Blocked Drains

• Imagine horrible sewerage water spilling all over your property. It’s a nightmare come true!
• Only a licensed plumber is allowed to contact the Water Corporation to get an emergency crew out to clear the mains. 
• Water Corp will clear and disinfect the property. 
• Plumbdog are proud to be specialists in blocked drains. Maintenance plumbing finding and fixing problems is our specialty.  
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Blocked Drain in Kensington, Perth WA

In today’s video, our obedient Plumbdog Perth plumber is on a property in Kensington in Western Australia. The task for today is a blocked drains present in the rear left-hand corner of the property. The first issue in hand is that Richard has to figure out the exact position of the inspection shaft. which is the access point into the mains.

Finding the Inspection Shaft

After a little inspection using the shovel, Richard can determine the correct position of the inspection shaft. But the next issue at hand is that it’s a bit beyond the reach, and it’s almost a foot down deep into the sewage water. If he tries to get hold of it, then the water would go over the top of his glove; hence he has to think of a better way to handle the situation.

To get a better result, Richard instead decides to use a bucket to get all the water out by directly putting the bucket inside the hole as far as possible. He repeats the process around 20-30 times to get the water level down to get the hold of the access point and figure out if it’s a mains blockage or not, but unfortunately, it’s all in vain. No matter how hard he tries, the water keeps refilling at a swift pace, making it impossible for him to accomplish his task.

Reporting to the Water Corporation

After failing multiple times to get the water levels down, the best option is to report to the water corporation. Being quite certain that the issue is in the mains, Richard reports to the water corp to send out an emergency crew to clear the blockage and also a crew to disinfect the property.

Important Note: Only a licensed plumber is able to report to the water corp. A customer simply can’t contact the water corp directly and needs to have a licensed plumber visit the property first.

Providing Long Term Solutions

After the water corp finished clearing the mains and disinfecting the property, our experienced Plumbdog can make recommendations to keep the plumbing in good order going forward. The fact that the property houses a lot of matured trees, tree roots are a most likely cause of the blocked drains. With our specialised equipment, we can complete a full inspection and make recommendations along with a recommendation to bring up the inspection shaft to the ground level which is an ideal position.

For now, the best Richard can do is wait for both the water cooperation and disinfectants to do their job, and then Richard can re visit to see what’s the best he can do to combat the issue at hand.

You will need:

• 1 clogged toilet (works best when someone has been overzealous with the toilet paper)
• A generous amount of surfactant (anything that get sudsy, Like Dishwashing liquid, or shampoo)
• Hot (but not boiling as this will crack the toilet bowl) water
• A bucket or a basin to transport water to toilet

Steps:

1. Flush the toilet but not too much so it does not overflow, get your bottle of shampoo/ soap and squirt a generous amount into the bowl.
2. Follow that with a bucket of very hot water from the hot tap (not boiling).
   Fill the toilet full but not overflowing.
3. Leave the toilet for twenty minutes to soak.
4. Hopefully after a few minutes the water level will have lowered. (The hot water and Soap mix helps break down the paper) if this does not work the first time, flush it, and then add more hot water and soap.
5. Leave it soak for ten minutes, and then come back to it, and try flush it.
6. Flush it one or maybe two more time to make sure the blockage is clear.

If it does not go down after the second time, try and use a plunger. If not, give us a call!

We often get plumbing emergency calls for blocked toilets and while often it is highly advisable to use a qualified professional, there are some actions you can try. In some cases, it may be a good temporary solution before you can get a plumber out for an inspection.

Why does a toilet get blocked?

There are various reasons why a toilet gets blocked. Depending where you are located, there are different common blocked toilet and blocked drain issues. For example, if you are in Australia, tree roots prove to be a common problem damaging and blocking pipes and drains underground. Another common problem among young families is when a toddlers toy wants to discover where the water goes when a toilet is flushed.

If the toilet is completely blocked, don’t flush it again

It might seem obvious but it’s understandable why people might think hitting the flush button again might help push more water through to unblock the toilet. This almost never works and all it leaves is a great big mess which being a toilet is generally not a pleasant one.

Check For Obstructions

If you have kids or even puppies, there’s a chance that a quick search around might reveal a toy or even a bone lodged in the toilet bowl. It’s amazing what you can find in the toilet when it comes to little ones. If you have a pair of rubber gloves, get them on and have a quick search around and you might solve your blocked toilet problem nice and quick.

Use the Right Plunger

Most people have traditional sink plungers at home. While they can in a toilet, you will notice that they do not usually fit properly or it might take a fair bit of effort to generate the pressure needed. If you’re reading this article and you do not have a blocked toilet, it might be a good idea to invest in a good quality toilet plunger next time you’re at your local hardware store.

The right plunger can make a huge difference in whether you can unblock your toilet with this method. Remember, a plunger may not do the trick depending on the blockage and there could be a larger plumbing issue so don’t overdo it.

Plunging Tips

Make sure the plunger is fully submerged and there is no air inside the plunger cup. This will allow for the best plunging force from your plunger and may also save the embarrassment of toilet water being splashed all over you. If your plunger isn’t fully submerged, you can add more water but do not use the flush button, grab some water with a bucket and top up the toilet as needed. When plunging, go straight up and down to get the best seal with the plunger which generates the best plunging force.

Plumbing Snakes

Some people happen to have plumbing snakes in their toolbox. If you’re fortunate enough to have one or know someone that does, you can try the plumbing snake to see whether any blockages can be dislodged. If you do happen to find the blockage with a plumbing snake, remember to apply a reasonable amount of pressure but do not be too forceful as you may end up damaging the toilet. In some instances, the toilet may need to be removed in order to get rid of the culprit as the object causing the blockage might need to come out the way it went in.

Liquid Drain Cleaners

There are a range of drain cleaners available at your local hardware stores and supermarkets. It can be really hard to say which ones are the best and whether they will work for your blockage because if your toilet is blocked because of a hard object that has been lodged then they are not the right solution for you. They can be useful if your toilet has a buildup of soap scum, fats, oils and grease. In these types of situations a liquid drain cleaner can work.

Tips for Liquid Drain Cleaners

When selecting chemical drain cleaners, have a good look to see what options are available. There are some newer products made with enzymes rather than traditional harsh chemicals which may be a suitable alternative. Chemical drain cleaners can be toxic and harmful to humans, dogs and other pets and the environment while also causing damage to your pipes in the long run. If you are going to try this method of drain unblocking, then please read and adhere to the manufacturers instructions.

That’s our pointers on what to do with a blocked toilet. Remember while there are DIY solutions to unblocking a toilet, it is always advisable to work with a professional plumber to make sure the job is done correctly and to prevent future problems. Even if you have the right tools, if you are not trained or sure how to use them, you could damage your plumbing or even worse you could injure yourself.

• We have worked with local Perth manufacturers to develop our high pressure water jetters
  
• Our water jetters get through jobs which others say can’t be done
• Plumbdog are specialists when it comes to blocked drains
• Check out more of our VLOGs here

Many of our new and regular clients know Darius from Plumbdog Midland. He’s an all around top bloke and everyone knows him. He’s also a really good plumber with some amazing plumbing skills. in this blog, Darius introduces us to why we’re a leg above the rest when it comes to clearing blocked drains.

Our Equipment – High Pressure Water Jetters & CCTV

We have recently updated our vans and have been working with local Perth manufacturers to develop our high pressure water jetters. Our new Vanguard engines produces 31 horsepower delivering 27 litres per minute at 5000 PSI. For those that aren’t familiar with water jetters or understand what this all means, it simply means it’s really powerful and stronger than the usual jetters a normal plumber would use.

Watch the Video

Darius has put together this great clip for us to see the water jetter in action clearing one of the blocked drains on a job that he has done where other plumbers had said that it couldn’t be cleared.

What’s also great with this video is the viewing angle of the CCTV. In most jobs, once the jetter fires up you really can’t see much because the water is splashing everywhere while in action but in this video we get to see the jetter in action.

See if you can catch at the end where he says “aww I ran out of water!”

Using water jetters along with CCTV is a good clean way to clear your drains. Unlike other traditional methods, water jetters do not use harmful chemicals and do not simply just break up what causes the blockage which causes the same problem to reoccur. Along with the water jetter, having a CCTV inspection means the problem is identified and also reconfirms that the problem has been properly rectified.

If you’re in Perth and surrounding areas, give the team at Plumbdog a whistle. We pride ourselves in being the specialists people turn to for blocked drains and we look after the whole job. Our Plumbdogs need to be of a certain pedigree to qualify being called a Plumbdog Plumber.