Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Blocked toilet. Who should pay?

184 replies

Letmegonowihavehadenough · 10/03/2024 17:38

I am going through a divorce and live in the family home at present which is currently on the market. He moved out. My toilet is blocked and we cannot use it for this reason. My stbxh won’t go halves to get the problem fixed saying it’s my fault for blocking it. Over the years it has occasionally got blocked and we have been able to unblock it. My dad has a long thing that goes far into the toilet but it can’t be unblocked and I have tried products including bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar along with other branded unblockers. Nothing except poo/wee and toilet paper had been put down it. I can’t afford to pay to get it unblocked by myself and it has been like this since November. AIBU to think my stbxh should pay half?

OP posts:
shrunkenhead · 11/03/2024 07:49

What @grinandslothit said. Surely if your family knew their daughter and grandchildren were resorting to this and didn't have £30 to fix the issue they'd happily step in??? They must also be concerned about you not being able to afford to eat etc etc???

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 11/03/2024 11:04

@Letmegonowihavehadenough you need to go out to your garden and find the inspection chamber. if it is full then get a hose and push the hose down towards the outlet to the street. turn it on and keep it running till blockage finally clears downstream. you will probably find that the toilet will then clear itself. other than that, check around the lower walls of you house near to the offending toilet for the rodding eye. you can unscrew it but have a big black binbag ready to catch anything which comes out. once you have done that use your hose as far forward as you an push it and keep hosing till it clears easily. the pipes might be sagging in the middle at the wrong angle.

SBHon · 11/03/2024 11:26

grinandslothit · 11/03/2024 07:46

Please talk to Samaritan and someone else about this it sounds like you need some real life support. Will your dad give you the money to get your toilet fixed?

This.

ThisOldThang · 11/03/2024 12:16

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 11/03/2024 11:04

@Letmegonowihavehadenough you need to go out to your garden and find the inspection chamber. if it is full then get a hose and push the hose down towards the outlet to the street. turn it on and keep it running till blockage finally clears downstream. you will probably find that the toilet will then clear itself. other than that, check around the lower walls of you house near to the offending toilet for the rodding eye. you can unscrew it but have a big black binbag ready to catch anything which comes out. once you have done that use your hose as far forward as you an push it and keep hosing till it clears easily. the pipes might be sagging in the middle at the wrong angle.

If it's blocked between the street and your inspection cover, then you need the local water company to attack it from the street. Putting more water into the pipe from above the blockage probably won't do much apart from flooding your garden with faeces.

CrispFanatic · 11/03/2024 12:28

Definitely your bill to sort.

LilyMumsnet · 11/03/2024 15:08

We're so sorry that you're having a difficult time at the moment.

We've compiled some useful links posted by Mumsnetters into a financial issues webguide, so that people experiencing difficulties can find all the relevant information in one place - we hope that it's useful for you.

We hope you don't mind, but when these threads are flagged up to us we usually add a link to our Mental Health resources, too. You can also go to the Samaritans website or email them on [email protected].

Support from other Mumsnetters is great and we really hope you will be able to take some comfort from your fellow posters, but as other MNers will tell you, it's really a good idea to seek real-life help and support as well.

Flowers
LakieLady · 11/03/2024 15:24

oakleaffy · 10/03/2024 23:04

A neighbour in our street has had his drain pipe underground blocked with rubble and he has had to pay for it himself.. but is this right? if the pipe from the loo that goes to the main sewer gets blocked, it isn't us that has to pay?

If true, they definitely kept that quiet. Edit...maybe his wasn't shared...don't think mine is either.

'' Where drainage serves one property only and is within its curtilage, it will not be transferred and will remain the owner’s responsibility.''

Edited

The next road from me had a massive sewer blockage between Christmas and New Year. Southern water were out there for hours unblocking it and several houses were affected.

A few days later, we all got a flyer through our doors saying that the blockage was mainly caused by waste food being flushed down the lavatory, along with sweet wrappers! It also included the usual stuff about not flushing wipes, sanpro or nappies.

No-one had to pay, as it was the main sewer that had blocked.

LakieLady · 11/03/2024 15:30

shrunkenhead · 11/03/2024 07:33

Surely I can't be the only poster seriously concerned that the OP and her children are having to poo in carrier bags?! This is really worrying and far from ideal situation to be exposing children to. As their father surely he'd want decent sanitation for his children irrespective of how he feels about his ex wife?!
I find the whole situation deeply disturbing.

I find it desperately sad, rather than disturbing. If any of my friends were in such straits, I'd pay for a plumber myself.

DickEmery · 12/03/2024 10:09

Try a small amount of dynamite to make a controlled explosion.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread