sewerage coming up through drain

melb

sorry if you're enjoying your elevenses but we've just realised that the strong drain smell we're getting is caused by solid sewerage which had come up through the drain which takes water from the washing-machine/dish-washer/kitchen sink and there is a brown slurry residue there. we've called a man in and we're just waiting for him. Our insurers say if it's a straight forward blockage we'll have to pay for it but if they find something more serious they will send us a claim form. Anybody had this before?

Flyfisher_2

It is either a straight forward blockage, usually caused by items being put down the toilet that should be put in the bin, such as sanitary items, condoms, children's toys etc. People pouring cooking fat/oil down the sink can also lead to a blockage, as it runs down the pipe it will cool off and solidify at the bottom of the pipe.

The worst scenario is a collapsed pipe that will require excavating to repair.

andrew-b

May just be a congealed mass of washing powder blocking the kitchen drain - we had that when we first moved in and muggins here had to stick his arm down the drain to scoop out the gunk...eeww!. Yukky job...one for the marigolds (bin them after rather than using to wash your dishes again!!) and lots of scrubbing with soap and hot water plus a shower after! Blockages between inspection chambers and gulleys can often be shifted by sticking a hose (or pressure washer) down (remove the fittings on end of hose first!) and jetting through from either end. Drain rods are better but make sure you don't twist them the wrong way as if they seperate down your drain you'll be up s*** creek without a paddle - literally!

Andy

tealady

Hi. Try your local Council environmental department, they may be able to help. If your house was built before Oct 1937 then ring the water company as they are responsible for sewers.

ormus

a set of drain rods are cheap and a very good investment.
most homeowners will get a blocked drain at sometime.
rods are much cheaper than a plumber callout fee.

melb

thank you very much all for your replies - much appreciated. We got a man in and he flushed the problem away as it was just a blockage thank goodness and nothing more sinister. I wished I'd known what caused it but we don't put anything down there we shouldn't as far as I know. I'd read somewhere else about the ocuncil being responsible for older houses and ours is about 1890 build so I might do some research for next time. for anyone who's interested it cost us £140 as there was no manhole cover so he had to cut through the soil pipe and then fix a collar on it (?)- it may be a bit pricey but he came in 45 minutes and less than an hours later it was all finished including getting rid of the nasties aorund the drain which was worth the money alone in my opinion. Not very MSE I know but I have a very weak constitution!

ukmike

£140 sounds a bargain for all that.Some cowboys would have charged you £1,000!

hewhoisnotintheknow

my dad says everyonce in a while run your washing machine on the hottest setting to clear buildups

also when your emptying the bath, flush the toilet half way through, this causes a decent amount of pressure to clear things out!