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| It's happened to all of us at some point, a clogged toilet! That's why learning how to effectively clear a clogged toilet can be one of the most useful do-it-yourself plumbing skills. |
Let’s
take a look at some basic tips for unclogging your toilet. Before you start
trying to unclog your toilet, flush only once. If you flush the first time and it
doesn’t go as expected, don’t flush again. More water will be pumped into the
toilet. If the toilet ends up clogged,
the first flush will not likely cause the bowl to overflow while the second
flush might.
Use
a pair of rubber gloves. It goes without
saying that toilets are not the most sanitary places to work. Having a good
pair of rubber cleaning gloves can protect you from exposure to germs.
Protect your floor
There
is something worse than a clogged toilet; a toilet that’s overflowing all over
your bathroom floor. You can reduce some of the potential damage by using some
paper towels or newspapers on the floor. Small splashes and spills are sure to
happen when you’re trying to unclog your toilet. The paper towels/newspaper
will help ease the cleanup.
Turn off the supply of water to the toilet.
The
lever should be found behind the toilet. It looks like a normal faucet knob.
Don’t shut off the supply to the house, it will prevent others from using
water. If you at least cut off the water to the toilet then you can prevent the
bathroom from flooding.
Make
sure the room has good air circulation. Switch on the ventilation, or open a
window so that you can minimize potential foul odors, and to protect yourself
against potentially toxic fumes from any chemical products you happen to use.
Dish soap and hot water method
Add
just a bit of squirts to the toilet.
Pour a half bucket or pot of hot water from about hip level into the
toilet bowl. The water you use shouldn’t be more hot than a hot coffee you can
tolerate drinking. Not boiling since the hotter water can potentially crack the
porcelain. A small amount of water won’t suffice. You want to raise the
temperature of water passing around or pressing on the clog. Let the water sit
for a few minutes.
Sometimes this method will soften a clog just enough for it
to loosen and clear on its own. If the water hasn’t gone down you can try the
plunging method. Be sure to pour the
water from hip level because the weight of the water could potentially help
clear the clog, or the heat may erode away the clog if some water is getting
through.
Plunger method
Always
make sure to use the correct plunger. It’s important you use a big heavy-duty
rubber plunger. Try the ball-shaped type
or one with a fold-out rubber flange on the bottom which makes a seal. Don’t
use a small cheap suction-cup type of plunger as often these will not work. The
shape of the plunger should ensure the water you manage to force out when you
push down doesn’t shoot back up into the toilet bowl instead of pushing into
the drain.
Insert
the plunger in the bowl and press down firm but slow. Be sure that you’ve
covered the hole completely. The plunger
should be completely submerged in the water to work correctly. Pull up on the plunger to create suction in
the drain, and then push to generate pressure.
Don’t forget the clog got stuck going into the toilet, so don’t be too
aggressive with your pushing or you could risk lodging the clog further into
the toilet. If the plunging actually
does drain the bowl but there is still a blockage preventing a free flow down
the drain, leave the plunger in the bowl but fill it with water again. Fill it
to about the point it is after a normal flush. Then plunge again. For stubborn
plugs you may have to do this a number of times.
If all else fails...
If
you happen to have a very stubborn clog you may need to call your local Toronto plumbers to take care of the task. Not a problem, we are available
24-hours a day for all of your plumbing emergencies.
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