Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

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sunspot
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Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by sunspot »

We recently renovated our house. Told our mechanical engineer (who did the plumbing inside the house) that the system must carry toilet paper outside the house, into the manholes etc. Our main contractor put in new manholes, external pipes, septic tank etc.

Unfortunately loo paper is blocking the pipework under the floor. Does not make it to the manhole outside. We are not overloading the loo. Only toilet paper is going in. The pipework is new and is plastic. The bathroom smells of sewage.

We know many people here who happily put loo paper into their loos with no problem. Some have lived in older properties for years.

We moved into our house on 10 December. This is the second blockage of the same loo. Our other ground-floor bathrooms also smell of sewage. Those loos have not even been used but we flush them, run water in basins/showers etc. The smells persist. All loos have soil stacks/vent pipes.

I am trying to give full information in hopes that someone can help.

Can anyone recommend a good drainage expert/plumber who can identify the problem? It is serious. We will continue to chase the mechanical engineer but he is evasive and we must get other opinions now. Thank you.
jeba
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by jeba »

Sorry, I can´t help with a contact. My observation is that if you flush only up to six 4-ply paper towels at once (and flush them separately from what once used to be delicacies) there won´t be a problem.
ProVox
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by ProVox »

Had this problem a few years ago on a new build housing estate in Cyprus and it happened on several houses. A suggestion .......

Where the internal pipes leave the house you may find close to it a steel cover, maybe 10" sq. Lift the cover and check how the internals are constructed.

The problem I had was that the internal pipe discharged into this box but the discharge pipe to the septic tank was at 90 deg to it. The 'engineer' :roll: had no profiled channel such as a pipe bend to divert the waste around the 90 deg bend. It was just a cement box, with one pipe in and another pipe out but at 90 deg. Strange as it may seem to some, what you flush down the loo does not posses any aero-dynamic qualities! It tries to go straight out of the house pipe and builds up against the concrete wall opposite that it is aimed at. The 'box' fills and the mess piles up, blocks the outlet ..... and you will smell it.

If this is what you find ......... get some pipe bends and a length of pipe the same size as the in/out pipes. Cut the bends down the center line so you end up with two open bends and using same size bits of pipe, join each end from the house outlet to the outlet to the septic tank. Keep it level and when the adhesive sets fill the void below with cement levelling it with the pipe/bend and sloping up toward the cement sides of the box ....... actuallyl just like you would find in a UK installation.

It cleared up my problem ..... maybe it will work for you too?
Kili01
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by Kili01 »

Hi Sunspot,
Poor you! I'm a former owner, and lived in Kamares until recently. Firstly, Perhaps you could try Hydrajet ( 99 967895) who specialise in cleaning and clearing drains. For your immediate problem.
As to the reason drains under the house floors keep blocking, this may depend on the size of the drain pipes which were installed initially., that is unless every pipe was replaced by your mechanical engineer. We were there while our house was under construction, and I remember we asked the site manager to order a larger diameter drain pipe than they normally do,. From memory I think they usually instal 4" pipe, we asked for 6" ones. Which were fitted to both bathrooms and cloakroom toilets.
In addition though one still has to be very careful to use minimum amounts of a good quality loo paper. And nothing else.. Also, when laying the pipes externally to the septic tank, there must be a slight fall of an inch or so which helps with smooth drainage. Also it is wise to ask for a final visual check to ensure any bits of concrete or rubble are removed, and any extra concrete around joints or corners is smooth which also helps avoid later blockages.
We lived here for 18 years without any problems.
Adding an occasional tub of plain active yogurt to the septic tank helps to ensure good bacterial action there. If the system is working correctly, there should be no smells.
Hope that this info may help.
Dee
sunspot
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by sunspot »

Thanks to all. Will investigate all ideas.

The blockage is definitely in the pipework before it leaves the house. New 4-inch plastic pipes were used. I recall being assuring that 4-inch pipes would more than do the job. Wish I had insisted on 6-inch. I am concerned that the correct ‘fall’ was not made from toilets to manholes, though they were specified. Too much loo paper would not account for smells in bathrooms where the loos are regularly flushed but not used.

If toilets are not overloaded, these problems do not occur in places like UK, Canada etc. Nor do they occur in houses of people here we know. Not rocket science. This is a new expensive renovation. We are fairly horrified.
WHL
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by WHL »

sunspot wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 12:58 pm Thanks to all. Will investigate all ideas.

The blockage is definitely in the pipework before it leaves the house. New 4-inch plastic pipes were used. I recall being assuring that 4-inch pipes would more than do the job. Wish I had insisted on 6-inch. I am concerned that the correct ‘fall’ was not made from toilets to manholes, though they were specified. Too much loo paper would not account for smells in bathrooms where the loos are regularly flushed but not used.

If toilets are not overloaded, these problems do not occur in places like UK, Canada etc. Nor do they occur in houses of people here we know. Not rocket science. This is a new expensive renovation. We are fairly horrified.
Mate get a plumber to look at it, we had a problem, and we got a guy to put a camera through to show the problem, with us we had visitors from the UK and their kids were flushing paper down the loo, .
Oakland
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by Oakland »

Hi Guys

As a norm a 100 mm ( 4 inch ) pipe should be sufficient . My thoughts are the falls on the pipes being inadequate and the water flow is not strong enough to carry it downs the lines .
Regards smells , I assume you have vent pipes from the both room , either out of the roof or up the external walls , it may be the case the pipes are blocked which would cause the traps to pull letting in the smell . Maybe birds have nested , try checking .

Hope it helps

Les
Kili01
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by Kili01 »

That's rotten luck, Sunspot. We only knew about the size of the pipe usually installed, by plumbers because a German friend of ours living in Kamares advised us to ask for the 6"" pipe.
However, I think that HydraJet have diagnostic equipment which may enable them to locate exactly where the blockage is which may help to keep any remedial work to a smaller area.
Good luck.
Dee
Jamboal
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by Jamboal »

Hi, the 4” size pipes you have are more than adequate for your toilet waste to septic tank, sounds like the existing pipe is not properly graded or vented. Hydrojet should be able to advise.
The Aquila
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by The Aquila »

We found ourselves in a similar situation and despite two unsuccessful yet chargeable visits from another company Dave @ Jetwash sorted it out first time! Dave’s number is 96207155.

If anyone wants the story about the other company I will gladly send by PM.
Jim B
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by Jim B »

It's the angle the pipe should slope which is 1 in 100 to self clean. If the slope is not sufficient or too much the paper doesn't flush away. Google it.
Most sewage pipe is 4" .
jeba
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by jeba »

Jim B wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 3:44 pm It's the angle the pipe should slope which is 1 in 100 to self clean. If the slope is not sufficient or too much the paper doesn't flush away. Google it.
Most sewage pipe is 4" .
Could a wider pipe cause problems? E.g. because it may need a different slope?
Kili01
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by Kili01 »

Well the 6" one we had never did. As you say its v important that the outside pipe is put in correctly with a slight slope and that there are no obstructions inside the pipe. Sloppy work by sone plumbers may leave bits of concrete or other loose debris which obstructs the flow. Also that joints or corners are also clear of any builders debris..

Dee
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bromerzz
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by bromerzz »

We have 4" pipework, flush down toilet paper as you would in any N European country and have never had a log jam!
trevnhil
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by trevnhil »

bromerzz wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 6:25 pm We have 4" pipework, flush down toilet paper as you would in any N European country and have never had a log jam!
We are exactly the same. But we don't have any 90 degree bends in the manholes.. Any smells we have were usually from drying out traps in an unused bathroom
Trev..
Jim B
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by Jim B »

4" is the standard size, 6" can be used but is just further expense, it's all down to tha angle of fall. Too much slope and the water leaves the solids behind, too little creates lack of velocity to wash the solids down the pipework.
As said in another post, the benching in inspection hatches where there is a change of direction has to be formed correctly to allow flow.
trevnhil
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by trevnhil »

If people like us are using plastic pipes underground, then it is also preferable to use preformed plastic manholes.. No cement work needed at all
Trev..
Jim B
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by Jim B »

trevnhil wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:41 pm If people like us are using plastic pipes underground, then it is also preferable to use preformed plastic manholes.. No cement work needed at all
It's cheaper to knock a wooden box up than buy preformed manholes.
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PW in Polemi
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by PW in Polemi »

We had a very nasty smell in our bathroom a while after moving in. No amount of ensuring the water traps were full cleared it. Upon lifting the inspection hatches, we discovered the problem.
Every outgoing pipe was higher than the incoming one, so deposits were left lurking in the chamber ...
Each inspection chamber had to be cleaned out, rebenched properly - and finally the smell was gone.
Kay
Those who do not like cats, must have been mice in a former life! :lol:
kansas
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Re: Plumber/drainage specialist - help please

Post by kansas »

After about 10 years in our property we noticed periodic smells from the septic tanks at the back of the house. Also that one dwarf sized palm tree appeared to be growing much faster than its twin! Eventually the smell entered the house and the sewage backed up into the shower room and bathroom. We called out Faganas who responded promptly and drained the septic tanks. He noticed that there was no waste pipe from the second chamber to the soak away so for years our waste had been rising daily and occasionally overflowing, and leaking out of the sides of the two chambers into the surrounding soil, hence the speedy growth of the palm tree! We found a very helpful guy who took up the crazy paving and reinforced concrete, and fitted the outlet pipe that the builders should have installed. We have had no problems since.
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