Bathroom smells after unblocking toilet

[r_c]

We have a toilet that often blocks. (Often as in more than once a month.) I notice that after unblocking the toilet I can smell sewage/waste odours in the bathroom.

For example today the toilet was blocked. Thankfully there were no solids in the bowl, and no paper for a change. I used a plunger and unblocked it. While I was waiting for the cistern to fill up, the bathroom was filled with the usual sewer smell. I think it is coming out of the sink's overflow, but am not 100% sure.

This smell only happens in the moments after unblocking the toilet. The soil stack is outside the house and does not have an AAV.

Why does this smell enter the bathroom after unblocking the toilet?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Possibly because your plunging the Toilet is displacing air and water from the basin trap in the process, allowing foul air trapped in the pipework to be released.

If the WC is blocking that frequently, then it is likely you have an underlying issue causing it to happen, especially if there is no solid matter present in the pan to possibly get stuck on the outlet!

 

[r_c]

Thank you @Hugh Jaleak for your commet. Sorry for my late reply. So it sounds as though the foul smell isn't necessarily a problem, that is a relief.

I agree that there is an underlying problem. Unfortunately our pipework is boxed in and tiled, without any access. So the choices I have to weigh up are: 1) somehow destroy the boxing, without damaging anything else(??), and hope a plumber can sort it out, or 2) just put up with the blockages.

The tiles used are extremely hard (I go through a few expensive tile drill bits just to drill a single hole), so I am worried about how I am going to remove the boxing.

20230519_081521 (1).jpg

• r_c
• 19 May 2023

 

[Londoner2]

Everytime you unblock , run taps in basin and bathroom to fill the waste up again as levels may have dropped during unblocking.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Best advice I would suggest is to get a trusted Plumber to have a look, preferably one who understands drainage, and see what they think. Is it a fairly new property?

 

[conny]

If you have an endoscope, you could disconnect the sink waste and feed the camera along the waste to where the toilet, (possibly), joins at the toilet waste. It the toilet waste is a T-joint this is where there is potential for a blockage. It should be a swept joint.
We kept getting blockages in 3 of the toilets at college. Always paper being the cause. Once we feed a camera down we discovered the plumbers had put straight T elbows in, instead of swept ones. Got them changed and no more problems.

Just as a bit of knowledge. When I plunge the wash basin, it draws the water out of the shower trap and vice versa.
Soon sorted by running the tap/shower for a minute and refilling the traps.

 

[r_c]

Best advice I would suggest is to get a trusted Plumber to have a look, preferably one who understands drainage, and see what they think. Is it a fairly new property?

The plumbing work is only a few years old. I made a terrible mistake when asking for the pipework to be boxed in. I had simply assumed that the top of the boxing in would be removable and did not specifically ask for this. As I did not ask for this, the tiler fixed everything down - my mistake. The result is I will have to destroy the boxing in to get to the pipework, and hope that I do not damage anything else. So I have to weigh up the options: 1) Just unblock it every few weeks/months, depending on how lucky/unlucky I am or 2) destroy the boxing in, hope I don't damage anything, get in a plumber to let him do whatever is needed, then make good everything, etc etc. At the moment inertia is winning.

 

[r_c]

If you have an endoscope, you could disconnect the sink waste and feed the camera along the waste to where the toilet, (possibly), joins at the toilet waste. It the toilet waste is a T-joint this is where there is potential for a blockage. It should be a swept joint.
We kept getting blockages in 3 of the toilets at college. Always paper being the cause. Once we feed a camera down we discovered the plumbers had put straight T elbows in, instead of swept ones. Got them changed and no more problems.

Just as a bit of knowledge. When I plunge the wash basin, it draws the water out of the shower trap and vice versa.
Soon sorted by running the tap/shower for a minute and refilling the traps.

That's an interesting idea - feeding the camera along the sink waste. Yes the connection is a T-joint, pictures are here:

Endoscope down blocked toilet

Our toilet is often blocking up. I was wondering if it was worth pushing an endoscope like this down to see if I can find anything, before getting a plumber out. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inspection-Depstech-Borescope-Endoscope-Smartphone-Black/dp/B01NBFTAHE The cord has some stiffness. I am...

www.diynot.com

Can you suggest an endoscope that might be suitable for this?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Getting access from outside may be an easier option if you don't want to destroy the bathroom, look at access saddles. Cut the appropriate size hole in the pipe at a suitable point to see what's going on, seal with an access saddle when sorted.

 

[thomp1983]

Looking at your pictures you should probably be able to use a cold chisel or punch and carefully remove the white top trim, with that out the way you should be able to carefully knock up the top tiles without damaging them.

With the top tiles removed you can use a Multitool to cut the top surface off the boxing in revealing the pipework.

 

[r_c]

Looking at your pictures you should probably be able to use a cold chisel or punch and carefully remove the white top trim, with that out the way you should be able to carefully knock up the top tiles without damaging them.

With the top tiles removed you can use a Multitool to cut the top surface off the boxing in revealing the pipework.

Tiler also suggested a similar idea to remove the top tiles, but not the second bit about using the multitool to reveal the pipework. The thought of retaining the vertical tiles sounds appealing (although not guaranteed).

These tiles are very hard (it can take me well over half an hour to drill a 6mm hole into them) - is there something I can put onto the toilet and cabinetry (on the right) to protect it?

 

[thomp1983]

Decent thick cardboard like amazon packaging held in place with masking tape.

The most destructive bit will be getting that edge trim off as it will be tucked under the tiles edges, once it's out the way getting the tiles up shouldn't create much debris or risk of damaging the surroundings