Toilet keeps blocking up repeatedly. Plunger not working

[mrsaneperson]

Just wondered if anyone had ideas on this situation.

A toilet downstairs is blocking up everytime the tenant goes away and comes back from a few days break.

Call out the drain unblocker people who use the power flush system to remedy it free the first time a few months ago and remove what looks to be a huge lump of lard build up of fat about twice the size of a soap bar from the toilet. Whammo everything all good.

The toilet connects to the kitchen sink drain from upstairs but the tenant tells me they are not pouring any oils down there .

So after clearing it the first time costing a few hundred dollars the tenant calls me tonight after a few days absence from the place to again encounter a blockage which wont shift with the plunger.

Again im having to pay dearly to remedy this and call the drain unblockers.

Now im wondering would it be advisable to put a camera down their to see if theres anything major going on?
Or perhaps the fist clean they did wasn't quite good enough?

[crashy]

"flushable" wipes. Need to be physically removed. Good luck with that.
Or...
If it's fat, run a hose from a hot tap down the toilet and empty the tank. A few $ electricity vs professionals

[mrsaneperson]

The drainunblocker has now fixed it tonight and said that the blockage was approximately 20M down the drain which puts it into the neighbours land. Still paid the bill $315..Ouch !!

[hawkeye]

Is it tree roots catching things? If they get into the pipe not much you can do but keep clearing it. Or tampons string catching on a join in the pipe. Ask them to wrap and bin them.

[artemis]

Is it a joint sewer with the neighbour? If yes and the blockage is before their pipe joins, then it is yours to fix. If after, suggest request the neighbour to pay half. It's not the amount in this instance, it's potential for further issues so good idea to set the expectations now. Before the big bills come in.

[John the builder]

it sounds like it wasnt fixed the first time? Did the drainunblocker CCTV the line to verify? Perhaps you should have not paid the second time?

[Learning]

I went through the same a couple years ago. The second blockage, within a few months, I paid for the camera. Tree roots through the pipes turned out to be our issue. $20,000 estimate to relay new pipes due to sloped bush land. A rootblaster tablet down the bog every 3 months has, so far, kept the problem at bay.

[mrsaneperson]

I went through the same a couple years ago. The second blockage, within a few months, I paid for the camera. Tree roots through the pipes turned out to be our issue. $20,000 estimate to relay new pipes due to sloped bush land. A rootblaster tablet down the bog every 3 months has, so far, kept the problem at bay.

Thanks for the info but what exactly is a "root blaster" tablet? Couldn't find anything online about it.

[Learning]

Thanks for the info but what exactly is a "root blaster" tablet? Couldn't find anything online about it.

Apologies, root control tablets.

[DontPanic]

The drain unblockers normally pickup when "non-flushables" are the cause which always gets charged to the tenancy and normally they learn from it but when you have had a second or third blockage it often leads to finding a problem with the system, in the past I have seen all of the following
- Faulty waste disposal unit
- Tree roots in the sewer pipes
- Cracked clay sewer pipes
- Inspection lid (old clay one) hanging down into the drain (seen this twice)

With your issue of having blockages only after the house being unoccupied for a period, this may be because the pipes have a chance to dry out and then toilet paper will tend to stick or maybe hardens when it dries out and blocks more readily but I would expect there is an obstruction of some sort contributing to the issue.

Also as a general rule if the gully trap is over flowing continuously (even when water is not running in the house) always call Watercare because it is the neighbors waste backing up to your property so the blockage is in the public system.

Fun facts! who said property management wasn't fun
Cheers Brendon

[mrsaneperson]

Thanks for the tips guys..Root Control Tablets? I must look those up anyone used these?

[mrsaneperson]

Just an update on this and a $1500 bill for replacing a Y section sewage clay pipe.
The blockage only ever occurred when the tenant would go away for a few days because tree roots had found their way inside the clay pipe joins and would dry up, becoming hard instead of flexible. When the tenant returned to the property and flushed the toilet, toilet paper then became stuck on the hard dry roots.

It took a while to finally work out why this blockage was recurring only when the tenant took vacations.

The plumber replaced the Y clay pipe section with a plastic one.

[Keys]

Did you get the tenant to pay?

[mrsaneperson]

[QUOTE=Keys;444434]Did you get the tenant to pay?[/QUOTE

You're being facetious. I look after my tenants Keys.
Perhaps you need to look after your landlords interests more, from your commentary aboard here and i have seen the higgledy piggledy layout of your TA's it would appear their is much room for improvement.

[Learning]

Did you get the tenant to pay?

Nah, the plumber owns a carpet cleaning company. Gets so much business from MrSane's exiting tenants he did him a deal. ;-p