hooray for plumbers!
They are here right now and using a video cam to locate the blockage and possibly see where it is from, since four flats all empty into the same main sewer pipe.
The noise of the pump clearing the pipes is quite loud, but I'm used to it because they have been here twice already and this is the third time.
I just went out to check and they are all done after working steadily for an hour, the blockage was quite large and it was grease from cooking, paper towels (kitchen paper) and baby wipes.
That omits me 100%, I never tip cooking oils or other grease down any drain, ever. It gets tipped and/or scraped into a freezable container such as an empty ice cream or yoghurt tub, and stored in the freezer until rubbish collection day, when I haul it all out and stuff it in the wheelie bin. (dumpster) Residue in the cooking containers gets wiped out with paper towel which goes into the bin.
Without mentioning any of the other neighbours, I know where the blockage came from and will have a chat with the Housing Officer who schedules inspections and maybe they can tell certain persons what NOT to put in the drains. If I speak to them myself, they will all say "it isn't me".
So everything is packed up and the plumbers have gone and they are arranging for a cleaner to clean and disinfect the bathroom/laundry.
Meanwhile my brother is in town for another week, to watch his wife play her tennis matches and dropped in to install a sprinkler system for all my pots. Now I only have to go out, turn on the tap and go back inside until it is time to turn the tap off again. No more standing in the blast furnace air to hold the hose. He did suggest a timer for the tap, but I worry someone will knick (steal) it.
You really had a winner of a day. It does sound like it has been properly cleared now and it should take a couple of years at least before it reblocks, if people don't change their ways.
ReplyDeleteAndrew; I feel the tension leaving my head and neck now. Just waiting for the cleaner to come and disinfect. People changing their ways? We can only hope.
DeleteI'm so glad they finally got it, and also glad to hear they are going to send a cleaner. It shouldn't be on you to clean the muck and sanitize your bathroom.
ReplyDeleteGood work, both plumbers and brother!
messymimi; it will be a relief to have someone else clean in there. I spent a huge amount of hours trying to keep the mess down. I thanked the plumbers so much they might have got a bit embarrassed. Brother too, he is one of the best.
DeleteOh such good news River, I was thinking of you all day and hoping this nightmare was over for you. I'm the same as you with oils and fats. I never ever put them down the drains.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
Wisewebwoman; I'm just waiting for the cleaner to turn up, I had a phone call to say he or she is on the way. My parents taught me early on about what not to put down drains and that included hair, especially long hair which might snarl around anything else in there and contrubute to a blockage.
DeleteBaby wipes or any kind of wipes are not flushable. We found that out the hard (expensive) way.
ReplyDeleteMike; packs of wipes here in Australia are marked "do not flush" and have been for several years now. The mark is quite small though and I think it should be larger.
DeleteHome from LL. I am THRILLED to read this post. And am glad that they will send a cleaner too.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; I'm a little thrilled myself at having someone else clean my bathroom. And a week's worth of tension in my neck and head has disappeared now.
DeleteWell thank goodness the pipes are fixed. Third time lucky.
ReplyDeleteCan't understand people who put oil/fat or paper down the drain, goodness me it's no wonder it all gets blocked. We do as you do with our oil/fat etc.
Margaret D; I guess some people never learned about the fats and oils, and for some who don't cook often they wouldn't think about it.
DeleteGood to hear it's sorted at last!
ReplyDeleteBarbara; I'm so happy about finally being able to use my toilet.
DeleteWHEW!! glad that is taken care of ...finally! How awful! Probably a good idea to have a galvanized bucket at hand for when some one tosses baby wipes down the loo again. We used a bucket on the boat, works in a pinch.
ReplyDeleteLinda Sue; we don't know who tossed the baby wipes or the kitchen paper down. but I have my suspicions. The plumbers gave some indication. I must buy a galvanised bucket, I've been meaning to.
DeleteMy parents always wanted their children to become lawyers, engineers, mathematicians, doctors, musicians etc.., presumably because of the better incomes, more reliable jobs and higher status attached to the professions. But the most important talent in the working world surely has to be plumbing!
ReplyDeleteHels; that is a thing about parents who want the best for their kids, while forgetting that the world still needs plumbers and construction workers, electricians too and let's not forget gardeners and landscapers, all those jobs where people might get dirty. I let my kids choose for themselves, they all quit school before finishing year 12 and got jobs instead.
DeleteThank goodness! I hope the cleaner/s do a thorough job and you can reclaim your bathroom and use it without worrying.
ReplyDeletejabblog; the cleaners cleaned the floor with bleach and a pressure washer, unfortunately pressure washers tend to blow stuff around, so there were spatters on walls and tiles and on the shower screen. But the floor was lovely. I cleaned up the spatters with paper towel and Windex. My home is back to normal.
DeleteThe exact same thing happened to us! They pulled out handfuls of congealed grease from the ktich sink trap. I couldn't believe it! We were on well and septic, too, in that house.
ReplyDeleteFinally!! Cool idea with the freezing (we have not the space). We let it dry and srcap in the bin. Doesn´t everybody remember what happened in London with huge fat-thingy?
ReplyDeleteYep, "was´t me"... And great your Brother gets you a sprinkler installed! Happy Day, I´d say.