What a start to the day!

I only had to phone the repairs anyway, as it is a social housing home. But yes, it is sorted now, all is flushing through. I wish I could say the same for my own system, I'm crippled up with wind!

chrissiebee You really made me laugh with that. My hair was like a mop earlier when I did a shop dash with my son. It doesn't matter, I'm invisible in the car!

Thank you everyone, you are all wonderful.

For £2.5, one of these is worth having to hand.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-Metre-Drain-Waste-Pipe-Sink-Cleaner-Rods-Spring-Tool-Unblocker-Plumbers-318707-/281952235067?hash=item41a5a9ae3b:g:wjoAAOSwv9hW11MI

I had this problem about a year ago. In desperation,I got a wire coat hanger,untwisted it and poked it round the u-bend. Gave it a good shove a few times,then flushed the toilet. The water rose up to the top of the toilet for a few seconds,then there was a huge slurping sound and it went back down and cleared. Phew!

This diagram shows who is responsible (this is from Severn trent, but it is the same for all water authorities)

severntrentwater.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/224/~/who-is-responsible-for-the-sewer%2Fdrain-on-my-property%3F

Angela1961, if your sewer is shared, the water company is now responsible, even if it is on your property, you responsibility stops as soon as it joins another sewer. This changed a couple of years ago. No need to DIY, they come out very quickly.

Hope everything is sorted out now Rubylady. I really must read posts more clearly as I thought Merlotgran suggested tying a plastic carrier bag around your head and using it as a mop.

I was told that hair removing cream, the evil smelling stuff ,Nair I the ink is good for squirting down showers plugs where people wash their hair or you have very hairy men in the family.

We have the drain for 4 properties in our garden . We have had blockages in the past that results in our toilet also blocking - my oh has spent many an hour peering down it trying to unblock the blooming thing, even going out and buying an extending rod thing. He has seen disposable incontinence pants, knickers, wet wipes and even colourful aquarium gravel ! Oddly no neighbour ever offers help ! Once it blocked up whilst he was at work and when he came home he opened the drain cover to take a look and his mobile fell in from his shirt pocket ! Gone forever !

Slow showers - I explore the drain with a crotchet hook occasionally Especially after a daughter visit.

Check traps for hair, then a good dose of drain unblocker may do it. Having learnt from past experience, OH buys some regularly now and heads it off before it becomes a problem and someone floods the floor.

Our slow draining shower involved two drain cleaning men with high pressure hoses and lifting s section of lock block on the drive. Sorry!!

Hope your ok

So......... What about slow draining showers ?

At least it has taken you mind off your other problem for a while.
Let us know if you are OK.

Maybe get some of those gloves vets use for inserting their arm inside a cow (how polite is that!) for future blockages

What a horrible start to your day. I hope it gets better.

So pleased you didn't have a problem to come back to after a day like that. Good luck with your results in 3 weeks time. Shall keep my fingers crossed all will be well for you.

Hi ruby I hope you can have your cuppa now !
DD had same procedure it worked!
you deserve it !

Hi all! Thank you all for your wonderful tips. Luckily I found some drain clearer under the sink and my son put it down before we headed out for the hospital, so it cleared when we came back.

breeze No, I don't put any sanitary products down the toilet.

The problem is that the toilet is tiny, just a bit bigger than a doll's house toilet. I don't know why, there is enough space in the bathroom for a normal size one, the sink is really big so it would have made more sense to put a smaller sink in and a bigger toilet. Anyway, I'm going to have my new throne downstairs soon so that will make life a lot easier.

Hospital - painful today, and there was a smell of burning flesh! Not good. A wait again now to see the results in about three weeks.

Although it might be unblocked by now.

You can't keep chucking buckets of water down the loo because it's blocked!!

I go with the bucket of water thrown down the loo and keep doing it until blockage goes. Keep a bucket upstairs especially. But have had to get outside drain unblocked too a few times.

We occasionally have this problem with overzealous bottom wipingfrom DGCs. Sometimes just putting a mass of toilet cleanser down and leaving it works. (OK if you have 2 loos. It seems to dissolve the paper. Last time though had to resort to a plunger.

I too have my own drain rods[ smug emo]

Was going to say what a ‘s..t’ start to your day Ruby, but I guess that would’ve been too ‘literal’!

I guess you’ve gone off to your appointment now. I really hope all goes well.

If you still have the blockage and a good ‘pump’ with something won’t flush it through, then G&T is right, it could be blocked, in the sewage pipe. After many blockages here over the years, OH bought some drain rods (not expensive ones like professional companies use) but good enough to shove down and clear the blockages further down into the sewage pipe (had to lift the drain cover).

After hearing about your probs, I wondered if you are putting things down it. I won’t elaborate. I don’t have periods anymore but have had to tell visiting girlfriends to use nappy sacks and the bin. As we have one toilet with a straight run under the kitchen floor. Can’t afford to have to dig that up. Since then, we’ve not had one blockage, and we use a few flushable loo wipes too, as well as tissue.

Ours regularly blocks outside, and DH lifts the manhole and tries flushing it through with the power washer. This sometimes works, but we've had to get the water company out 2 or 3 times. We were told one of the biggest problems was quilted toilet paper, which is second only to wet wipes in the 'fat burger' building stakes. So we never, ever buy that now.
The problem in our house is that I always get up about 6 or 7 times in the night to wee so now, instead of just leaving it to collect in the loo (never flush in the night if it's just wee), I put the paper in a nappy bag and dispose of it in the bin each morning. Since I've been doing that we haven't had a problem with the drains blocking (she says, touching wood frantically )