Case Study – Blocked Toilet in Brunswick West

A toilet is one of the most used fixtures in your house or business so when it blocks you notice quickly.

A recent call for help came from a resident with a blocked toilet in Brunswick west.  The owner suspected they had an issue because the toilet had begun to flush slowly, and water was building up in the bowl. Our team booked an emergency plumbing job with our closest available plumber who was finishing a job in Pascoe Vale. The client was contacted by the Plumber with their estimated arrival time of 20 minutes.

On Arrival

The plumber arrived onsite with all Sewer Clearing Machinery and upon inspection discovered there were multiple bathrooms but only 1 toilet and 1 sink were affected by the blockage. As there was no external access to the drain the plumber explained he would need to remove the toilet pan to access the drain and clear the toilet and sink.

Detective Work

The plumber removed the toilet and ran a CCTV camera down the toilet drain for a visual inspection prior to unblocking it. The reason for this is sometimes there may be an obstruction in the drain that you don’t want to flush or force further down the drain, and often the visual inspection will show you the most effective tools to use to clear the blockage.

When removing the pan, it was noted that a smart waste was installed with a pan collar sleeve that was too long. This meant there wasn’t enough room in the drain for solids and paper to get down and would cause the drain to run slowly or block. The plumber modified the drain by cutting the sleeve down then re-entered the CCTV camera into the drain to see if there were any further blockages along the drain.

The Action Taken to Fix the Blocked Toilet

What the plumber noticed was a piece of plastic pipe stuck in the drain, which he managed to fish out with a wire hook and then drill it with a spade bit to get it around the 90degree bend and out of the drain. What he removed was a 350mm long piece of 40mm PVC pipe, which must have been in the drain since construction.

 

The CCTV camera was run down the drain again to make sure all was clear, and the toilet could be re-installed. Once the toilet was re-installed, it was flushed a few times with a couple of handfuls of toilet paper to make sure the drain was clear and running properly. The plumber then packed up, cleaned up the site and explained to the client why the toilet was blocked and what he found in the drain. A great outcome and a happy customer.

Identifying Faults 

Locating blockages and identifying the cause prior to attempting to unblock it can save you time and money in the long run. As you can see by this case study, forcing a sewer machine down the drain would have only caused more problems as it would have forced the piece of pipe further down.

Using an experienced plumber who takes the time to problem solve before acting on clearing your drain will save you money and provide a longer-term solution.

Contact Us

Essendon Plumbing Services have an experienced team of local licensed plumbing professionals ready to unblock your toilet. Whatever your plumbing issue is, we offer fast and reliable plumbers 24/7 around Melbourne, call us on 1300 231 976.