Blocked sewer

[m0t]

We live at the bottom of a hill and all our sewerage flows directly into a manhole shared with our neighbour. This then runs about 4 metres in to a second manhole which connects to the main sewer and also houses further up the road.

We have fairly frequent blockages which cause our toilet to back up. I was outside at half ten this evening furiously rodding the thing as it had blocked again.

Where the pipe from the first manhole flows in to the second, deeper, manhole there is some kind of restrictor on the outlet. It looks a bit like a hood that projects out of the chamber wall and halves the height of the pipe. It's always at this point that the blockage occurs and it looks like big chunks of scale catching paper and solids.

I've had Thames Water out a few times (usually takes a few days for them to turn up which is why I bought the rods). Should they be doing something to remove this restriction? I'm assuming it's there to slow the flow but it seems to be causing an issue.

Also it looks like the other end of the second chamber has an interceptor trap with a completely blocked u bend and everything is going through the rodding hole. Is this something I should worry about?

 

[Nige F]

Can you post a pic. of the "hood" - Ignore the interceptor, millions of them have blocked the trap and run away fine as yours is.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

As above, need a pic of the offending article, might be part of a Non Return Valve or something, or the pipe is on an external Backdrop into the chmaber and that is the remains of a cap on the rodding access.

Afraid I have to disagree with Nige for once though, Interceptor needs to be clear. Leaving the trap blocked and allowing the effluent to escape via the rodding eye will only lead, over time' to a build up of sludge in the pipework, eventually causing it to block. If the chamber is Thames responsibility, get them out to clear it.

If you're experiencing loss of Toilets, then Thames should be attending as matter of priority, waiting several days is not good enough. I'd be speaking to Environmental Health at the Council and your M.P. about the issue, a working toilet is a necessity, not a luxury.

 

[m0t]

Warning, the photo is a bit horrible but does show the problem with the blocked interceptor as well.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Need the view of the outlet, preferably once it's been cleared (again) to see what exactly is going on. I'd keep badgering Thames, it is their issue and they need to sort it. Too easy to keep absolving responsibility to you, and pretending it's not their problem, especially if it involves them spending money.

 

[m0t]

I reported it to Thames Water yesterday and they came and cleared the trap out within two hours.

I asked the guy about the inlet and he didn't seem to know much about it.

He did say that the bottom and side of the channel were filled with scale (originally he thought it was concrete) and that was probably slowing the flow enough to back everything up in to my inlet.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Scale isn't going to help matters, if he's removed it, (or as much as possible), may well be a case of seeing how it goes, possible this could sort the problem.