Toilet blocked, backed up, bad plumbing?

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Jim112

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Relatives of mine got the attic converted a few years back, and installed a toilet up there. Some local guy done the plumbing - not sure of his qualifications. The toilet comes from the far side of the attic and the pipes travel across the room - and it was added to the existing stack in the flat bit of piping that goes around the fuschia. See images attached. The toilet on 1st floor and sink / bath all also drain into this stack.

In the last few years, it has blocked multiple times and backed up recently into the room, not a nice situation. When it blocks the house seems to stink as well, so some other issues exist.

I wasn't involved at this point, but the last guy who unblocked it said its set up wrong, should be redone and we should definitely find the original plumber (which isn't an option)

I'll be getting it sorted for them as they are thinking of selling / renting it out for a while. Would love to get opinions from someone in the know as I don't have a clue about plumbing and want to know what i'm facing / best solution before the professionals arrive.

Bad plumbing? Should the waste pipe from the attic be dropping into the horizontal part of the pipe? Any other issues here that would be good to know about?

What you see in image 1:

- The large black pipe coming from the eaves joining the horizontal part of the stack is a waste pipe from the attic toilet (this section of pipe is where the most recent blockage happened). This was added in a few years ago.
- The white pipe beside that is shower / sink water from attic toilet.
- As we go down we have a white pipe (1st floor sink), large black pipe (1st floor toilet) and another white pipe, from the first floor shower.

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IMG_0365 (2).jpg
 
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Reach4

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We have no idea what code calls for in Ireland. I suspect that your drain cleaning person does.
 

Jim112

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Thanks @Reach4 - I suppose i'm looking for advice and insight on the issue before I get them involved so I can get this sorted efficiently. Edited the post to clarify

I wasn't there when previous plumbers were - getting it sorted as a favor
 

Reach4

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The fact that it gets blocked regularly indicates a problem.
I doubt that what I see outside would satisfy codes I am familiar with, but I don't see something where I would predict clogging. I am not a plumber.

Did the drain cleaner person indicate about how far in the blockage occurs? Is it possible that the clogging occurs in the toilet? That would be easy to fix.


First thing coming in may be a condensation drain from an air conditioner condenser. Just after that , I see something on top of the horizontal, under the eave. Could that be a cleanout port? Pretty useless there. Next thing down may be a condensation drain from an air condition. Then just above the toilet drain is some pipe. Then the big one would be the toilet, and below that would be something else... maybe a bedroom sink?.
 
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Tuttles Revenge

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The San Tee on its back is an obvious problem. The drain likely should connect via a WYE on the vertical.
 

Jim112

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Thanks @Reach4 and @Tuttles Revenge - to give a bit more info here (and also adding to the original message for clarity)

- The large black pipe coming from the eaves joining the horizontal part of the stack is a waste pipe from the attic toilet (this section of pipe is where the most recent blockage happened). This was added in a few years ago.
- The white pipe beside that is shower / sink water from attic toilet.
- As we go down we have a white pipe (1st floor sink), large black pipe (1st floor toilet) and another white pipe, from the first floor shower.

It seems to me that adding a toile waste pipe to the horizontal section of the existing stack / vent is cause for concern and may need to be rethought.

Unfortunately I wasn't involved with earlier plumber visits, relying on second hand information.
 

Breplum

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Plumbing code prohibits doing what was done because of a long list of reasons.
Amongst them, #1: That 'tee' at the eaves is NOT a drainage fitting, it is a tee in a position which is prohibited (for a good reason). Prohibited because it will not allow solids to flow freely.
Whoever did that work were COMPLETE IDIOTS. Sorry, but that is just the hard truth. The side tap where the white pipe suffers the same problem, ie, drainage fitting it is NOT.
Hire a real plumber or you will never stop having problems. File complaint against whoever charged for such nonsense so that they will be barred from committing guaranteed failures.
 
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