Can you clear a blocked toilet the same day?
Usually, yes, and if it is the only toilet in the property we treat that as urgent rather than routine. Out of hours we run a 24/7 callout, so an eleven o'clock at night overflowing WC is a normal call for us rather than something that has to wait until Monday.
Will you have to take the toilet off?
Almost never. The great majority clear through the pan or from the chamber outside. Lifting a WC means breaking the seal and re-fitting it, so it is the last option rather than the first, and we would tell you before doing it, not present it as a finished bill.
Why does my sink keep blocking up again?
A waste that blocks repeatedly is usually telling you the pipe is coated rather than plugged. Fat and soap build up on the pipe wall until the bore is half what it should be, so anything at all catches. Clearing the plug fixes it for a fortnight, jetting the wall clean fixes it properly, and a camera down the run tells you which of the two you have got.
Are chemical drain cleaners worth trying first?
Rarely, and they can make things worse. Most of what is sold for a blocked waste sits on top of the blockage without moving it, and then anyone working on the pipe afterwards is dealing with a trap full of caustic. If a plunger and hot water have not shifted it, a machine will, and that is cheaper than three bottles that did not.
Do you work on flats and shared soil stacks?
Yes. Flats, HMOs and terraces with shared stacks are regular work, and the first job is establishing whose section it actually is. We will tell you what we find honestly, including when the blockage is not on your side of the boundary and is not your bill to pay.
