Case Study – Blocked Toilets in Greenvale

When your toilet is blocked the last thing you need is for it overflow onto your bathroom floor. What you do need is a fast resolution. If you’ve tried plunging your toilet, see our blog: What To Do If My Toilet Won’t Flush, and it just won’t clear, then it’s time to call our expert emergency plumbers at Essendon Plumbing Services.

Booking the Emergency Plumber

Recently we received a call from an existing client who leases a property in Greenvale, Melbourne. The tenant had reported the toilet bowls on the property were full and wouldn’t flow away after flushing.

Our admin team took the owners and the tenant’s details so that we could organise access for our plumber as well as communicate with the owner, should we need approval for any further works. Admin then contacted the tenant to advise that Sean, our expert Plumber, would be on site within the hour and not to use or flush the toilet in the meantime, as it would most likely overflow onto the floor.

Arrival on Site & Inspection

Sean attended site within 30 minutes and located the property inspection shaft to find there was no blockage, it was all clear. He then inspected the toilets inside the house and found both the ensuite toilet and the main toilet were blocked.

Unblocking the Ensuite Toilet

Sean plunged the ensuite toilet which cleared straight away. The toilet was then tested by placing a handful of toilet paper in the bowl and flushing it away with 20 litres of water from a bucket. He then repeated this by flushing the toilet cistern with a handful of paper again, to make sure the blockage had cleared. It all flushed away, so this toilet was all clear and running freely.

Unblocking the Main Toilet

Sean then attended to the main toilet and tried the same action with the toilet plunger but this time he had no luck, it wouldn’t clear. After several attempts plus his years of experience in unblocking toilets, Sean decided this blockage wasn’t going to clear with a plunger and the toilet needed be removed to be able inspect the drain.

He found the drain completely blocked on the outlet side of the toilet bowl and there seemed to be an obstruction located just below floor level. Once the drain was emptied, Sean could see the drain was originally installed out of position and an incorrect fitting had been used to make the toilet fit, to prevent having to jackhammer the slab up. The problem with this installation is that it has left a small diameter drain for the toilet to flush paper away, see photo to the right. So, the toilet paper was getting caught and blocking the toilet.

Sean cleared the drain, re-installed the toilet and explained to the tenant what he had found. He then contacted Richard, our plumbing estimating and operations manager, to explain what he found and what needed to be done to fix the plumbing problem permanently.

Reporting the Findings to the Owner

Richard provided the owner of the property with a detailed report, incorporating photos and a fixed price quote to carry out permanent repairs. The owner then had a clear understanding that the toilet would likely block again until the quoted works were completed.  The owner suggested he needed some time to consider the quote as there was a substantial amount of work that needed to be completed but was appreciative of the service and the detailed explanation and quote he had received.

Have a Blocked Drain in Melbourne?

Unblocking Toilets and identifying the cause of blocked drains before attempting to unblock them can save you time and money. As you can see in this case study, forcing a sewer machine or pressure down the drain would have only broken the drain causing more damage.

Sometimes we need to remove toilets to get a better picture of the circumstances we face before making a decision on the action plan.

An experienced Plumber in unclogging drains and toilets that takes the time to problem solve before acting will always save you money and provide a longer-term solution, not short-term temporary fix.

Contact Us

Essendon Plumbing Services has an experienced team of expert licensed plumbers ready to unblock your toilet. If you’re looking for a fast, reliable, 24/7 plumber call us now on 1300 193 298 or book online.