Toilet nearly overflowing! Help pls!

neveah123

My toilet, when I flush, the water comes up to the top of the bowl but then slowly drains but I don't think the contents are flushing down properly.

I'm connected to a septic tank, haven't got the money to call out a plumber at the moment & I don't have a plunger, but I have caustic soda?

Can anyone give me advice please I'm clueless when it comes to this stuff.. haha thank you in advance

harr

Blockage somewhere or your tank is full ...get a wire coat hanger and open it out and stick it down toilet to see if you can loosen the blockage.
Then try a plunger if that fails you will need to rod your drains outside but first check make sure your tank isn’t full.

Wearb

Most likely the tank needs emptying and pipes rodded. You will be lucky if anything else will sort it.

K.Flyer

Dont try the coat hanger.
You may have a flexi multiwick and if you get the hanger in far enough you could tear a hole in it.
Is this the only toilet in the house, if no, are others affected the same way.
If its the only toilet, go outside and lift the drain covers nearest to this bathroom, they should be empty, if full, you have bigger problems and may need an expert in.
If they are empty then try this.
Get your mop and put a plastic bag around the mop head. Wrap it up good and tight with string or strong tape.
Pour a water into the toilet until it is about half full, then push the covered mop down into the u bend. Using short up and down movements with the mop handle it may help dislodge the obstruction.
Keep topping up the toilet pan with water and plunging with the mop and hopefully it will clear it for you.

CeilingFly

I have the exact same issue at the moment.

I had a broken drain cover which allowed a lot of rainwater get into the septic tank and its full.

Probably need to empty the tank as leaving it full may cause problems with the aerator which will cost a lot more.

Lift one of the drain covers and see if its full of water.

neveah123

thanks for all your replies guys!

I used a wire coat hanger before I seen the comment about not using one :X but it seemed to work, i flushed the toilet afterward and it flushed fine,
seems to be working okay now, i stupidly put babywipes down the toilet yesterday cos i am an idiot and only thought of it after i posted,
so maybe that's what it was.

the last time the tank got emptied was about 5 years ago i think so im gonna have to get that done soon.

CeilingFly wrote: »

I have the exact same issue at the moment.

I had a broken drain cover which allowed a lot of rainwater get into the septic tank and its full.

Probably need to empty the tank as leaving it full may cause problems with the aerator which will cost a lot more.

Lift one of the drain covers and see if its full of water.

yeah, my drain cover broke too, my dad covered it up with slates the last time it was emptied but he was saying he thinks it could of gotten blocked up by leaves or rainwater..

fingers crossed it's okay now :S

thank u all so much i really appreciate the replies !!

TheRiverman

When was the last time the septic tank was emptied?.There should be a cover/lid on it that is easily taken off to check.There should also be at least one manhole between your house and the tank that again should have a cover that is easily taken off.Having a set of duct rods and a plunger are very handy for anyone with a septic tank to have.

Just saw your reply about the last time your tank was emptied,you have done very well to get to five years,so you will probably have to get it done very soon.

neveah123

TheRiverman wrote: »

When was the last time the septic tank was emptied?.There should be a cover/lid on it that is easily taken off to check.There should also be at least one manhole between your house and the tank that again should have a cover that is easily taken off.Having a set of duct rods and a plunger are very handy for anyone with a septic tank to have.

god about 5 or 6 years ago, altho noone was living in the house for about 3 of them, and when they were it was just my grandmother so the toilet wasn't being used all that often as she was in and out of hosp.

my dad said the cover was broken so he covered it up with some slates, i have yet to see it so im gonna go out tomoro morning and have a look around as its immersed in shrubs. im gonna get a plunger this week and some duct rods thanks

Addle

How much does it cost to get septic tank emptied?
Is now a bad time to do it considering how wet it is everywhere?

neveah123

Addle wrote: »

How much does it cost to get septic tank emptied?
Is now a bad time to do it considering how wet it is everywhere?

I got mine done last week by a local farmer for 80E. Weather didn't seem to be an issue

agusta

neveah123 wrote: »

I got mine done last week by a local farmer for 80E. Weather didn't seem to be an issue

Did he have a waste permit and does he have permits from the local authorities to do this work?

Hitman3000

agusta wrote:

Did he have a waste permit and does he have permits from the local authorities to do this work?

If course he does, but being a neighbour he only charged 80 euro instead of the usual 350 price tag.

Hitman3000

neveah123 wrote:

I got mine done last week by a local farmer for 80E. Weather didn't seem to be an issue

Don't put baby wipes down your toilet, as some if them do not breakdown. Also don't use powder in your washing machine stick with liquid.

Addle

I paid €200 a few weeks ago.