Caustic soda situation

[smiler123]

Hi, I hope some one can help me. I have a blocked toilet and was trying to sort it out myself because it was only 2weeks ago that I paid £80 for a drain to be cleared when an outside drain was blocked.
My only toilet in the house is blocked. I tried Mr Muscle which didn't do anything. My dad came over and opened the man hole cover and the drain was empty. He used a pipe to try to find/clear any blockage but this was no use. As a last resort I bought caustic soda crystals. I had read that this would clear anything. I poured the right amount into the toilet when the toilet was at i low water level (waited over night for the water to slowly drain away) then I flushed the toilet. I tried this twice. Once on Friday once on Saturday. Now on Satueday night, I see that the soda crystals have solidified in the bottom of the toilet! I'm a bit panicked and don't know what to do. Any ideas? I realise I can't put any bleached or toilet un-blockers down because this may cause a chemical reaction. I have no idea what to do.
Any advice would be grately appreciated.
Thank you,
Sarah.

 

[kay-jay]

try pouring a kettle of hot water in, it should dissolve the crystals

 

[ecowarm]

try pouring a kettle of hot water in, it should dissolve the crystals

wear safety goggles as it can react to the hot water

 

[capitanpugwash]

May be daft question, but you don't mention a plunger- have you tried one?

 

[SimonG]

Bucket of hot water always works for me, poured in as fast and as high as you can get it.

 

[secret squirrel]

This may seem daft but if your using caustic soda USE CHEMICAL GLOVES. Also, have some vinegar nearby, this will stop the burns if you get any, water and soap do not.

I threw caution into the wind on one occasion and I regretted it.......

Caustic soda burns can burn up to 3 days later....... Now I always carry chemical gloves

 

[smiler123]

Hi, Thank you all for your replies. I've just go home and the solidified caustic soda was still in the bottom of the toilet so i've followed your advice, goggles et al.
I poured the boiling water down (well just off the boil, was too scared to put it down too hot incase it cracked the toilet, i'm on my own so couldn't have coped with that disaster!) the solidified lump came loose but I couldn't get it out of the toilet with the scoop/stick/pole and numerous other items i tried so I had to put my hand in the toilet. Some of it had slid through and down the toilet, but i managed to get hold of the lump that was left and took it out. I wore rubber gloves (not chemical gloves I know but I didn't have anything else). I only touched it with the gloves on for a second and then I got rid of it. The water in the toilet was clean as the toilet has been flushed about 7 times since the caustic soda was put down (letting it get low and then flushing to see if toilet was unblocked) so the contents of the clean water and now small amount of soda was massively diluted. The water went over the top of my glove briefly and onto my jumper but I took my jumper straight off and washed my arm putting vinegar on it just incase (I think the nail brush I scrubbed with probably did me more damage to be honest). But i doubt it will have burnt. It's been over 24hrs since i put it down the toilet.
Anyway...after all of that I still have a blocked loo but at least there is no longer a lump of caustic soda looming in the bottom of the loo worrying me sick and keeping me awake. I think I will unfortunatley have to phone a plumber/drain man in the morning :-(
I really do appreciate all of your advice though, very kind of you all to take the time to reply. Thank you so much.
Sarah.x
P.S. Please don't think I under estimate the dangers of caustic soda, I'm scared to death of the stuff and will be disposing of the remainder of the bottle ASAP.

 

[Dannypipe]

Hi, Thank you all for your replies. I've just go home and the solidified caustic soda was still in the bottom of the toilet so i've followed your advice, goggles et al.
I poured the boiling water down (well just off the boil, was too scared to put it down too hot incase it cracked the toilet, i'm on my own so couldn't have coped with that disaster!) the solidified lump came loose but I couldn't get it out of the toilet with the scoop/stick/pole and numerous other items i tried so I had to put my hand in the toilet. Some of it had slid through and down the toilet, but i managed to get hold of the lump that was left and took it out. I wore rubber gloves (not chemical gloves I know but I didn't have anything else). I only touched it with the gloves on for a second and then I got rid of it. The water in the toilet was clean as the toilet has been flushed about 7 times since the caustic soda was put down (letting it get low and then flushing to see if toilet was unblocked) so the contents of the clean water and now small amount of soda was massively diluted. The water went over the top of my glove briefly and onto my jumper but I took my jumper straight off and washed my arm putting vinegar on it just incase (I think the nail brush I scrubbed with probably did me more damage to be honest). But i doubt it will have burnt. It's been over 24hrs since i put it down the toilet.
Anyway...after all of that I still have a blocked loo but at least there is no longer a lump of caustic soda looming in the bottom of the loo worrying me sick and keeping me awake. I think I will unfortunatley have to phone a plumber/drain man in the morning :-(
I really do appreciate all of your advice though, very kind of you all to take the time to reply. Thank you so much.
Sarah.x
P.S. Please don't think I under estimate the dangers of caustic soda, I'm scared to death of the stuff and will be disposing of the remainder of the bottle ASAP.

Blimey! Sounds like a right pain in the neck! Caustic soda is horrible.

Should be a very easy job for a plumber. You haven't tried flushing baby wipes/make up wipes have you? Will always block the bog.

 

[Blackcatgas]

I use a length of drain rod with a 4" rubber flap disc on the end to plunge the bog, works 9 out of 10 times.

 

[smiler123]

I am very careful and only ever put loo roll down the toilet but when I bought the house it was a house that a landlord had rented to 4female students. When the plumber came out to the drain not long ago, he said baby wipes had blocked it. I can only assume it was from when the students lived her or one of my friends has done it when they were staying over but I doubt ot was them. I do think it's strange that they cleared the drain about 2weeks ago because the small outside drain wasn't draining away (it is just about 6"square drain outside my back door with down pipe from kitchen sink, bath & bathroom sink lading to it) that wasn't draining properly. He lifted manhole cover and it was full. He cleared that and 10days later my toilet is blocked. Could the drain that he cleared not just have been backed up because of the toilet down pipe being blocked and all he has cleared is the result of that and not the actual problem/blockage.
Haven't tried plunger or the 4" item suggested but have spent a long time with a toilet brush creating air flow. And a very long time with hosepipe attached to tap, putting it down toilet and turning on full pressure and then trying the other way, hose pipe up the manhole cover end of the drain to see if I can unblock it but nothing at all works.x

 

[smiler123]

God I've written another essay! Oops sorry. I get carried away with what I'm writing. Sorry.
Sarah.x

 

[Ray Stafford]

 

[rpm]

View attachment 21278

Saw it earlier but ignored due to #13

 

[Unregistered]

well I will tell you my story, I am female and live alone 2 months ago before going to bed I did the usual thing peed obviously loo and flushed, but the flushing would not stop so I tried wiggling the button, still flushing and filling toilet, nightmare what do ya do when the stopcock wouldn't work it was a nightmare, rang a good friend who needed to smash the boxing and tie up ball until a could get plumber, who couldn't get the part needed so had to get new toilet, however the blockage was from outside so I had to get water company to unblock the drains, in total I paid over £300 to get that work done, but hey two month later I have another blocked loo, there is only me living here and I know what goes down my loo which isn't much as I'm at work all day, so what do I do this time well I now have insurance from home serve at a low low cost of 50p per month depending on the call outs, so I tackled it myself, after all they are just pipes, I plunged with different things, I bleached, then I flushed all my pipes and took the screw cap from my stack because there I was unsure which man hole was in fact mine as the one in my front garden is not, I learnt this from water company 2 months ago. so like I said took off the cap from stack it was chocked to top so I pocked and pushed a high power hose down and caustic soda, it then went about 1 metre down into earth pushing all the gunge out, I realised that next door pipe does not have a stack like mine, as that pipe had no cap it just went straight into the ground, so I asked the neighbour if he would be so kind and lift his man hole to see if it was blocked, he reluctantly did and it was blocked to the rim, well he rents the house so he said he would contact the land lord to unblock the drains, I am not sure as yet if he has done that but, my toilet is now flushing fine and I am hoping it will stay that way for ever.

 

[Rickster123]

well I will tell you my story, I am female and live alone 2 months ago before going to bed I did the usual thing peed obviously loo and flushed, but the flushing would not stop so I tried wiggling the button, still flushing and filling toilet, nightmare what do ya do when the stopcock wouldn't work it was a nightmare, rang a good friend who needed to smash the boxing and tie up ball until a could get plumber, who couldn't get the part needed so had to get new toilet, however the blockage was from outside so I had to get water company to unblock the drains, in total I paid over £300 to get that work done, but hey two month later I have another blocked loo, there is only me living here and I know what goes down my loo which isn't much as I'm at work all day, so what do I do this time well I now have insurance from home serve at a low low cost of 50p per month depending on the call outs, so I tackled it myself, after all they are just pipes, I plunged with different things, I bleached, then I flushed all my pipes and took the screw cap from my stack because there I was unsure which man hole was in fact mine as the one in my front garden is not, I learnt this from water company 2 months ago. so like I said took off the cap from stack it was chocked to top so I pocked and pushed a high power hose down and caustic soda, it then went about 1 metre down into earth pushing all the gunge out, I realised that next door pipe does not have a stack like mine, as that pipe had no cap it just went straight into the ground, so I asked the neighbour if he would be so kind and lift his man hole to see if it was blocked, he reluctantly did and it was blocked to the rim, well he rents the house so he said he would contact the land lord to unblock the drains, I am not sure as yet if he has done that but, my toilet is now flushing fine and I am hoping it will stay that way for ever.

Whilst I'm delighted to read about your toilet movements please register with the forum.

 

[Dotty]

And start your own thread.