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Hi - if anyone can help I'd really appreciate it...
I've been getting regular (3 times a year) sewer fumes through shower & bleachy bubbles / gurgling in my toilet. I'm in a ground floor tenement flat, with four storeys above me. Had a CCTV survey of drain last week and no structural issues found that would cause the problem. Instead, every time it's been fixed there's been one of the usual culprits: tampons, sanitary towels, wet wipes etc. I've tried sending letters & leaflets to the people living above me warning them about non-flushable items, but nothing changes. Unfortunately it includes student flats so there's new tenants every year.
The diagram attached shows my setup: shower/sink drain with manhole (red dot); toilet drain connecting to stack above ground with no access point (blue dot); these two pipes connect underground and then there's a manhole deeper into the garden (yellow dot) where they connect with the same setup for my next door neighbours.
The guy who did CCTV basically said there's not much I can do. As long as the twats above me keep blocking the drains, I'm gonna live the consequences. He said that a non-return valve could be installed to the toilet (and another one to the shower?), but he didn't recommend it. Couldn't pin him down on why but he didn't seem to trust them. Also presumably that'd involve tearing out my relatively new bathroom. So not a great scenario.
But I HAVE to do something because the fumes are affecting my asthma & sometimes giving my toddler headaches. Can anyone weigh in on the following options so I can just make the best of a bad situation?
1. Install access point on the toilet stack, which should allow me to clear blockages myself with a rod / hose? (Until now they've been cleared by operatives opening the yellow manhole, which is always after the blockages. Would direct drain access from behind the blockages be easier to clear?) Been quoted £250 for this inc VAT.
2. Non-return valves in drain? I've seen this product Non-Return Valves - Flexseal - https://www.flexseal.co.uk/product/non-return-valves but the operative said the manholes are too small for them to be installed. Pix attached - do you agree? And what about a product that would go in my elbow above ground linking to the stack? (Bad idea in case of failure?)
3. Non-return valves in the bathroom? Would I need to rip out my toilet and shower and start again or are there products for an easier solution? Pix of toilet & shower attached. The shower is the worst offender for smell, but if I NRV that plug surely the fumes will just escape from my bath & sink plugs?
4. Kill my neighbours? XD
I'm resigned to unblocking the drains manually every few months so I'm pretty sure I'll get that access point installed. Hopefully there's just something else I can do to keep these fumes away from my family?! They're really vile in a small flat
Thank you!
I've been getting regular (3 times a year) sewer fumes through shower & bleachy bubbles / gurgling in my toilet. I'm in a ground floor tenement flat, with four storeys above me. Had a CCTV survey of drain last week and no structural issues found that would cause the problem. Instead, every time it's been fixed there's been one of the usual culprits: tampons, sanitary towels, wet wipes etc. I've tried sending letters & leaflets to the people living above me warning them about non-flushable items, but nothing changes. Unfortunately it includes student flats so there's new tenants every year.
The diagram attached shows my setup: shower/sink drain with manhole (red dot); toilet drain connecting to stack above ground with no access point (blue dot); these two pipes connect underground and then there's a manhole deeper into the garden (yellow dot) where they connect with the same setup for my next door neighbours.
The guy who did CCTV basically said there's not much I can do. As long as the twats above me keep blocking the drains, I'm gonna live the consequences. He said that a non-return valve could be installed to the toilet (and another one to the shower?), but he didn't recommend it. Couldn't pin him down on why but he didn't seem to trust them. Also presumably that'd involve tearing out my relatively new bathroom. So not a great scenario.
But I HAVE to do something because the fumes are affecting my asthma & sometimes giving my toddler headaches. Can anyone weigh in on the following options so I can just make the best of a bad situation?
1. Install access point on the toilet stack, which should allow me to clear blockages myself with a rod / hose? (Until now they've been cleared by operatives opening the yellow manhole, which is always after the blockages. Would direct drain access from behind the blockages be easier to clear?) Been quoted £250 for this inc VAT.
2. Non-return valves in drain? I've seen this product Non-Return Valves - Flexseal - https://www.flexseal.co.uk/product/non-return-valves but the operative said the manholes are too small for them to be installed. Pix attached - do you agree? And what about a product that would go in my elbow above ground linking to the stack? (Bad idea in case of failure?)
3. Non-return valves in the bathroom? Would I need to rip out my toilet and shower and start again or are there products for an easier solution? Pix of toilet & shower attached. The shower is the worst offender for smell, but if I NRV that plug surely the fumes will just escape from my bath & sink plugs?
4. Kill my neighbours? XD
I'm resigned to unblocking the drains manually every few months so I'm pretty sure I'll get that access point installed. Hopefully there's just something else I can do to keep these fumes away from my family?! They're really vile in a small flat
Thank you!
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