No sinks, no laundry, no flushing. Every gallon you send down has nowhere to go and pushes waste back up through the lowest drain in the house.
Look for a capped pipe outside near the foundation or in the yard. If sewage is backing up, loosening that cap can relieve pressure and send the overflow outside instead of into your home.
Sewage water carries bacteria. Block off the area, and don't try to bail it with anything you'll reuse.
If flushing makes the shower gurgle or the tub fills when the washer drains, tell your plumber. That tells us the blockage is downstream in the main line.
One slow sink is a local clog. But when the kitchen, the bathroom, and the toilet all act up together, the trouble is in the main sewer line running from your house to the street or septic. Everything drains into that one pipe, so when it's blocked, the whole house has nowhere to send water.
In older parts of Monterey like Old Town, Pacific Grove, and Carmel-by-the-Sea, sewer lines are often clay or cast iron, and tree roots love to sneak into the joints looking for water. Roots, grease buildup, and collapsed sections are the usual culprits. Our plumber runs a camera down the line to see exactly what's blocking it and where, then clears it with a rooter or hydro jetting. If the camera shows a broken or root-crushed pipe, they'll show you the footage so you're not guessing.
This is urgent when sewage is coming up into a tub, shower, or floor drain. That's raw wastewater in your living space, and it won't clear on its own. Shut the water off and call. We're out across the Peninsula and into Salinas in about 45 minutes to get it flowing again and figure out why it happened.
Describe what you're seeing to a real Monterey plumber: call (210) 555-0134 or send the form. Free, no obligation.