Downstairs toilet glugging

calleyw

Back again.  Never ending in this house.  Think its a blockage.  My downstairs toilet has started to glug when the washing machine empties.  And the last few days its either be close to over flowing or draining so hardly any water in it.  I have no draining rods so wondering what I need to do sort it

CliveOfIndia

Well the washing machine won't be directly connected to the toilet, as it were, they'll have separate drainage routes.  However, they will all ultimately discharge into the main sewer, so the symptoms would tend to suggest a problem there.

What I've done in the past when faced with this is start off by lifting the manhole cover outside and have a look.  Not the most pleasant of jobs if there is a blockage !

However, if the main sewer is obviously blocked, it's sometimes possible to dislodge the blockage with water from a garden hose, and kind of force the hose as far along as you can whilst the water is on.  Takes a bit of fiddling about, but I've had success with this method on more than one occasion.

It's always worth trying before you either call someone in or buy a set of drain rods (having said that, drain rods are not expensive and can be handy to have available in case of future blockages).

calleyw

I know they are not directly connected. I think I have man hole under my extension (it was built before I bought the house).  That means pulling up the lino to see.

Was hoping to pour something down the loo to sort it out

CliveOfIndia

calleyw said:

Was hoping to pour something down the loo to sort it out

You could certainly try that.

My go-to drain unblocker is good old-fashioned caustic soda (cheap as chips in granule form from eBay and such-like).

However, I might have some reservations in this situation.  It's very strong stuff, and you'd need to pour a lot of it down the toilet to have much of an effect on the main sewer.  It would be different if you could pour it directly into the sewer.

I'd just be slightly concerned that, for the amount and strength you'd need to use, there's a slight possibility it could damage the toilet plumbing.

Another thought.  If you can't easily get to the manhole, do you have any rodding points available?  You could potentially have a go at the hosepipe trick down them.  Quite a bit more fiddly and it's a bit more hit-and-miss, but just a thought.

calleyw

Went away and found the plans for the extension it seems there is a sealed screwed down cover.  Never taken up the lino. But its in the middle of the extension.  That will be fun tonight

stuart45

Sounds like a blockage in the system, as air is being forced back into the toilet as the manhole fills up from the washing machine. When drains start blocking up, it's worth checking the pipes with a camera, because there's often a fault that causes a blockage.

calleyw

stuart45 said:

Sounds like a blockage in the system, as air is being forced back into the toilet as the manhole fills up from the washing machine. When drains start blocking up, it's worth checking the pipes with a camera, because there's often a fault that causes a blockage.

Don't have a camera and not sure where to get one.  This is having to be done on a zero budget.  Also is that to put down the man hole or the toilet?

stuart45

When you've cleared the blockage from the manhole, it's worth checking if there's any damage in the pipe. If there is, it's likely to block up again. That's bad enough when the manhole is outside, but inside is even more hassle. If the pipe's got a break in it, you will need to fix it at some point.

Southend_2

Don't put chemicals down the toilet, they likely won't clear the blockage and will make it unpleasant and potentially dangerous when rodding/jetting 

Albermarle

calleyw said:

Went away and found the plans for the extension it seems there is a sealed screwed down cover.  Never taken up the lino. But its in the middle of the extension.  That will be fun tonight

We have one of these in our side extension ( was a garage) , but we also have one in the driveway as well.
Never been sure why we have two as they are probably only about 3 M apart and in line.

calleyw

stuart45 said:

When you've cleared the blockage from the manhole, it's worth checking if there's any damage in the pipe. If there is, it's likely to block up again. That's bad enough when the manhole is outside, but inside is even more hassle. If the pipe's got a break in it, you will need to fix it at some point.

Why they were allowed to build over it I never know.  Should have been move outside or no extension at all