Toilet blockages and back-surges are among the most disruptive, unpleasant and avoidable of these problems.
Back-surges happen when water (and anything else carried in it) can’t flow along a pipe as it should due to a blockage, and returns whence it came, causing a great deal of mess and inconvenience in your convenience.
Aside from the obvious side effects, back surges can damage your property, are expensive to fix and clean up after, and our repair staff can’t always attend and deal with the blockage immediately.
If you live in an apartment block, you might not even realise there’s been a back surge, as it may show up in someone else’s toilet, bath, sink, shower or anywhere else with pipes.
The unflushables
More than half the plumbing blockages in the UK each year are caused by flushing items down the toilet that shouldn’t be flushed including: feminine hygiene products, wet wipes, baby wipes, nappies, kitchen roll, cotton wool, make-up wipes and anti-bacterial surface wipes.
And although some wet wipes are sold as “flushable”, a BBC investigation in November 2018 found that none of the wet wipes sold in the UK passed the water industry’s disintegration tests.
Toilet paper, on the other hand, is designed to break down quickly in water and move easily through the plumbing system without creating blockages.
So the golden rule is don’t flush anything down your loo that’s not supposed to be flushed, and help avoid any nasty surprises - financial or otherwise.
Got a blockage in your WC? Or need something else fixed? You can request a repair online at my.a2dominion.co.uk.