Any plumbers out there?

I am staying in work accommodation in a basement, the toilet has a pump widget which takes the waste water away from the sink and shower too. Someone put some bad things down the toilet and now the pump is jammed, oh dear..

It's all built in so I can't get ready access to the pump. I can get at it but it's behind a panel and is jammed tight in, the pan is about a foot away and the waste pipe goes into the wall and is hard to get at too.

How do I unjam it? Would I be able to put the pump in reverse or would I have to detach and move the pan.. Eeek! Please help.

I can provide a photo of the system if that'd help.

WHATEVER YOU DO ENSURE THE POWER IS SWITCHED OFF,as the macerator will chew your hands up.

You could try reversing the polarity of the motor, but you may then get electrocuted, or fill the toilet full of half digested crap.

mate be very very carful! some of these are actualy masserator pumps think poo blender!!! Just get a plumber!

Fear not – it's very easy.

Turn off power to the macerator. There should be a fused spur nearby.
Get a cup and bucket & sponge and empty the bog.
Turn off water supply to bog. There should be an in-line valve nearby.
Remove bog. Needs adjustable spanner and screwdriver. Take off cistern first then the pan.
You should be able to se into the macerator and see if something is physically wedging the blades to stop it working. Usual suspects are cotton wool type material, or one of those hard plastic things from the bottom of the loo seat, or a bleach block holder.

Give it a clear out and reassemble.

Don't bite your nails for a day or so.

is reversing the motor an option? power is off at the box. I've got brown, blue and yellow/green cables? hands will remain clear of pooh masher..

Fear not – it's very easy

I used to be a maintenance engineer in a hotel about 20 years ago and we hated those things with a passion. Yes it's easy enough to clear whatever is jamming the blade but you will get covered in shit and it's a horrible job.

Couple this with tight access and very sharp blades and it really isn't a pleasant task.

As others have said please make sure 100% that the power is not going to the 'saniflow' or whatever they're called now. If you unjam it and the power is on you will at least lose your hand.

is reversing the motor an option?

Doubt it, the wires you see feeding in will just feed other live/neutral/earth supply which will run to a feed to the motor.

Thanks big John, cistern is a trendy behind the wall type so I can't get at it so easy, will have a look…

As i said reversing the polarity is the same as putting the motor in reverse, by altering the blue and brown cables.

NOT RECOMENDED UNLESS YOU KNOW DEFFINATELY YOU HAVE KILLED THE POWER, OR IT MAY KILL YOU.

Perhaps a hiose pipe, connected to the cold tap, and put down bog, turn on full and wait, unless you live in the northwest where we have a hosepipe ban and its been raining for the last 2 weeks.

I've got brown, blue and yellow/green cables? hands will remain clear of pooh masher..

dont worry it sounds like he knows what he's doing with those cables..

You've either just signed up or have the most apt username for this thread ever 😀

you've got AC wires there, reversing them will have no effect on simple machines, anything more complicated it will just fry it, it wont reverse it.

Fess up, tell you missus to stop putting jam rags/johniies down the loo, and call a plumber?

You've either just signed up or have the most apt username for this thread ever

Tampax bog would be even more apt… but yes.

You can't reverse the polarity on an AC motor, only on DC. So save yourself the trouble.

Just get someone in, you won't be paying for it anyway.

What the wise monkey said.

We've got one in our loft conversion and while I have unblocked it myself on occasion, it truly was one of the worst jobs ever. You may also find that the blades or motor are damaged, in which case you're not going to be able to fix it anyway.

Most normal plumbers don't touch them… just google Saniflow engineers and find your local guy. Get them to bill your accomodation provider direct. They're not actually all that expensive. We got charged about £100 for callout and full service.

pan is off, still can't get at the pooh masher though.. Kryptofactor or what?

Thanks for all the help!

Eh why have you taken the pan off? The blockage will be in the macerator unit. Looks to be plenty of room to get in at the unit.

Step away from the toilet area and call an expert.

The pump is jammed in there and I can't move it at all, so no way of getting at the pipe going in..

Do I need ot open the top of the pump?

BEJESUS 😯

Do I need ot open the top of the pump?

You clearly have no idea what you are doing. The pump is in the white plastic box in the cupboard. You need to lift the lid off that to clear the jam from the blades, that's the very sharp blades that will rip your hands to shreds if you haven't turned the power off.

There was no need to remove the pan.

Thanks Gary, the pan will go back on, the pump is off I promise!

I do have no idea, that's why I'm on here..

Lol Lol Lol 😆

I hate blocked toilets! (sorry for unhelpful post but been there, didn't do that ^^^).

Your gettin' it Lavieheid.

Post of the Year Award winner for me!

Is anything too OT for STW?

Reversing the wires in an AC motor wont reverse direction… Think about it!

is he less one or two hands yet or has he just called someone in??

Reversing the wires in an AC motor wont reverse direction… Think about it!

😆

if you dont understand the difference between DC and AC you don't want to be playing with electrics…….

the clue is in the word " alternating"….

Jeez, I can imagine the state of your keyboard…

Have you actually got your computer in the shanks with you??

Have you lost the ability to type?

Excellent thread.

The OP after a while fiddling

OK, we'll call it a draw.

I fear we may have lost jobbyheid to a bizarre plumbing accident. 😯

Wonder if he ended up spraying the laptop with crap?

Maybe he's still groping to retrieve the offending item ?

Is he back yet? Wonder who he works for? I've got in mind someone like Marsellus Wallace from Pulp Fiction. Hope the OP isn't out on the pull tonight!

If he is let's hope he at least checks for tide-marks on his arms first…. or at least what remains of them.

I reckon he's been shredded, bet it's even more jammed now.

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3317961613976061602#

Call a plumber

He may stuggle to flick through yellow pages 🙂

lol @ "very easy" followed by "Remove bog"

In my book very easy == push button to sort it out.