Blocked sinks, baths and toilets in Epping Forest and Harlow

Which blockages can I ask about?

Any blockage inside the home, from one slow basin to a toilet that will not clear. Typical examples:

• a kitchen sink that fills when the washing machine or dishwasher empties
• a bath or shower tray that drains slowly and leaves a grey ring
• a basin that gurgles or smells
• a toilet that rises close to the rim before it slowly goes down
• water backing up in a downstairs shower or toilet

You do not need to know where the blockage is. Say what each fitting is doing and a plumber can narrow it down.

Why do they block?

Kitchen wastes clog with fat and cooking oil, which set as they cool and trap food scraps. Bathroom wastes collect hair, soap and toothpaste. Toilets are most often blocked by wet wipes, sanitary products, cotton buds or too much paper in one flush.

Some blockages come from the pipework itself: a waste that was laid with too little slope, a trap that has cracked, or a long run with sharp bends where debris settles.

Is there anything I can try myself?

• Use a cup plunger on a sink or bath, with the overflow covered by a damp cloth so the pressure goes down the pipe
• Pull hair out of the plughole or the shower trap, many of which lift out
• Unscrew the bottle trap under a basin over a bucket and clean it
• For a toilet, use a toilet plunger with a flange and work it steadily

Do not pour boiling water into a toilet pan, as it can crack the ceramic. Be careful with chemical drain cleaners: follow the label, never mix two products, and tell the plumber what you used before they start.

Is it the fitting or the drain?

If one sink or one toilet is affected, the blockage is probably close to it. If several fittings are slow together, if water appears in a downstairs shower when you flush upstairs, or if an inspection chamber outside is full, the problem is likely further down, in the drain.

Some plumbers clear drains as well and others do not, so say what you have noticed outside.

Whose problem is a blocked drain?

Since 1 October 2011, in England, sewers and lateral drains that were connected to the public sewer by 1 July 2011 passed to the local sewerage company. That covers drains shared by two or more properties and the part of a drain serving one home that lies outside its boundary.

The drain that serves only your home and stays inside your boundary remains yours. Drains built more recently may still be private unless the sewerage company has adopted them. Septic tanks, cesspools and private treatment plants were not transferred.

If a shared drain or the sewer is blocked, your water company should deal with it, so call them first. Your water bill shows which company that is.

How can I stop it happening again?

• Wipe greasy pans with kitchen roll and bin it, rather than rinsing fat away
• Fit a strainer in the kitchen sink and a hair catcher in the shower
• Bin wet wipes, nappies and sanitary products, even those sold as flushable
• Clean basin traps every few months, especially in a busy family bathroom

What goes in the enquiry?

• the postcode, since that decides whether a plumber can be found
• which fittings are affected and which still drain normally
• whether the toilet is rising, overflowing or just slow
• what you have tried, including any drain cleaner
• whether you live in a flat, where pipes may be shared
• whether an outside cover or gully is overflowing

What if sewage is coming into the house?

Keep everyone, especially children and pets, away from the affected area and do not use the toilets or sinks that drain to it. Wash your hands thoroughly after any contact. If the blockage seems to be in a shared drain or the public sewer, contact your water company straight away.