Blocked toilet/ drain problem.

[dannynolan]

@Wayners I have to say that if the AAV has stuck closed, I would normally expect the vacuume created by the flush to be more than sufficient to draw the water out of any sink traps emptying into the same soil stack, so you'd just get a bad stink from the sink, and the loo would still work.
So there must be something a little unusual in the setup in that case. Anyway, as you say, swapped and sorted.

@dannynolan Do you know exactly how/where the upstairs loo soil stack and downstairs loo soil pipe tee into each other? I assume your photo is a sewer inspection chamber downstream and if both empty out of that one pipe, you'd hope that the builders put a small access chamber upstream where the tee is. That is certainly the case at our house both front and back.

Many thanks for that, much appreciated, we are out today. We had the pipes replaced 12 years ago and will post pictures of the exact layout this evening.

@YorkshireMidge

The upstairs toilet used to vent through roof but was cut off and a AAV fitted. Run fine for years but then the toilet would fill with water and not drain away.
Downstairs toilet didn't have any vent and didn't ever have trouble.
I still can't understand how the upstairs toilet blocked because of a faulty vent.
Anyway swapped and all good.

On a side note. 3 plumbers came out plus the waterboard several times over a 3 year period and not one mention soil vent or lack of one being visible. Crazy. I cut out boxing and swapped AAV and all good.

Also waterboard said they run rods through drains and cleared blockage. I don't think there ever was one

Many thanks for that, much appreciated, we are out today. We had the pipes replaced 12 years ago and will post pictures of the exact layout this evening.

 

[dannynolan]

I've added two pictures showing the pipe layout, this work was done twelve years ago because of tree root ingression through a break in the pipe due to an old bodge job. Due to space restrictions they couldn't install an inspection point between the downstairs toilet and where it connects to the stack. If as we suspect, the blockage is in the waste pipe between the downstairs toilet and where the pipe joins the stack what would be your suggestion.

Many thanks again.

 

[Stuckinarut]

Looking at that layout and type of pipe I would say the blockage is after the toilet. Perhaps it even needs the pan out. Has anyone flushed something they shouldn’t, a rim block for instance?

 

[dannynolan]

Looking at that layout and type of pipe I would say the blockage is after the toilet. Perhaps it even need the pan out. Has anyone flushed something they shouldn’t, a rim block for instance?

Thanks for the reply, we don't use rim blocks, our plumber told us the pipe run is shallow so we are careful, though we do have guests. I used a six foot toilet snake and found nothing so the blockage is beyond the u-bend, but you're suggesting the blockage is inside the house so to speak.

 

[Stuckinarut]

I used a six foot toilet snake and found nothing so the blockage is beyond the u-bend

Could have got unlucky and just gone past whatever is the cause

but you're suggesting the blockage is inside the house so to speak.

Yes, possibility

 

[YorkshireMidge]

From the photos, if you rod from the inspection chamber end, it looks like the rod (and/or camera) will tend to go up the soil stack towards the upstairs loo due the type of junction pipe used. To get it to go up the branch to the downstairs loo, you'd need an attachment for the end of the rods that is like a slightly curved flexi tube - and even if such a thing exists (I haven't found anything like that - the pros might know) it's still a bit hit and miss whether you could encourage it to go up the right branch.

So you may have to remove the pan and rod from the toilet end as @Stuckinarut suggests - but given you don't yet know what the blockage is, you'd need to weigh up the risk of inadvertently moving it downstream and potentially blocking both loos.

Is the inspection chamber the thing that is visible in the bottom right hand corner of the Toilet 1 photo? - if so, at least it isn't too far to rod right through if necessary.

Ref. what I said previously about pipe volume, I think the blockage is probably a bit further than your toilet snake will go - but with the pan removed, you'll get a bit further with that so worth another go.

 

[dannynolan]

Again thanks for your reply. Barring a pipe collapse, the blockage is almost certainly just toilet paper, nothing else goes down it. We agree with you that we have to approach it from the toilet end. And you're right, that is the inspection chamber in the bottom rh corner of toilet 1.

re the toilet snake, there is a hire place near us does a rothenberger r600 - worth a go?

 

[Nige F]

must be worth hiring the rothy 600, take pan out - you don't want to mark the porcelain