For many people it’s one of their worst nightmares, you pull the flush and, instead of the water going down, it starts to rise.
In theory, it should stop before the bowl overflows. But, you’ll be left with an unusable toilet. The good news is that you can fix it, you simply need to use one of the following methods.
Doing this can stop you from calling your emergency plumber, but it is advisable to get the plumber out to check the pipes for you.
Why the Toilet Clogs
It is much easier to unclog a toilet if you know why it is happening. The most common issue is simply the trap is blocked. If you look under any sink you’ll see a trap, they create an ‘S’ or a ‘P’ shape below the sink. This traps enough water to prevent the smells from the sewage line from coming into your home.
Your toilet has the same system, the difference is that it’s built into the toilet, making it less visible. If the wrong products are put down the toilet, such as toys or sanitary products, they will catch in this trap section and blog the path. This prevents the toilet from draining.
The Plunger
The first step is to get a toilet plunger, yes there are different types of plungers! You can gently work this up and down while it covers the base of your toilet. The plunger creates a vacuum which may help to shift the blockage.
Toilet Auger
In effect, this is a piece of metal. It’s flexible enough to feed through the trap and into the pipes but strong enough to push items ahead of it and down the pipe. Best of all, it’s very easy to use. Simply slide it into the blocked toilet and push it through until it finds the blockage. Then you can push and wiggle it until it breaks the blockage up.
Baking Soda & Vinegar
For this to be really effective you’ll want to remove the wastewater from the bowl. You can then add baking soda and let it sit for a minute. Pour in some white vinegar and the two compounds will react with each other. In effect the mixture makes miniature explosions and the pressure generated can break the clog up.
Wire Coat Hangers
Another simple approach that often works is the wire coat hanger. You’ll need to take it apart and then bend the wire so that it can go through the pipe in the same way as a toilet auger. You can then slide it in and move it around, hopefully breaking up the clog in the process.
Wet Vacuum
This is effective although not the most attractive option! If you have a wet vacuum then put the nozzle into the toilet and turn it on. You can remove the water from the bowl first if you wish.
With a little luck, the clog will be drawn up and into your vacuum, allowing the toilet water to flow again.
If none of the above work you’re going to need the emergency plumber.
