Hi all,
We have recently moved to an old house. We have toilet pipe running through garden with a area of opening and lid in the garden. We noticed when we flush the toilet, the tissue paper in the toilet will coming up from that opening hole area in the garden.
does anyone know how to fix it?
or any recommendation of drainer in Sydney area? is it expensive to get someone to fix this?
thank you for all replies!
We have had the same problem twice in the last year. Not only was our manhole overflowing but also the one just outside our house. Since the outside manhole was also overflowing we realised it may not be our tree at fault and consulted the local council - stressing that the outside manhole was overflowing. They forwarded us to the Sydney Water Emergency hotline (I believe it's 13 20 90) and they called out the emergency plumbing truck within 2 hours (since it's a public hazard). 6 months later they cleared it out again (at 2 in the morning). Luckily it cost us nothing - it saved us a lot of money and we didn't have to deal with any of those crooks/plumbers.
Just be aware that 'old house' likely means old terracotta pipes.
Depending on the whims of the tree roots that may well be causing or contributing to the blockage, expect a good pipe-snaking to become a semi-regular necessity.
God, that sounds rude.
+1… And you should plan for a pipe change in the future.
sounds like it blocked after the opening.
it's a question of what sort of blockage it is.
could be a tree root- then the the root would have to be found. pipe dug up and replaced.
could be a broken/collapsed pipe for further down.
I'd first get some environmentally friendly drain cleaner. see if it is a blockage that can be chemically removed.
even harsh chemicals may be better.
take the lid off and get your garden hose and fill up the opening hole. see how fast it drains.
also get your garden hose and feed it down. try to feel where the blockage might be.
try just flushing the toilet repeatedly (with no toilet paper). it could be a flushable/temporary blockage.
eg. a month ago my 4 year old thought she could flush the cardboard toilet roll . it got stuck. it's cardboard and eventually dissolved/get wet enough that it was soft enough to flush.
If it something more then get a plumber. they'll feed their snake think down the toilet to work out where the blockage is and then they will investigate (some use cameras like this but longer).
cost? depends on the plumber, and how long it takes.