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  • plumbing dilema!
  • cb
    Full Member

    We have a flat that has issues with a toilet (main bathroom) backfilling into the en suite loo when flushed. Without too much detail, some coloration issues have progressed into ‘solids’ issues! We’re not talking vast amounts, but enough to be obvious.

    Now, not being very handy I’ve got a ‘man’ in who smashed away some tiles on the boxed in section behind the en suite loo. We had suspected that the fall of the soil pipe was not sufficient (the soil runs from the en suite, past the main loo and then into the communal pipe near the entrance to the flat). We also expected the soil pipe to be a straight line.

    However, when the pipework was exposed the situation was slightly more complex. The soil from the back of the en suite goes immediately to a ‘T’. From the right is a small diameter drain from the immersion tank. The soil takes a 90 degree bend to the left for about 18 inches before a 90 degree bend to the right, which then straight lines past the main loo to the communal soil. The main problem is the the 90 degree bend to the left (18 inches) is not only suffering from a lack of fall, it actually goes up slightly!!

    We have tried raising the soil behind the en suite but leaks begin to appear if this gets stressed too much. Without knocking massive holes in en suite and main bathroom walls (tiled) and re-laying all the soil pipes, the only solution appears to be lifting both the immersion tank and en suite loo onto plinths. Although feasible, the height gain will have to be significant just to climb onto the loo!!

    Are there any other methods or solutions (assuming I have explained myself)? The guy that came in started going on about saniflow macerators but tailed off and admitted he was out of his depth…

    Any help appreciated. Macclesfield based if any one in the trade in that area?

    Thanks

    Stoner
    Free Member

    you can get 110mm soil pipe non-return valves which Ive heard of being fitted to solve this problem. Theyre not cheap, but if there’s room to fit them, then they could be an easy solution

    http://www.ifdp.co.uk/products/sewageStoppers.html

    http://www.rjpryce.com/Products/multikwik-toilet-pan-fittings/MKWNRV110

    [img]http://www.ifdp.co.uk/products/MultiKwik/closed.jpg[/img]

    showerman
    Free Member

    you have a flat
    ok is it a purpose built block or a converted property
    is this bathroom bodge part of the original build
    do you pay a maintenance charge if so can you claim against that
    there is no easy way out of your problem with very major works
    i am not a fan of saniflow style products but sounds your only way out but these need fitting properly and learn how they work and how to unblock them as they will at some point if the wrong things are put down them oh and they are noisey as hell at 2 in the morning

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    cb
    Full Member

    Stoner – thanks for those links, was thinking of something like that. My only concern would be paper building up around the valve? May not be an issue – will investigate.

    Showerman – converted mill. Many issues with the build and yes the plumbing is all part of the original work. This was ten years ago now though. This was part of the snagging but never got fixed. Developer was a crook and builders got sold. The service charge does not cover stuff inside the flats. We do know who bought the builder out and they do have responsibility but I am guessing that the legal costs / time will be big! Would rather just fix it if a solution is possible.

    slimraybob
    Free Member

    If you have serious problems getting a 1 in 40 fall into the soil stack then a Saniflo or similar macerator would be the solution, these are relatively simple to install and if serviced regularly give years of service.

    Bear
    Free Member

    Some serious reworking of your internal plumbing is needed sadly. Anything else is a stop gap. Come across opposed connections a fair bit and amazed that it has taken 10 years.

    supremebean
    Free Member

    cb where are the leaks coming from when the pipe was raised? I had the same problem with a customer recently, when the pipe was raised the pan connectors leaked. I bought a couple of offset pan connectors and replaced the old ones which allowed me to raise the pipe by 40mm. The plasterboard where the soil pipe went through on one pan had to be cut higher by 40mm which also which left a bit of patching to do, the other pan was a back to wall type so was covered. This is the ones i used http://www.plumbcenter.co.uk/en/multikwik-4-offset-pan-connector-mko4-56760?top_category=11815
    Doing this will raise the water level in the pan, did’nt pose any problems though.

    cb
    Full Member

    Some good ideas to pursue above but any more from the ‘morning’ shift?

    specialknees
    Free Member

    Im a bit concerned as to why you have a pipe connected from the immersion tank.

    If its an Overflow it should terminate outside, if its a pressure relief it should also go outside and be located so as not to spray hot water if it were to run. Neither should go into the soil pipe.

    Probably not related to your problem but if you think you have a contaminated loo now imagine if it backed-up one of these overflows, you would have rather more than just a contaminated loo.!

    You really do need a good plumber…Sorry.

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

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