If there REALLY is a break in the pipe,

All your sucking and blowing ;) will make it a little worse.

Slow down and think about what direction the drain is going out of the house from the shower.

Does it go out the side of the house and do a 90 degree turn to the street, or the alley?

Sometimes a foundation will shift over . . . 40 years or so and the drain can break right at the side of the house where it turns 90 degrees.

That happened to my 80 year old clay pipes here in Denver.

Anyway, it is good to find out exactly where your drain is and how it gets the water out of your hands. Could be a root, a crack, or a bunch of hippie hair.

Spend $50-75 and call a rooter guy, and if that doesn't do it, have them do the camera bit for a little more. Some guys have a fish-tape with a transponder on it, so you can go outside and see where it is from above ground with a metal-detector type thing.

Fun stuff! NOT. good luck to you!

Oh yeah, and if it gets bad,

Never pay a plumber to dig a hole.

I spoke w/my neighbors today who know of a good company to call.
I'll do that tomorrow...I'll come back & report.
.
Thanks for all the input, guys. PPOT is the best!!!
I hope everyone's New Year is rewarding. SmileWavy

I am chilled with fear reading this thread.

If my main drain ever gets rooted, it will be a 10 foot deep, or more, hand dig.

No, blast the roots through and put a sleeve in there and be done with it (hopefully). No digging, and half the cost. You don't want to dig 10' because it requires shoring up soil, and all kind of BS. Mo money and mo money.

I have a sewer cleaning machine. I bought it about 20 years ago from Harbour Freight. 1/2 horse, 75' of 1/2" cable. Has a pressure foot switch to turn it on or off. You can get out to about 65' with it. Any further than that the steel cable comes loose and starts to whip the **** out of you till you get off the switch. Lent it to a buddy, warned him about the loose end. Next day he returned the machine and had a big red mark down the side of his face. I started to laugh and he went "Yea, yea, yea" :)

I bought it because I have a 110 year old Elm tree in my front yard and very old clay sewer pipes that would clog from roots every couple years. It usually would happen on a Sunday night and the rotor guy would charge $100-$150 a touch to unclog it.

He would ask me for a garbage bag and dump roots and paper products into the garbage bag. He would then tell me to ask my wife to not flush sanitary products into the sewer. Her answer was "I don't". Good thing I have a comfortable couch to sleep on. :)

Turns out that the neibours sewer line and mine were interconnected. His wife and daughter would flush and I got to sleep on the couch. :)

Here's a link to the 50' one they sell now: 50 Ft. Compact Electric Drain Cleaner

Good luck

Clay pipe will eventually fall crumble and disintegrate. The roots accelerate the process because even though you are cutting them off on the inside, they are still embedded in the pipe wall and will grow in girth as well as length. Be prepared...

If the shower is in the basement or main floor with no basement, it's the backflow preventor. Should be a cover on the slab to get access to it.

His house is too new for clay pipe. At least home around here from my experience. Sorry as I have no experience with building outside of CA, or Socal I should say.

Maybe? Around here, older homes are only required for houses built on a hillside. Nothing like that for homes built in the 20-40s.

Have a licensed plumber coming manana...Est. $149 to clear lines.
They're on Angie's List...and who doesn't trust Angie? :)
Thanks again, all.
.
~~~~~`
.
Just spent an hour or so online looking at reviews of companies.
I thought I'd go with a co. that advertises on local TV with a great presentation.
Read a site where their employees complained about having to pump customers for extra work, etc.
Some nasty comments about how they disrespect their employees, deception, etc.
I asked them for any sign of an estimate - nope.
Decided to cancel their appt. & called a co. who freely talked price w/me.

get a referenced roto-guy. they have been known to take advantage.
learned that the hard way. of course. almost like being held hostage, that experience.

Sorry I wasn't clear. I was replying to GWN7. Agreed that terra cotta hasn't been around for a long time.

Plumber came out, had to use the 3/4" cable auger for the main line...wasn't the issue.
Went up to the roof and hogged down the pipe through the kitchen and the shower stall water drained out immediately.
.
Gave me a gal. of BoiLine, some organic stuff that eats the goop in the pipes.
.
$309 total.
.
Next time I'll do the work...just lazy these days.
.
Thanks for all the help, gents.
Happy New Year!!!
.
SmileWavy

I would like to understand this better. Why was the kitchen drain line the cause of the shower backup?

Wasn't the kit. drain...was line from kitchen into another line.
Couldn't run out, line was plugged so water went into shower...kitchen & shower share same line, I guess.
Anyway, next time I'll do my own...too pricey.

So you will climb up on your roof and drag the rooter up there, risk a fall off and spend 100K or more for the hospital bill?

My neighbor has a light weight electric. Almost did it with his yesterday.
.
Or I'll invite you out for a visit & have you do it.

I coulda done that for $2,800.

And that includes painting my exterior, I assume.