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.

The toilet is completely blocked again! We've had people out four times in the last week! This can't be simply because DH went to the loo, unless people are not expected to use their toilets for anything except decoration?

I don't really want it plunged again because that it is clearly not a fix, or it wouldn't happen again the next day!

Long wait on the phone again, poor DD not having been for a poo in over a week and will definitely not go tonight even if it is fixed!

OP can you not go out to use public toilets? I drove to the Park & Ride, 6 miles, or the public toilets in town, 7 miles (they’re open 24/7 and kept clean) if I needed it outside store opening hours - garden centres are 3 and 4 miles away, nearest supermarket 7.5 miles. Or a Costa or McDonalds? A pub or pizza restaurant? Would your neighbours let your daughter use theirs? Or any of her/your friends?

With loo paper, many many people, especially those with septic tanks, use a lined and lidded bin to dispose of paper used for a wee, only flush the paper used for a #2, and don’t tear off more than 3 sheets at a time. DD once had a boyfriend who must have torn off three long lengths of about 6 or 7 sheets per wipe, I’d hear the loo roll holder spinning, so multiple metres of paper per poo, and he often blocked the loo so I’d have to plunge it. I really noticed the difference in how long the loo rolls were lasting, when he was no longer visiting the house!

Wet wipes eg baby wipes and face wipes are an obvious NO but even the Andrex -type moist toilet tissues that imply they’re ok to flush will soon cause blockages, they don’t break down and when compressed they eventually form a solid lump.

My son once said people wrap and flush condoms - I’m pretty sure he’s not one of those people. He flushed some cotton buds when he was a young teenager, 20+ years ago, although he and the girls had always had it drummed into them to remember AND to remind their teenage visitors that only pee, poo, paper (and “puke”) could go in the loo. The shared septic tank is my neighbour’s side of the boundary, and when he’d kindly dealt with the obstruction, he suggested my son learn how to clean the septic tank, if he intended to keep flushing banned items. It never happened again.

I hope it’s properly fixed very soon OP, I really feel for you.

What a nightmare!
Is there a specialist firm you can call? I know you'd have to pay out for it yourselves but you can't live like this. Perhaps you could get reimbursement?

The plumber came back out, plunged it and then blamed my DC for using too much toilet paper (we only have one and I banned her from using toilet paper for a wee yesterday).

He said there is no blockage as after plunging the water does go down. I said it doesn't if any toilet paper is used - so he did this, then said that it doesn't go down with toilet paper in!

He's written a report to say that the pan is too shallow and that is causing the problem.

Thing is we've had this toilet since 2014! It's never been a problem till last week. Since then we were told it was concrete in the stack, lack of water pressure on the flush, now the pan is too shallow.

I was told if it blocks tonight (which it will if DD does go to the loo, or me (and I'm getting a bad tummy from holding it), then we will have to sort it out ourselves as there is no blockage and it's just from toilet paper and they don't sort that out! Besides poo also won't flush, which is pretty obvious if toilet paper won't!

So no further on. Not sure why the pan being shallow would be an issue after 8 years - it's not like we've gone around with skid marks from not using toilet paper in the last 8 years.

@YourWinter I can't walk properly and cannot drive, so there is nowhere for me to go. Our neighbours are not particularly friendly enough to let us go in their house. The toilet paper - we've not done anything differently, there's obviously a problem. No teenager comes into our house, DD prefers to go to theirs (but none of them live in our town, so it only happens when DH is off and can drive). I don't think TP is the problem...they admitted that there was concrete, but there has been so many different excuses given that I don't believe a word anyone says now

We don't have wet wipes or anything like that (or moist toilet paper), we only use the cheap, thin stuff, so it's not even quilted stuff. Neither DD nor me use cotton wool or face wipes, and as I say, I stopped the use of any toilet paper, except from a poo, after the blockage last night and DH blocked it today (and he uses too little paper imo).

Can you use toilet else wear untill you can get it fixed

No, I have nowhere else to go! My neighbours are friendly enough to talk to , but won't even take in parcels, so don't think they'd appreciate us popping over as and when. I can't drive and can hardly walk, so going somewhere is not possible (besides ridiculous as this has been going on for over a week with no resolve in sight).

The toilet is blocked again and NO ONE has even used any toilet roll. DH literally went for a wee and flushed it, now it's blocked again, so I'm quite pissed off at being sort of accused of using too much toilet roll! There is obviously something very, very wrong as it should not block randomly, especially when there is no loo roll.

I am actually fucking angry now as I can't see this being resolved. If they have come out 5 times and each time there is a different reason, then I have no trust.

It only started a week ago and the small toilet pan/loo roll/not enough flush/concrete etc, was never a problem before.

The other odd thing. After the plumber plunged it, it made a horrible gurgling noise, even after 12 litres of water, and the water level in the toilet is not even covering the pan (as if there is a vacuum), the plumber claims that it is because it is clear...

I'm also due to have major surgery very soon (on the urgent list) and will not be able to leave the house, I fear that coming home won't be an option (and I'm considering cancelling it).

@buggeringbuggery would you consider being decanted to a hotel/travel lodge etc.

If so get back on the phone to the out of hours. Tell them you want to be decanted until this is permanently fixed and if the HA don’t agree and pay you are going to the media.

Do you want to name the HA?

@CornishTiger it's Fairhive, formerly Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust. I will ask about being moved out tomorrow. I may email their CEO tomorrow (I have his email) and the MP.

I can't believe this is still going on, OP. I think you're being remarkably patient, so kudos to you!

I'd be effing and jeffing like mad by now, and tearing my hair out.

I really hope it get's sorted tomorrow, and properly sorted.

Ring the HA tomorrow, tell them each plumber is diagnosing it as a different problem and yet none of them can fix it. Ask for a surveyor to come out urgently and what they intend to do short term as your home is considered unfit for habitation without a working toilet and they are in breach of your tenancy agreement.

You will have to really drill down and keep putting the problem back on them, my HA are the same and I have to be really persistent and insistent that the problem is theirs to solve. Make it crystal clear that you are unable to use facilities elsewhere due to your health and that is is their responsibility to either fix your toilet or provide you with alternative accommodation where there is a working toilet.

As for tonight I would keep calling the emergency plumber out to plunge it everytime it's used if need be, it's not your fault they're failing to fix it and you need a working toilet.

How are things OP, any progress? 🤞

@TwowaystoUrmston the drainage just came! Showed him the video of the toilet draining and bubbling, he said it was a siphon and due to drains. He went and looked in manhole, apparently it wasn't flowing, so he jetted it till it came out of the top of the stack by the roof (and I got a bit wet, lol).

Tried the toilet...and nope! It still isn't draining.

Now he said that we need to have the toilet out as there must be a blockage there. Asked if we used the freshener things, nope - I genuinely never had. In fact I hate putting anything in the loo, bit of a phobia of mine, probably related to something Dsis and I did as toddlers which made our parents very angry, and I've been phobic about toilet things since.

He said maybe it's a lego brick or something else.

I asked if something being in the loo caused the initial problems, he said no, the stack definitely had problems, but this is new...thing is I know that since the initial problem I've been scared to even go for a poo, let alone put anything down there.

So now to see what will happen. Not much of an update really, the loo is still blocked.

Have they said when they'll be taking the toilet out? They shouldn't be leaving you with no working loo and if it's going to be any later than tomorrow, and/or if taking it out doesn't fix the problem I really think you need to ask to be put up in a hotel, you're all going to explode from holding yourselves soon!

And the next workman who tries to imply it's something you've done I would respond 'tell you what, let's just work under the assumption it's not something I've put down there for now shall we? Then you won't be so embarrassed when it turns out not to be'. It's the equivalent of a poor workman blaming his tools really isn't it, their 'fixing' isn't working so it must be something/someone else's fault

Apologies for being so strangely invested in your toilet issues OP, I've been on the receiving end of similar frustrations with my HA and their inability to properly fix anything so it winds me up when I hear of others being treated the same way. I really hope it's sorted soon

It sounds like when they jetted that concrete they moved it further down the pipe and it’s probably stuck somewhere else.

I can’t believe they’ve left you with no working toilet again. They need to decant you to temp accommodation!

@PeekabooAtTheZoo I honestly think that too! I said that to DH when it blocked the day after it was done!

@CornishTiger They said they had 24 hours to fix it (from this morning), no idea why only 24 when it's been 10 days now. What terrifies me is that the drainage guy said that the one who sends in reports to the HA is on holiday this week, so I will need to call it in. I can just imagine they will send out a plumber again, who will plunge it, when it needs taking out to reach the pipe behind. I also imagine that they won't be taking out the toilet tomorrow. I could honestly bang my head against the wall!

I would go through your HA complaints procedure, and also contact your local Councillor/MP

I agree with the complaints procedure ( said so up thread). They are treating each incident as a new repair. It’s not. It’s an ongoing issue.

Please complain formally on email today and copy in your MP. Follow up an hour or so later and ask to speak to the repairs supervisor or housing area manager. Tell them you need accommodating elsewhere til they resolve it fully. Mention the press. Mention the decent homes consumer standard by the Regulator of social housing.

@CornishTiger their repair system is down! I've attached a photo, not sure how one email out of all of theirs doesn't work?

I'm just trying to find an alternative email (not their customer service one).

Just off the phone from them. They looked into it and apparently the drainage people were supposed to come out, so it's not 'their' responsibility. I pointed out that the drainage people have come out and said that I needed the toilet removed to get to the blockage. They said they are "waiting for report from drainage company to tell them what needs to be done"! Of course the one doing the reports is away this week, so I said we couldn't wait. I said this wasn't a new problem and as they've had ample time to fix it we should be entitled to hire someone and send the bill to them.

They are going to chase it up and contact me ASAP...feel like I've heard it all before though and expect they'll send a plumber, who will again plunge and say the toilet pan is too small and the flush is insufficient - I really don't want anyone to come who will tell us that BS!

I think you should phone your local councillor immediately.

This is completely unsatisfactory. You aren't being given appropriate service as a tenant. On top of which, you have health issues and are awaiting surgery which makes you a vulnerable person.

You need to get someone in authority to shake this up now.

I really feel for you.

I have contacted the local councillor via email as can't find a phone number.

I'm not filled with confidence after DH logged in and found the above info - so according to them it's fixed...unfortunately, having held myself in over Sunday and yesterday, I now have diarrhoea, so the toilet is pretty disgusting right now.

I've just phoned them twice. First time I was told it had been passed to maintenance and could be up to 48 hours (wtaf?) I asked where they would be putting us up, as we obviously couldn't stay here. Then I was told to phone back to speak to the guy I spoke to this morning.

Just phoned back. Was told the problem is that the drainage guys hadn't sent them a report and so they can't do anything until they know what the problem is...I told them that the person who does the reports was away and the toilet needs to be removed to access the pipe, as per the drainage man's instructions.

So now they need to phone the drainage guys to find out what needs to be done. I am just a shitty, stupid tenant, who can't get dressed on my own, let alone give a report that was verbally given to me. They obviously hold their tenants in contempt!

Ooh I've got a new job as well - as obviously this is a new job and all the other faults in the last 11 days have been coincidental!