Blocked loo

B

BlueSpud

Guest
I have a downstairs loo which is blocked (must be eating too much fruit). The outpipe goes through the exterior wall, where there is an elbow which brings it underground. From what I can see, it joins the sewage pipes at a point where there is no manhole cover. All other joints around the house have manhole covers except this guy. This means that I can't use the rods. Does anybody know how to approach the blockage from the loo end, i.e. via the u-bend, as I cant approach the blockage from the other end. I dont know whether the blockage is caused by the usual loo material or by some other foreign matter as I have 2 young kids, both of which are more than capable of putting God-knows-what down the loo.

Any tips much appreciated.
[penang, I will try these, never heard of a WC auger, live & learn]
 
our downstairs loo has acted up at least twice a year since we moved in. the level either goes very high or very low. In the beginning i thought there was a problem with our drains but it turns out that the problem is with the main which is about 50 feet up the road. when it gets blocked, ours is the first house to notice it as we are at the top of the pipe that services our road. and a little lower than the other houses. luckily it never cost us a penny and the council have been very good and always came out within a couple of hours of being notified.
 
Is this an old or a new house? Building regulations specify that you must have access so you might have some comeback with the builder if it's a new house.

Older houses (like my own) can be more problematic. You'd be better off in the long run installing an armstrong junction on the system for access.
 
The house is 40 yrs old, and I am hoping to free it without any major surgery. In other words, I am looking for that magic tool that is just right for the job.
 
Are you sure none of these other "manhole covers" or Armstrong junctions give access to the toilet waste pipe? That would be unusual even in a 40 year old house. These building reg's have been around for quite a while!
 
Have you tried using a mop, it clears most blockages in the loo if the blockage is solids and paper.

1. Put some water in the bowl
2. pump the mop vigoursly into the water and the blockage should go away.
3 flush many times to clear the pipes

Be careful if you use a plumbers rod with a rubber disk to clear from the loo end as the brass nut tends to break the 'u' bend.

Roger
 
Thanks everybody, mission accomplished. I got a decent sized plunger and it worked a treat, thanks to penang.

Just found out that one of my kids put a loo roll down the jacks to see what would happen. Now he knows....
 
"Just found out that one of my kids put a loo roll down the jacks to see what would happen. Now he knows.... "

You should have sent him after it! :)
 
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