Tips To Tackle A Stubborn Clogged Toilet

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.