In a rented or shared home, a blocked toilet affects everyone at once, and it is not always obvious who should arrange the repair. Monster Drainage clears toilets across Epsom, Ewell and Stoneleigh for tenants, homeowners and landlords in KT17, KT18 and KT19. We concentrate on getting the toilet working again and telling everyone involved what caused the problem.
Rented and Shared Homes in Epsom
Epsom has plenty of rented homes, from flats near the town centre to shared houses, and with a university campus in the town some of those houses are shared by students. When several people rely on one or two toilets, blockages can happen more often and affect more people.
Tenants may not know where the inspection chamber is, and the landlord may live some distance away. We deal directly with whoever calls, whether that is a tenant, a landlord or a letting agent, and we give clear quotes with no hidden charges so everyone knows where they stand.
Before You Call Your Landlord
Stop using the toilet and check whether other outlets are affected. Take a photo of the water level in the pan, and of the outside chamber if it is safe to look. Then tell your landlord or agent what happened, when it started and which rooms are affected.
Who arranges and pays for the work depends on your tenancy agreement and the cause of the blockage, so that is a matter between you and your landlord. Our part is to clear it and explain what we found.
The Trouble With Flushable Wipes
Plenty of wipes labelled flushable will disappear from the bowl, but that is not the same as breaking down. Toilet paper starts to come apart in water within seconds. Wipes are made to stay strong while damp, so they travel slowly through the pipe, catch on joints and wrap around anything in their path.
In a shared home where several people flush wipes every day, they gather into a dense mass that can block the soil pipe or the drain outside. Fat poured down the kitchen sink makes it worse, because it binds the wipes together as it cools. A bin in every bathroom is the most effective change a household can make.
Ewell and Stoneleigh Homes
Ewell, where the Hogsmill River rises, and Stoneleigh just to the north are mainly residential, and most homes drain through a single underground pipe that runs out to the public sewer. When that pipe blocks, every outlet in the house is affected and the inspection chamber outside fills up.
Much of the north and west of the borough stands on London Clay, which shrinks in dry summers and swells again in wet weather. Over time that movement can disturb older pipe joints, leaving a lip where paper and wipes catch. If a toilet in one of these homes keeps blocking, a camera check of the drain is a sensible next step.
Signs It Is the Drain, Not the Toilet
Water coming up in the shower tray, a gurgling basin or a smell from the gully outside the kitchen all suggest the blockage is in the shared drain rather than the toilet. In that case, ask everyone in the house to stop running water until it has been cleared.
Help for Landlords and Letting Agents
If you manage properties in Epsom, we can attend at a time that suits the tenant and report back to you on what we found. Where a camera survey is carried out, the survey documentation can be kept with your property records. For repeated problems at the same address, it often shows whether the fault lies with the pipe or with what is going into it.
Urgent Help Across Epsom and Ewell
If the only toilet in the house is blocked, or sewage is coming up anywhere, call us at any hour. Our engineers are available 24/7 for emergency call outs across the borough of Epsom and Ewell.
How We Clear It
We find the blockage before we start work on it, by checking the other outlets and the chambers. From there the work can include:
- Clearing the pan and the bend behind it
- Rodding or jetting the soil pipe and drain
- Checking inspection chambers at the front and rear
- A CCTV survey where the toilet keeps blocking
- Clear quotes with no hidden charges
- Plain advice for tenants on what not to flush
Epsom Tenants and Landlords Ask
Q: What should I tell my landlord?
A: Say when the toilet blocked, whether other sinks, baths or showers are affected, and whether anything is coming up outside. A photo helps. Keep it factual, and let them know if it is the only toilet in the home.
Q: Why do wipes block drains when toilet paper does not?
A: Toilet paper is made to break apart in water. Wipes are made to stay intact, so they keep their shape through the pipe and catch on joints and bends. Over time they collect other waste around them.
Q: Can you put what you found in writing?
A: Where we carry out a CCTV drain survey, the survey documentation is available for your property records or an insurance enquiry. Mention it when you book if you know you will need it.
Q: The toilet in our shared house keeps blocking. What can we do?
A: Agree as a household that only toilet paper goes down the toilet, and put a bin in the bathroom. If it still blocks after that, the drain itself may have a fault, and a camera survey will show it. Let your landlord know either way.
Epsom Drainage Pages and Neighbouring Towns
Contact Us
Tenants, landlords and homeowners in Epsom, Ewell and Stoneleigh can call Monster Drainage on 08006 546213 or email info@monsterdrainage.co.uk. Tell us whether the home is rented or shared and how many toilets it has, and we will arrange the right visit.