Disgusting mess and the benefits of having a husband!

[Marina]

Our spare room toilet wasn't flushing properly so hubby set to with a plunger. Suddenly the shower tray, next to the loo, filled up with S**t!!! I happened to be rather busy at the time so he had to deal with it.

Now I know that the pipes are all close together but we only put down the loo what is supposed to go down and I don't think its unreasonable to expect it to go down and stay down!

Can anyone suggest why this happened and what we can do so it doesn't happen again?

[Chris Williams]

The waste pipe from the shower will probably branch into the toilet waste pipe and the blockage is downstream of the branch, try blocking the shower waste grill with something before you use a plunger down the toilet, probably best with two people so one can hold something down firmly over the shower outlet. Chris.

[Trooperman]

Hi Marina
Basically, Chris Williams is correct.
Now, most Spanish bathroom plumbing uses a "sifonica" (or at least that is what I think the plumbers merchant called it - more likely in our language to be an "anti-syphon trap"). It's that little shiny steel plate about 8" across that sits somewhere on the bathroom floor. Below that is a plastic chamber about 6" deep into which all the sink wastes, shower and bidet wastes discharge before all that stuff then goes in one outlet pipe from that very trap, the same way as the toilet waste - and usually that outlet pipe from that trap joins the main waste system downstream of the loo.

Before I go any further `perhaps you could indicate if you have one?

[Marina]

Can't find one!

[Trooperman]

Well! That's that option gone!
What I am saying is that the waste pipe from the loo would seem to be blocked and that you need to find a way into that pipe, downstream of the WC to clear that blockage. The access afforded by the "sifonica" is not available to you. Can you get one of those (fairly lightweight I admit) wire unblocking thingys around the WC bend? Or can you find a way into the nearest arqueta (manhole) to rod it that way? Or is (as with most Spanish plumbing) the arqueta covered with slabs and you don't know where to find it?

Maybe call in a plumber?

Sorry, but I can't do much more - it's one of those things I do for myself if need be, but can't go very far via a keyboard!

[Marina]

Thanks.

I think the blockage is clear for now. There can't possibly be much more of the stuff! I'm really wondering if there's anything I can put down on a regular basis that will help to prevent it happening again and without upsetting the septic tank? I do have the little brown sachets of stuff from Mercadona but I'm never sure if it should be just one at a time or one per loo and if I leave them in the loo to dissolve or flush them straight away?

[fearfulfred]

Marina

What are the brown packets from Mercadona as we have been afraid of putting anything in , like you, fear of disturbing the septic tank. Any info greatly appreciated

Fred

[Marina]

They come in a small box and are called Fosas Septicas, Activador biologico.

Let me know if you work out how to use them!

[gerryh]

The instructions are on the box
You drop one of the packets into the loo once a week and flush the loo.
This is for a house hold of 1-4 people.
For 5-8 people use 2 packets a week.

All very simple.

Cheers
Gerry

[El Cid]

They certainly won't help the blockage problem.

They are packets of friendly bacteria designed to go into your septic tank - putting them in the loo is just an easy way of getting them into the tank.

They can sometimes be usefull on a new tank to get the whole breakdown process running smoothly but you shouldn't need to use them once it has developed enough natural bacteria to work properly.

Sid

[peteroldracer]

We have had a similar experience - not **** in the shower, but a smelly bathroom - and it was our 'guest suite' upstairs, which had been unused for some months. The piping from this goes through one of those 'sifonicas' as Trooperman says, but what I shall refer to as 'sticky deposits' must have set on the sides of the piping that goes down to the ground floor, then 30 metres underground across the garden until it joins other piping at an arqueta, or inspection pit. Opening this up showed very poor flow from upstairs when the bog was flushed, with semi-solid matter slurping out reluctantly, obviously having been very happy lying around in the pipes for some months. We bunged a hose through the window and gave the bog a really powerful long flushing, until the arqueta ran clear, and have had no problem since.
Despite being lectured, one guest (all family/friends) had put some hygienic wipes down, which look as if they will take many years to digest!
You should have a sifonica - assuming it is a tiled floor in the loo, look for a chrome/stainless plate, about the size of a CD, screwed to the floor - often in a discrete corner location, although as has been said, you cannot access it or do anything with it.
Old housewife tip - if leaving a bathroom unused for a while, pour a cup of malt vinegar down the shower drain and sink, to keep smells at bay.

[mijas-lady]

im not having a good day as now my toilet is blocked what do I do once I have removed the CD disc on floor thanks

[Trooperman]

Funnily enough, pereroldracer, I looked in someone elses bathroom today by chance - a rebuilt village house - as, like you, I assumed it was normal to have a "sifonica" and was puzzled by Marina's negative answer about hers.

Surprise, surprise, there was none!

Maybe this is a way to save a few euros by omitting them?

[Trooperman]

Hi Mijas Lady!...and oh dear!...you have my sympathy.

Under the silver top is a plastic container, cemented into the floor. In the centre (into which the screw for the silver cover goes) is a plastic "nut" that you should unscrew, then lift off the plastic cover. Take care to retain any rubber sealing ring.
This will then expose the inside of the "sifonica" and you will see various inlets from the basin etc. (they will be roughly in the same direction as the basin, shower etc) and one, maybe slightly larger, outlet that will run towards the main drain. (There will also be accumulated "crud" from many hair washes, shaves etc. but hey! this is real life we're talking here)
You now should be able to insert into the outlet pipe one of those small wire drain clearing "snakes" that every ferreteria sells and feed it through into the main drain. Turning the attached handle and generally wiggling it about will give you some ability to shift blockages able to be reached.

Now. It may well be, of course, that the blockage is further away that the wire device can reach (from memory they're about 3 or 4 metres long) in which case you will have to find the next "arqueta", uncover that and use drain rods in whichever direction is dictated by what you find.

There is also a rather harsh chemical unblocker I have seen in ferreterias. Don't know what it's called or even if it's going to stand any chance of doing the job - it's one of those rubber glove and face mask needed chemicals - so be careful.

Best wishes.

[peteroldracer]

There is also a rather harsh chemical unblocker I have seen in ferreterias.

Suggest that you avoid this stuff if you have non-mains drainage, as it will kill the biological action, and you may have then to call in the sludge truck to pump the tank out, then kickstart the process anew with Fosa Septica bags.
Incidentally, the new-style three-chamber plastic pozos need emptying every three years or so, whereas the old-style now illegal ones seemed to go on for ever - my neighbour has gone fifteen years with his, and they brought up 2 boys and have la abuela living with them. Admittedly, there is no washing machine, and they shower under an upraised barrel in the yard.........

[alaninspain]

An alternative is to buy a ferret, whisper in it's ear "There's a juicy rabbit down there" and drop him down the toilet. A quick flush to help him on his way and his wriggling should soon dislodge anything in the pipes. You could remove the filter from the shower tray to let him up again, but he may need a bit of a hose-down.