To think no toilet is an emergency?

[buggeringbuggery]

Our bathroom has been crap (no pun intended), since it was refurbished! The 'builders' who did it, bodged the whole thing, including having the pipe from the bath and sink, going flat and upwards to the soil stack, everything was just siliconed down (including the toilet cistern).

We've had problems with blockages from the toilet and even had a leak in our kitchen from the soil stack (raw sewage behind the cooker, lovely). The leak wasn't fixed because they'd have to pull up the complicated tiled box that the stack is connected to; this couldn't be done at a weekend, but when they returned on the Monday, the leaking had stopped.

I went for a wee a couple of hours ago (just a wee, one sheet of toilet roll). I flushed and was surprised to see the toilet half-filled with water. I assumed there was a blockage, so filled the bucket and poured it down (as I do at least once a week), but instead of draining, the water is level with the top of the toilet.

I tried to wash my hands in the sink, it just made bubbling noises and then sewer water came out the bath plug hole and it stank!

The bath now has water sitting in it, the sink does, but when you turn on the taps, big bubbles throw water out of the toilet onto the floor.

We phoned the HA, they say a blocked toilet is "not" an immediate emergency and they have 24 to 48 hours to fix it. That is fine if it was just blocked or not flushing and you could pour water down it, but it's filled to the top so cannot be sat on, not even for the tiniest wee!

It is the only toilet we have in the house and I have not only bladder problems but irritable bowel, and I'm not keen on shitting in a bucket that DD and DH will also have to use, let alone not having anywhere to empty the waste.

Is there a pub close by that you could all go to?

We're council tenants and there is an out of hours service for emergencies. However, there is a list of what is deemed an emergency and we can be charged if we call out a routine/urgent matter as an emergency.

We once had an electrician out late on New Year's Eve because we had an electrical fault with the shower and we have no bath. It was considered an emergency. Similar, when we had no central heating in winter. They came within the hour.

It's fixed! 😀A lovely man came, with rods, looked down the manhole, but nothing there, so climbed up on the roof and rodded the soil stack from the top and there was a loud whoosh! He mentioned limescale, but nothing to see! Thank you all for your help and advice!

Blimey that's absolutely ludicrous. And to say " isn't an emergency is complete 💩". I hope someone comes out soon to fix it for you. I have similar problems to you OP and this happening would be my absolute nightmare.

@buggeringbuggery ah that's brilliant OP. Are you all now queuing up for the bathroom 🤣

Yep, DH got first dibs though!

Please make a formal complaint as even though it’s fixed now you were given the wrong advice.

Also complain about the poor bathroom replacement.

HA will not like the complaint but they need it to make them do their job properly.

And if they couldn’t have fixed it they should have done an emergency decant into a hotel for you tonight.

Ah brilliant, I was catching up with the thread and wondering how you were going to manage the night! So glad it seems to be sorted, grim

I work in repairs for a HA This is an emergency and as long as you make it clear that the water is not going down at all and sewage is backing up into the bath it will be treated as one. However we always have to advise that we will attend within 24 hours. That's our timescale for emergencies. It doesn't mean they will hang around for 23 hours before they send anyone out, usually they would be there a lot quicker. If you call them out now you should get someone tonight. If anyone in your household has vulnerabilities tell them that as well.

Be aware that an emergency call out is a make safe appointment. They won't be doing any major works, they will just try to get it clear for you.

It is classed as an emergency if it's housing association, they are taking the piss ( no pun intended) if they are saying otherwise.
Their maintenance staff, they are not qualified trade no matter what they say, will either not be competent to sort, or they can't be bothered, but they usually supply you with a portable loo until they can fix it.
Get back onto them and ask them for a porta loo.

I am a LL and in this situation would call an emergency 24 hours plumber. It is unacceptable and you have a DC. In meanwhile could you take DC to toilet at McDonalds or similar while you wait for plumber. If they don't send one, call one yourself and send them the bill. Sounds like you have very dodgy plumbing that needs completely redoing.

So glad you are sorted OP. I was thinking about you.

We had work done in our basement and one of the workmen who was prepping the space (pulling up tiles etc) thought it would be a good idea to fill in a random pipe - except it wasn't a random pipe it was our sewer pipe. We didn't realise till a few days later when we went down to the basement late one night and there was sewage lapping at the basement door. horrendous. The plumber came that night, the builder the next day to replace the sewer pipe - and we had to have the kind of full body suit clean up that you get at scenes of bad crimes.

I feel your pain OP.

We had a new bathroom put in and the off the floor toilet has had continual problems with the flushing mechanism. I don't think it was the fault of the original plumber as two other plumbers have been to see it and said it needs a replacement part which is, apparently, unobtainable.

Victoria Plumbing, who supplied the toilet, have been completely unhelpful - basically demanding that we dismantle the entire mechanism in order to video it "not working".

Fortunately it's easy enough to chuck a bucket of water down when it (frequently) stops working but it's very annoying with a new piece of quipment.

Was just typing out that you have a blocked stack going by the 'symptoms' but you have it cleared now thankfully.

So glad it’s sorted OP. Phew.

I haven’t read the whole thread, but wondered if it’s worth giving your insurance company a ring? If nothing else they may have a legal department, and may agree to you staying in a hotel until this is fixed.

Go to the top over this! Phone the CEO. Call the press...
No loo in a house rent is being paid for IS an emergency. Say you'll go to the nearest office of the HA and use their facilities? Contact your MP and local councillors [and let them know that you are doing this. It puts the fear of God in them!] Start a formal complaint process. Of course they employ crappy plumbers, it's the HA way... Don't be polite,[but don't be rude] but be FIRM! Lots and lots of polite but very determined calls. How would they like a situation like this? Keep a record of the calls.
I have IBS too, I know how urgent this is!

I hate to say this but the dubious and unsavoury 'reputations' of many HA's have gone before if you know what I mean and you really need to check if what they said about it not being 'an emergency' is actually correct?! They might mean spiritedly be just be trying to avoid spending money on a weekend plumber and of course there is the added complication of the extra bank holiday on Monday which could incur even more cost?!

Did you tell the HA about the sewage in the bath? Surely that constitutes an emergency? Especially if it starts overflowing anywhere.

I worked for council housing and a blocked toilet was definitely a same day repair. Escalate it with the HA

Sorry you're facing this, it sounds awful for you!
It is an emergency & the HA should be supplying portaloo immediately & getting it emptied for you too.
Hope you get sorted quickly!

The blocked toilet is one issue and sewage everywhere is a health issue and they must deal with this as an emergency. If they refuse to them warn them that you will call an emergency plumber and that they must pay for it. In fact, you need to warn them that if the plumbing is not made good within 48 hours then you will call in another company to have it fixed and they will have to pay for all extras. You need to take legal advice but this is the Goods and Services Act 1986 with various amendments which mean that they have to do a decent job.

Jesus...u want everyone to feel sorry for you

Sorry just to say they have not even registered it correctly it’s not bloody water it’s raw sewage. Ring them and make them amend it that’s the problem no mention of raw sewage. I use to working for HA this is emergency with 4 hours hope you get sorted. I’d tell them it can’t be contained and it’s causing a problem with close neighbours properties. Say you want that logged and times proving you reported it