Crossposts:

http://boxofdelights.livejournal.com/186828.html

My toilet is draining very poorly. As far as I can tell, the plunger and the snake are having no effect. Except, I've just noticed, plunging the toilet forces air out of the floor drain near the toilet.

1. Does this mean that the obstruction must be past the place where the floor drain's pipe connects to the toilet's waste pipe?

2. When I had a plumber in to install a washing-machine hookup, he commented on how long it was taking him to detach and reattach everything because the pipes and their connections were so old, and he had to be careful not to tug too hard on anything for fear of opening a leak somewhere else. Does this mean that I should not try to detach anything?

3. Should I try a chemical drain cleaner?