A blocked toilet is usually one of two very different problems, and they need different answers.
If it is only the toilet, the blockage is generally close by, in the pan or the branch behind it. If the toilet is backing up and the shower gurgles or the floor waste bubbles at the same time, the blockage is in the main line and the toilet is simply the first place it showed.
What your toilet is telling you
- Water rises toward the rim then drains away slowly: partial blockage close to the pan
- Needs two or three flushes to clear: restriction building in the branch or main
- Gurgling from the shower or bath when you flush: air being pushed past a blockage in the main line
- Bowl water level dropping lower than normal: possible venting problem rather than a blockage
- Toilet blocked and floor waste overflowing: main line blockage, stop using water and call
What blocks toilets
- Wet wipes
- The number one cause. They do not disintegrate like toilet paper and they snag on anything rough, then knit together. Flushable on the packet does not mean flushable in a drain.
- Sanitary products and nappies
- Designed to expand and hold liquid, which is exactly the wrong property inside a pipe.
- Too much paper at once
- Common in houses with young kids, and the easiest one to fix.
- Toys and objects
- If a toddler has recently gone quiet, check the toilet. We have retrieved a lot of small cars.
- Tree roots in the main
- When roots narrow the sewer, the toilet is usually the first fixture to show it because it moves the most solid waste.
- A damaged or back-falling pipe
- If the same toilet keeps blocking after being cleared, suspect the pipe rather than the user.
Before we arrive
Stop flushing. A second flush on a blocked pan is how it ends up on the floor.
Turn off the cistern stop tap if it is still filling and you are worried about an overflow.
If it is the only toilet in the house, say so when you call. That moves the job up.
Avoid supermarket drain chemicals. In a pan full of standing water they do very little except make the job unpleasant for whoever clears it.
Call 0412 661 632No word of a lie, Nathan and his team at Fair Dinkum Drainage are one of the best tradespeople I have ever come across. They went above and beyond when they came out on short notice to inspect and clear a blocked sewer drain in my unit. Throughout the entire process, they kept me informed with phone calls, messages, and photos and videos of the problems found and the recommended course of action.
Martin SzilvassyFantastic and honest service! Extremely rare nowadays. Had a blocked drain (thanks to “breeders choice” cat litter) and needed someone to come over asap.
Hanna Chebotnikova