Question for plumbers - toilet blocking.

[buggeringbuggery]

We've had a problem with our toilet, it started last Friday. It wouldn't drain (it was not blocked from the toilet), and the bath and sink wouldn't drain. If we turned on the sink, the toilet would bubble and sewerage would come out in bath.

It was fixed by someone rodding the toilet stack from the roof.

It happened again a couple of days ago. Again same fix, but said they'd have to investigate further (it was night again).

Yesterday they came, put a camera down the stack (couldn't do it from manhole as there was a steep step or something).

They noticed some concrete and grout in the stack where the toilet entered into it, which limescale had built up on. They tried rodding it, but in the end had to jet it to get it off.

They said that the pipe was nice and clean, so no more problems.

It was fine yesterday, but tonight, when I flushed the toilet, it is again draining very slowly. I got DH to check when he got in (no toilet paper either time, so nothing to have blocked it), and he found the same.

I'm a bit anxious/phobic that it's going to happen again. I can't understand how it could happen again a day after they jetted it (and no one has even been for a poo since then, so I know no one has blocked it).

Anyone? I can't remember the name of the person who may know - john was it?

I think it may be @PigletJohn if he's still around?

Are you in an older house? We had this in the cottage we lived in, happened several times. Eventually they had to put a liner in because the old clay pipes were collapsing.

if it’s new build it’ll be pipes too narrow to flow easily out into the trap (will have a screw off cover prob in your patio or front path. There is probably more stuck than the plumbers got out and you can ‘move the material along’ with a pokey stick.

my plumber dad showed me how when we lived in a new build and has this issue.

Thanks @Bunnyfuller . The house is 1950s. It was fine till they fitted the bathroom (which was done badly and involved sticking everything down with silicone sealant -including the cistern).

The first problem we noticed was the leak from the soil stack into the kitchen, which we were told was probably caused by the new section, but it stopped just before they came to rip out the tiled box in the bathroom.

It may well be that there is more stuff in there, my fear is that the section is failing at the join (which is probably he'd together by silicone sealant).

I would get the people back who installed it in that case

Unfortunately we can't get them back, we are HA tenants and the company they used went bust.

So, the toilet is draining really slowly. It fills to the rim, then drains over a long period. Even one square of toilet roll won't go down. Worried about it starting to come back in the bath again.

Too scared to phone, as after the jetting they said it wouldn't block again for years, and 24 hours later it's happened again.

And it's totally blocked! Just been to the loo, wouldn't take any waste when I flushed (just very slowly emptied water, but no waste at all).

Poured a bucket of water down, and it's just filled to the rim and is disgusting! Can't phone them until I can get rid of it!

The bath isn't blocked, so doubt they would come as they only came before as the toilet was going into the bath when flushed, or we used the sink.

They told me that it was all sorted, I don't understand how it could happen again 24 hours later.

If it has immediately blocked again then it isn't your fault so just contact them.
Clearly there is another blockage further along the pipe (or series of them) so they need to clear the whole pipe and not stop at the first blockage they come to.

Thank you @Dougieowner I've been sat on the phone for 1hr 15 minutes now, they're not answering (and if it's dark, which I suspect it will be by the time anyone comes/if anyone comes), they won't do much. Beginning to think no one is going to answer, but DD says she needs the loo, but it's filled to the top, so she will have to wait. Thanks again.

Still no answer, this is bloody ridiculous!

Where are the manhole covers?

You can open them with a spade.

@PigletJohn the manhole cover is in the back garden, on the patio, but it is definitely clear.

I am really, really f*cked off now!

We had a lovely plumber come last night. He unblocked it by plunging - yay! He said the blockage was nothing to do with the previous problems. He said our toilet fills far too slowly (we already know this), and this causes the problem, so to report that on Monday and use a bucket of water along with flushing.

So I just went to the loo. I hardly went (I think I'm withholding due to fear of it happening again, DD hasn't been in over a week as she's too scared).

I flushed and also had a bucket of water. It drained slowly (but some waste left). Another full bucket of water (builder's bucket, so large). It filled to the rim and took ages to go, not all waste (and there was very little), went.

I know there is something else going on. Four visits now, three involved rodding and one including jetting and one plunging. I am literally too phobic to go to the loo now.

It is completely blocked again! I guess using the toilet is something that shouldn't happen and it's only there for decoration? I don't really want it to be plunged as it was fine with only water, the minute you use one piece of toilet paper it gets completely blocked again!

When you look down the manhole, is it empty? Is water trickling out of one pipe and running away on the other side?

When you pull out the plug in the kitchen sink, does the water flush freely through the manhole?

I think you should try to get yesterday's plumber back. If his original assesment was wrong he should investigate further.

Hos old are your children?

Next time he plunges it, it may be useful to watch down the manhole to see what flows througn.

Do you mean the flush is weak? Can you open the cistern lid and photograph the parts inside, and the water level?

@PigletJohn I've tried, hope they're OK. This was just after I flushed it, as the water had gone and I thought it was OK, but the toilet is full to the top again.

The water is draining OK from the manhole, including the kitchen sink (DH checked). It is a HA house, so we have to have whoever they send.

DD is 12, she suffered from constipation in the past, and seems to have developed it again this week (despite me feeding her All Bran and Lactulose, she says she's scared to go in case it blocks).

Interestingly the water has drained (left for a long time), but the water level in the bottom of the bowl is much lower than usual (it's not actually covering the bottom of the bowl/pan at all). I noticed this happening as soon as they'd jetted it, as if a vacuum is pulling out the water.

Toilet paper hasn't gone anywhere though, and as soon as it flushes the water is back up to the rim, which suggests water can slowly get through but no waste (human or paper).

I wonder if it's linked to the leak from the stack, but I don't think there's a leak now (can't actually check as we had a kitchen fitted in March and the soil sack was boxed in and there is a cupboard in front of it.

The plumber came. He plunged it. Said it may be my DD using too much loo roll Then filled 6 (2ltr) buckets of water to prove to me that there is no blockage. I said fine, that's water, but toilet roll won't go down. He put some in - lo and behold it didn't go with the first bucket. He's now saying the toilet pan is too narrow, so it can't get rid of the waste and it will keep blocking, so I will need to use a mop every time we poo to unblock it (I don't own a suitable mop, only a flash speedmop, which I am not putting in the loo). He said a new pan is the only option but they may not do it.

However, since he left my DH went for a wee (no toilet paper) and it is not draining again...no one has used toilet paper since he came.

If the toilet pan was too narrow, then how come we've had for 8 years and NEVER had this problem before? We are not using more loo roll. In fact DH often goes at work, so it's probably used less.

The toilet makes an incredible gurgling noise (which I mentioned to the plumber and he said it means it's clean and empty).

We've been told they will not be sending drainage people out again, as they jetted the stack, so it can't be a problem there. They won't look in the manhole as if there was a blockage then the buckets of water wouldn't have flowed out.

I'm due urgent (major) surgery any day now. I've had all the pre-op and had the last blood test last week. I'm going to have to cancel as I won't be able to move properly at all, and certainly won't be able to stand at all, let alone with a mop trying to unblock a toilet.

I don't know where to go from here. The problem started last week, both times it was only fixed by going down the stack from the roof. Within one day of being jetted it blocked again. I've been told it's due to too much toilet roll, too narrow a pan, too little water pressure, but none of this was an issue before last week, when we even had sewage in the bath.

Can you not pay a plumber yourself to come out? The gurgling is the pipe trying to clear. They need to get a camera down, it sounds like there’s something in the pipe further down.

if DD is home, or DH, open the manhole cover, and the other one flush the loo, if the water trickles out slowly there’s a blockage of paper and waste somewhere. If it flows freely with no debris then it isn’t! Don’t run kitchen taps etc as they often flow through another pipe, so tell you nothing.

I guess there could be too sharp a bend somewhere in the soil pipes? Or diameter too thin. If you’re Bedford or Rushden way I will come look myself!

Aww thank you @Bunnyfuller .

I'm just on the phone to them, I will be telling them that if it's not done today (and it's after 12.30pm), then I will be getting someone in, they've had since the 16th/09 to fix it and have failed
I'm alone now (DD and DH leave before 8am, but I will look when home).

The toilet is filling to the brim when flushed (regardless of it's paper or just water), then it drains very slowly, when it gets to the last little bit (the amount where it's the usual amount of water left in the pan), then suddenly it's like a vacuum and all the water goes and makes very loud 'burp' gurgles. There is no water left in the pan after. I thought this means that there is no efficient seal?

Funnily enough immediately after the jetting, the bathroom smelt disgusting and there was no water in the toilet pan - I assumed it was normal after jetting, but seems not.

Yep, there’s definitely more blocked. Get into the manhole with a pokey stick!

our one at the cottage was really difficult so I shoved the garden hose up the pipe from the manhole end until it wouldn’t move much more and turned the water on full, making pokey movements 😂😂😂 took about 5 mins but it cleared it!

@Bunnyfuller The drainage guy came out, looked in the drains and said the water was holding, not flowing and jetted it. He then jetted the stack upwards via the manhole.

The problem persists. He said the pipe behind the toilet must be blocked, so the toilet needs to come out to access it and remove the blockage.

The guy who does the reports for them is away this week, so he told me to phone them and tell them what needs to be done.

One person said it would be done ASAP, then when I phoned back I was told it would take up 48 hours, I asked them to move us temporarily as having held off doing a poo for a couple of days, I now have diarrhoea and cannot have DD going for a wee on top of a toilet full of shit!

Then told to phone back, I did and was told that the first person needed to phone the drainage company and would call me back (I phoned this morning, they are running out of time now).

They are treating this as a 'new' job, so the time resets (as it has every time it's gone wrong in the last 11 days).

The drainage man thinks that I've either used a plastic toilet freshener and forgotten it or DD has stuck a toy in there...I've never used anything that sticks inside the loo as I'm a bit phobic about putting my hand in there. On the other thread someone mentioned that when they jetted it they may have inadvertently pushed a bit of the concrete inside the toilet pipe, which makes sense, as this latest problem started almost immediately after the first jetting.

I can’t believe they think it’s ok to leave you without a toilet. You’ll have to visit somewhere every day !