Help maceratorthreatens to flood my toilet on boxing day

[ambermaja]

Hi Guys
i don't know much about plumbing but I am rather desperate for some advice and i came accross your great forum.
It's boxing day and my 6 year old macerator behind the toilte doesn't stop activating. In fact it is non stop now. Instead of reducing the flow in the toilet, the level has gone up, looking dangerously like the toilet might overflow. i switched off macerator at mains and got some caustic soda to put down. If that doesn't work, what shall I do?
Another problem when I bought the flat 6 years ago, I didn't know where to switch off the water mains. How can i find out?

 

[ambermaja]

Hurray, caustic soda has worked-for now!
Anything else I should do?

 

[Blake]

You will need to get someone in with some experience of these toilets to check all your waste pipes to ensure no blockages etc. Have you asked a neighbour where there stop tap is? More than likely yours will be in the same location.

 

[Centralheatking]

If you have a metered water bill then the stop tap outside will be easy to find. If its an older set of flats there might be a commom utility area. BEFORE you muck around with your saniflo make sure its turned off at the fused switch there are some nasty blades aswell as nasty contents in there

centralheatking

 

[ambermaja]

You will need to get someone in with some experience of these toilets to check all your waste pipes to ensure no blockages etc. Have you asked a neighbour where there stop tap is? More than likely yours will be in the same location.

Thanks bronzio
after the hols i'll get someone in because it gave me quite a fright today.
Very much appreciated!
ambermaja

 

[ambermaja]

Thanks centralheatking!

yes, I decided today that after the hols I'll have someone to have a look at it professionally as it has given me quite a fright today.
Happy Christmas
ambermaja

 

[punch]

Hey,

Same thing has happened to the saniflow on the basement floor of my house. Think it is due to one of the pipes being frozen (from the recent weather), but cannot be sure. Was out of town for a weekend and came home, used the toilet, flushed and the toilet began to run continuously until waste backed up into the toilet bowl and shower and I was forced to turn it off at the mains. Left it for a couple of days for the pipes to defrost (better weather) then turned it back on. More waste started backing up as well as water flowing out of the cap on top of the macerator, flooding the floor.
Any advice other than just getting a plumber to look at it?
Also is this the sort of thing I should have to pay for or my landlord???
Luckily we have another bathroom upstairs so I can wait for a while but the smell is horrible.

Punch

 

[WHPES]

Have you checked that the pipe is not frozen? That would give you the symptoms you describe.

 

[punch]

Hey,

No I havent checked but that would be out of my league anyway...

If the pipes were not frozen, whenI turn the macerator back on would the backed up waste just be pumped away?
Currently whenever I turn the macerator back on water overflows out of the cap on top of the box...... maybe turning off the water mains would stop this...

Punch