How much does it cost to unblock a toilet in Gloucester?
A blocked toilet can’t usually wait. Post the job for free and it goes to local plumbers who cover your area. If it’s urgent, choose the emergency option and we text them straight away.
Free to post, and only the tradesperson who takes your job on gets your details. Read our privacy notice.
Clearing a blocked toilet
Most blockages sit near the toilet itself and clear with a plunger, a toilet auger or drain rods. Wet wipes, sanitary products, kitchen roll and children’s toys are the usual culprits. If the toilet keeps blocking, or baths, sinks and outside gullies are slow too, the problem is probably further down the drain and may need rodding from the inspection chamber or a camera survey.
Until someone arrives, stop flushing, as each flush can bring the water over the rim. If you can find the manhole cover outside, lift it and look. If the chamber is full of water, the blockage is further down the drain rather than in the toilet.
Who deals with it depends on where the blockage is. The drain that serves only your home, inside your boundary, is your responsibility. Since October 2011, drains and sewers shared with neighbours, and the drain beyond your boundary that joins the public sewer, have generally been the water company’s. If the blockage turns out to be in a shared section, contact your water company.
Not every plumber does drainage work. Say in your post whether other drains are affected, so the job goes to someone with the right kit.
What to include when you post
A few answers help a plumber tell a quick plunge from a drainage job.
- Whether the toilet is overflowing or just draining slowly
- Whether it’s the only toilet in the house
- Whether other sinks, baths, showers or outside drains are slow or backing up
- What might have gone down it, if you know
- Whether it has happened before, and how often
- Where your manhole cover is, and whether the chamber is full
- Whether your drains are shared with neighbours, if you know
- Anything you’ve already tried, such as a plunger or chemicals
If the toilet is overflowing and it’s the only one, choose the emergency option.
What to ask
Ask whether the plumber brings drain rods and a powered drain machine, or only a plunger and auger. If the blockage turns out to be in the drain rather than the toilet, you want someone who can deal with it on the same visit.
Before work starts, ask:
- whether the price is fixed or charged by the hour
- what happens if the first attempt doesn’t clear it
- whether a camera survey might be needed, and whether you’d get the footage or a written report
- whether cleaning up afterwards is included
If it keeps coming back, a camera survey can show whether there are tree roots in the pipe, a cracked or collapsed section, or a poor fall. That report is useful if you need to speak to your insurer or the water company.
Not quite the right job?
See every job on our Plumber page, or post it anyway and describe it in your own words.
Before a tradesperson starts work
Registrations
Some work must be done by a registered professional. Work on a gas boiler, cooker or fire must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, which you can check on the Gas Safe Register.
Our business check
Limited companies are checked with Companies House and sole traders upload their insurance certificate. Trade registrations are confirmed by the tradesperson when they sign up.
Get the price in writing
Ask for a written quote that sets out the work and the price before anything starts. Your contract for the work is with the tradesperson.
Questions
What people tend to ask before booking this job. For anything specific to your home, ask the tradesperson who takes it on when they get in touch.
If it is your only toilet or it is overflowing, choose the emergency option when you post and we text local plumbers straight away.
Since October 2011, drains shared with neighbours, and the section beyond your boundary that joins the public sewer, have generally been the water company's responsibility. The drain serving only your home, inside your boundary, is yours. The plumber who takes the job can tell you where the blockage is.
It's best not to. Many don't shift a solid blockage, and a pan full of chemicals is a hazard for whoever has to clear it. If you've already used some, tell the plumber before they start.
Repeated blockages usually point to something in the pipework: an object caught in the bend, a partial blockage further down, or a problem with the drain itself such as roots or a sagging pipe. A camera survey is the usual way to find out.
If the other sinks and drains are running normally, usually yes. If they're slow, gurgling or backing up, the blockage is probably in the main drain from the house, so hold off until it's cleared.