Blocked toilet - no manhole

[rjjenkins]

Hello

My downstairs toilet is blocked (not completely but it takes a while for the pan to empty). However there is no manhole cover anywhere on the property. It's possible that it was built over years ago.

The kitchen sink drainage goes into a pipe in the back garden and disappears underground. It tends to flood the concrete area in the garden, and rainwater is also slow to drain. Outside in the back garden there is a small drainage grating (about 6 inches square) set in the concrete. This became blocked with soil but I have managed to unblock this for about six feet using a toilet auger. The main problem remains however.

I presume that the narrow diameter pipe leading underground from this grating will join the main sewer pipe, and the fact that I have the two problems (blocked toilet and garden flooding) means that the blockage possibly occurs after the this junction. Is it worth getting a set of rods and trying to rod down this small pipe?

The man from Dynorod had nothing to suggest but removing the toilet and jetting from there, but he wasn't keen, and went away without trying anything.

 

[flameport]

Waste of time trying to rod in the small pipe, or jetting from the toilet connection.

As both are blocked, you need to locate the manhole, as the blockage is likely to be beyond it.
If you leave it, the problem will get worse.

 

[Nige F]

Contact your sewerage provider - they have adopted a lot of shared drainage and are obliged to clear it - they may even have plans as to where your m/h is . And they don`t charge you

 

[rjjenkins]

Waste of time trying to rod in the small pipe, or jetting from the toilet connection.

Why is it a waste of time rodding from the small pipe? If the blockage occurs beyond it (i.e. nearer the sewer) can't I clear it from there?

I hope it turns out that the sewerage provider is responsible but am not optimistic!

 

[HERTS P&D]

Check your neighbours to see if they are blocked.
Check your neighbours to see if they have any manholes.
The small pipe in the garden, is it a rodding eye? what did dynorod say it was?

Andy

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

No harm in trying to rod along the small pipe but no guarantee it actually leads to the sewer. Could well go to a soakway as its a yard gulley.....

Have you spoken to the neighbours to see if anyone else has problems. (Good news if they do, it means problem is in a shared section of sewer so Water Authority have to deal with it FOC!)

 

[flameport]

The problem with the small pipe is that is most likely goes to an inspection chamber, so the rods will get to the chamber and that is all.

 

[rjjenkins]

Well it was solved free of charge by the man from Wessex Water. He rodded from where the kitchen waste water enters the drain - it was blocked by kitchen grease (what a terrible diet we must have).

 

[Nige F]

Well it was solved free of charge by the man from Wessex Water. He rodded from where the kitchen waste water enters the drain - it was blocked by kitchen grease (what a terrible diet we must have).

You followed my advice - Thanks The more people that know about the FOC service by water companies ----The less ££££ Centrica make on **** Rod

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Before pouring kitchen grease away, or emptying old frying pan oils, always emulsify with hot water and some washing up liquid and stir well before pouring it down a drain, in 20 years time we never had to unblock any of our drains or even pump our kitchn sink with a plunger.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

You shouldn't be putting fats or grease down the drain anyway, other than small quantities of residue from washing up. Whilst it will emulsify with hot water it'll soon cool down and congeal when it meets the sewer.

The water companies have an ongoing battle to keep sewers flowing, spending £thousands cleaning up congealed 'FOG' (fat, oil and grease) from the nations sewerage system!

 

[Mikefromlondon]

yes agreed, but there is a difference between vegetable oil you use for frying chips etc, by nature the oil is unsaturated fats, i.e. it remains fluid even down to quite few degrees minus, unlike saturated fats i.e. grease from frying bacon, susages, and other animal fats, which freeze hard in even room temperatures, and in cold weater it is the main culprit for blocking drains, so there is the difference, its the animal fats that block drains, and vegetable oils won't freeze in drains, but if you emulsify vegetable oil by using plenty of fairy liquid, it sort of guarantees that it has very little chance of freezing even in the worst cold weather.