blocked toilet

[footycard steve]

welcome to my latest problem thread,our downstairs toilet is blocked and when its flushed its almost overflowing,i've done a search on how to unblock it and found a video of somebody using washing powder and another how to with plunger/coat hanger etc. has anybody here actually used a method that worked? i've not tried anything yet as we dont have a plunger which looks the obvious option. the toilet does not get used lots of times a day as we also have an upstairs toilet so cant really understand why its blocked however i have a young nephew who could have put something down it i suppose.

[lagerland]

Yes i can confirm the coat hanger works well steve..............

[hypersonic]

Could be your nephew has put the loo roll down !
If this is the case you need to get it back out ~ If you can't clear it, it will probably soften and break up over time and you may be able to clear it by using an ordinary floor mop as a plunger ~ once the water level starts to fall, keep plunging with mop. That should clear it.

[DOUGALMCD]

Hi Steve the best way to check is to turn water supply off to the cistern then empty the cistern. Then you have to remove the pan. This will let you check the pipe directly and the U bend in pan. Rubber gloves a must. This is the only way you will have peace of mind about what really is causing blockage. Hope this helps if in doubt get it checked professionally. Be lucky.

[Evastar]

if it's anything biodegradable you can try pouring hot water down it (not boiling but pretty hot from hot tap)

sometimes kids tend to use half a roll of loo paper and the hot water can help to shift it.

[zee24]

• Pouring thick bleach

• Hot water but making sure not too hot or can crack the toilet bowl

• coat hanger

• Plumbers snake, can be found in most DIY stores

• Plunger

• Rid-X which breaks down the waste that gets stuck in toilets. google it

[daithi]

could be further down along the pipe if so ya can use wavin pipe
great stuff for beating a bold child with i often got a flake of it when i was younger
longer lengths come in handy for unblocking drains as its very flexible and strong

[DOUGALMCD]

I would rather see what the problem was than force things through as you could have more problems. As in the past you have had problems due to old pipes. If your nephew has put something down it might not be bio degradable. I have put loads of pans in and out. Piece off piss if you can pardon the pun.

[cgscott]

Yeah its a piece of piss. But a right smelly job. I once cleared a pipe and pan from 2 weeks worth off backup stool after a bad install

Best bet is as mentioned. Water off empty the cistern. Then have a look at the waste outlet pipe.

Good luck. Wear a mask as well

[tshirtman]

does your toilet have a wash basin in it,
reason I ask, the toilet and basin will share the same waist pipe, if the blockage is past the u bend run the hot tap in the basin or pour some unblocking fluid down the plug, see if that clears it.

[happy_highlander]

I'm a drainage engineer/plumber best bet is an old string type mop stick it in a black bin liner and fill the pan to the top with water. Short sharp plunges will do it if it's a pan blockage (usually about 4) if the sink makes a noise blockage is further down the line, if you need to get someone in you should be paying a maximum of ?145.

[patkins]

Maybe first lift manhole cover to see if problem there then use string mop as mentioned.

[footycard steve]

thanks everyone for the advice,going for a plunger today and a wire coat hanger as we dont have one just read the post and see we could also try with a mop and need to remove the pan if needed,i will update later after trying the plunger etc.
also no we dont have a sink in the same room as its a converted coalhouse/outhouse and the previous owners fitted a toilet in,we also have our washing machine in there

[footycard steve]

got a plunger but no coat hanger,1st attempt produced dirty water had another couple of efforts and standing water level has dropped an inch or two but no big impact yet,dont want to have to adjust our stopcock as had problems with it recently its very awkward to get to and a plumber had a hard job just stopping it leaking.

[SatSearching]

Coathanger always works for me, even thin plastic ones with warm water will bend a bit round the u-bend.

If you have a bad neibour, throw the coathanger in their garden afterwards and hope they pick it up by the wrong end.

Bad neibour moved a while ago so I don't do that now.

SS