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blocked toilets and sinks |
Toilets, sinks and drains can easily become blocked. There is often no need to call out a plumber as unblocking any of the above is fairly easy.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE. HUMAN WASTE AND TOILET TISSUE SHOULD BE THE ONLY THING FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET. COTTON BUDS, COTTON WOOL, SANITARY TOWELS AND NAPPIES SHOULD NEVER BE FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET.
YOU MAY BE LUCKY AND GET AWAY WITH IT BUT THE SOIL PIPE COULD BLOCK AT THE COMMUNAL SEWER IN WHICH CASE A PLUMBER WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED, IF IS PROVED THAT YOU ARE THE OFFENDING PERSON THAT CAUSED THIS BLOCKAGE YOU COULD BE SUED AND WILL NOT BE TOO POPULAR WITH THE NEIGHBOURS!
Chemical drain unblockers are not recommended as most of the plumbers I have spoken to often get called to houses where the sink is blocked and somebody has put a chemical unblocker down. Obviously if the chemical unblockers worked there would be no need for a plumber to be called out! These chemicals are also pretty harmful.
All sinks and toilets are connected to the foul water drain of the property, hence there is a trap between the drain and the toilet or sink. This trap is full of water all the time and has two purposes, firstly it creates a seal and prevents foul gasses from entering the home from the foul water drain, secondly if a piece of jewellery such as a ring is lost down the sink it will be caught by the trap and can be recovered easily. Traps vary in appearance and some are U shaped and others are simply a bottle shape. These traps often get clogged with debris from the sink, hair is a favourite in the bathroom and food particles in the kitchen!
These blockages actually seem much worse than they actually are, and can easily be rectified with the correct tools. You will need a plunger to dislodge the offending obstruction, if you do not have a plunger you will have to unscrew the trap from below.
1. firstly make sure that if the sink is full of water that you put the plug in the drain for the sink or you will get extremely wet.
2. Place a bucket or suitable container beneath the trap underneath the sink and remove the trap, some bottle traps simply twist off and U shaped traps have two retaining nuts.
3. empty the contents of the trap into the bucket, making sure that the pipes that attach to the trap are clear.
4. replace the trap and check for leaks, if one of the unions is leaking, wrap some PTFE tape around the thread.
The plunger method is much favoured as it is far easier.
1. Firstly temporarily block the overflow for the sink with some wet tissue or similar. This prevents the air which is going to be forced down the trap from escaping via the overflow!
2. Using a suitable plunger place the end completely over the waste for the sink, ensure there is water in the sink to create a seal.
3. Push down on the plunger several times with both hands, this will force water through the waste pipe and dislodge the blockage.
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Another variation on the plunger is one of these blast unblockers.To use one of these fill the sink or bath with a little water and enusre that the overflow is blocked as in the picture above.
Place the end of the blast unblocker over the sink hole and pull up the handle, this will suck in some water. Now oush the handle down fast and a jet of water will be foced through the waste pipe and this should remove any blockages. It may be necessary to do this a few times. |
Here is a video of how to unblock a sink-
Toilets occasionally get blocked, often by too much toilet paper or large deposits. It is advisable to wear gloves for unblocking toilets!
Here you can see the Bend behind the toilet, in 9 out of 10 cases this is where the toilet is blocked
Do Not keep flushing the toilet as this can eventually cause the toilet to overflow!
To clear the blockage you need to force water down the trap which will hopefully dislodge the blockage. This can be done with a suitable plunger, by giving it several hard pushes with both hands. Be prepared to be splashed a little, ensure the water in the bowl is pushed at force through the trap and this should clear the blockage!
If you have no plunger you can always use a long handled mop or similar, If that fails you can use a metal coat hanger by unwinding it and using it to break up the obstruction. Ensure that there is no macerator or similar before poking anything down the toilet!
Another heavy duty method is to use a drain rod, these are similar to what a chimney sweep would use, attach a 4 inch rubber disk or plunger and ensure there is plenty of water in the bowl to create a good seal and give the drain rod several hard pushes ensuring that the water is forced through the trap behind the toilet. It may take a few attempts but it is far better than paying £75 to a plumber!
Picture above showing drain rods with 4 inch plunger and double worm screw.
If the toilet will still not unblock then run some water down the sink and the bath, if this water does not drain away then the blockage could be further down the soil pipe, in which case you will need a set of drain rods and suitable attachments. Unblocking a Drain
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