower drain that means that the shower drain is not the issue?
Something further out, or down, or up, or somewhere?
Thanks guys, you're great.

You may also try running your garden hose down the clean out and see if you can jet the clog out. But if it's roots your SOL.

Yes it is down stream of your shower. Shower is not the problem.

can you find the outside drain access
typically a 3'' round cap/plug on the main drain line tee
most are close to the house and sticking up or if under the dirt only a few inches
that is the best snake point both up into the house and down stream to the sewer/septic tank

I like to attach the snake to a battery power drill

A couple of years ago we noticed the shower drain was slow. A week later we ran the washing machine and it backup up into a bathtub. I tried every home remedy and snake I had to try. I finally called a Rooter Rooter guy on a week day and he ran his professional snake down the clean out in the back yard. Near the end of the first section he finally hit a clog of whatever. My home lever toys would never go that far or cut through whatever it was. It was not tree roots but he said "stuff happens" in the drains.

It has been fine ever since.

Sometimes it just takes the pros and professional gear to clear the problem.

Oh hell!!!
Just put my pump into the 4" of water and right over the shower drain and just let the outlet hose run back into the shower stall...it pumped up AZ red/brown dirt.
So I have a break in my line.
Phuq!!!
.
:mad:
~~~~~~~~~
I've been here for 5 years....first of its kind, here.

Maybe. I am not so sure about the break, yet. When was the last time it clogged? If occurrence of blockage is consistent, then its maybe worth sending a camera down to have a look. Red brown dust can be just rust and just dirt in the pipe.

Main line usually do not clog. I almost want to bet that its your transition between your branch line out of the shower (2" line) to the main (normally its 3-4", depending on the age of the house).

You guys crack me up... we all drive fancy cars but won't send a few bucks on your house! :D

I typically have a plumber come out once a year with a 100' snake and rooter out the main line if the drain needs it or not.

First time I've any clogging in this house - 5 yrs.
Built in early '60's.
.
So, since my pump can suck crap up through the shower drain should I continue to do so and see if it will unclog?
My neighbor friends (old work horses) say to just get a plumber out here and let them get after it.
What's say?
.
" Red brown dust can be just rust and just dirt in the pipe. "
.
I like the sound of that...rather than AZ red/brown dirt from a break.
BTW, when I first noticed this yesterday, what was in the shower basin was reddish and not dirty...maybe was rust.

I had a similar problem last year. Started with a slow shower drain and occasional plunging would help but finally it backed up in the kitchen too.

I called a plumber that used a power snake in one of the cleanouts. Fortunately, my house had a clean out at the street but if that wasn't there, there are several cleanouts that can be used (including the vents on the roof).

The plumber pulled out about a foot of tiny roots that looked like the small roots you would see on the bottom of a potted plant from the nursery. Although the roots are tiny, they are enough to catch things like toilet paper and other debris and eventually cause a clog.

The plumber told me that I should add about 1/2 cup of copper sulfate (can get at a hardware store or pool supply) every month to the toilet closest to the main line. Copper sulfate will kill the roots but will only kill for about a foot past the pipe so it doesn't kill any of the trees.

I haven't had any problems since and it was a $70 fix.

if you had a crack in the pipe, it will take less then 5 years for the roots to grow and cause blockage. It may be steel drain pipes under there. This is all speculation Don, so take it with a grain of salt. don't damage your pump, it aint gonna suck nothing outta there that will reduced the clog. If the water hasn't drained with 12 hour, its pretty plugged up. Something is lodged in there pretty tight.

Could I run a garden hose down there or am I hoping against hope?

No need to beat up yourself anymore. Its time to call the rooter man. You need a big snake to get that blockage about and send it down stream.