In this article, we will tell you different ways to unclog toilet. You don’t even want to imagine that you wake up in morning to attend the nature’s call but find your toilet is clogged. If you have faced this problem you know how frustrating it can be. And, if you haven’t, we wish you never need to face such situation. However, it is better to be aware of how to unclog toilet “in case”. With a little know how, you can get your clogged toilet back up and running in a few minutes, without flooding your bathroom and making the situation worse. Below we have mentioned how to prevent a morning household disaster by clearing a clogged toilet quickly.
Ways to Unclog Toilet
1.) Plunger to Unclog Toilet
Way to Use Plunger to Unclog a Toilet:
- Take a plunger and plunge your toilet with the rubber flange pulled out. This will give a better seal. Push the plunger in and out strongly. Keep sufficient water in the bowl to cover the plunger. Keep a towel handy to wipe up water which splashes out.
- In more than 90 percent of clogged toilets cases, you will only need a plunger.
- When purchasing a plunger, buy one which has an extension flange on the rubber bell-shaped end. It is designed to get a better fit on toilets.
- In case your toilet is totally plugged, the toilet bowl will get filled up to the brim if you flush water and it may even overflow. In such case, wait for 10 minutes let the water level drop, then attack the issue using a plunger.
- As most clogged toilets drains slowly, flushing the toilet may not be a good idea. You can test the drainage by pouring a cup or two of water into the bowl to check if the water goes down. If it doesn’t drain after a few minutes, avoid flushing and go for the plunger.
- NOTE: Make sure that your first plunge is a gentle one. This is because that in starting the bell is full of air and a hard push will force the air back through the seal and blow water all over the bathroom and over you.
- Once you expel out the air, plunge strongly in and out, maintaining the seal. This action will quickly loosen most clogs. Plunge 15 to 20 times if required.
- Most of the time this is all it you will need to do unclog toilet.
2.) Drain Snake to Unclog Toilet
In case the plunger method doesn’t unclog toilet, go for the drain snake. A household drain snake is a long wire which is coiled with a corkscrew sort of tip.
- You just need to feed it into your toilet pipe until it reaches the clog. Then you just need to turn the snake clockwise.
- This rotation makes the tip of the snake screw into or through the clog to breaks it up.
- You can buy an inexpensive snake or you can go for the closet auger as it is designed in a such way that it get around the first bend easily and the coil spins easily when it is hooked to clogged objects.
3.) If Everything Fails
In case you are not able to resolve the issue even after trying the above methods, you’ll probably need to pull up the toilet. This job will consume several hours. This is because you will have to turn off and disengage the water supply. You will have to disassemble the toilet and unscrew it from its mounting ring.
This way you will most surely get to the problem. But remember to purchase a new mounting bolts and new wax ring to reseal the toilet base to its mounting ring.
However, there can be chances that the problem is probably further down in the main drain pipes, which is beyond your reach. For such situation you may need to call a plumber to unclog toilet. Though plumbers can be quite expensive, but they will surely put your bathroom back fast even if there is a major blockage in your drain pipes.
Do’s and Don’ts of Toilets:
- Avoid Using Chemicals: Remember not to use powerful chemicals thinking that they will do the messy work for you. They may work sometimes, but they work slower. And, if they don’t work, you will have a drain clogged and filled with corrosive water on your hands.
- In case you have used chemicals and they didn’t resolve the issue, simply flush as much water into the toilet as possible. Leave it overnight to drain slowly through the clog. And, when you plunge, remember to wear safety rubber gloves and goggles to prevent the water out of your eyes and off your skin.
- Keep your toilet cover down, especially if you have small kids in your house. They can accidentally drop toys and other objects which can clog toilet.
- Never pour any hardening compounds down your toilet. Such compounds include grease, drywall joint, grease, broken hair, caulk and wax items.
