Dealing with a toilet that won’t flush properly can be a real headache. When water refuses to go down and instead rises up in the bowl, it’s clear you’ve got a blockage. This could be caused by anything from a child’s toy to the buildup of oil and fat in the plumbing.
Before you rush to call a plumber to address your clogged toilet for days, it’s worth knowing that there are several do-it-yourself solutions you can try. The best part is you likely won’t need to dash to the store for special tools; you probably have everything you need right at home.
In this blog, we’ll guide you through how to fix a clogged toilet with step-by-step methods. Let’s dive in!
How to Unblock a Toilet with a Plunger
This is a common and cheap household item made up of a handle and a rubber or plastic cup. And so, it’s the perfect tool to resolve your toilet problems.
Here’s how you’ll use the plunger to deal with persistent clogging:
1. Cover the Toilet’s Outlet
To begin fixing your plumbing, you’ll need to look inside the bowl. There should be an outlet that leads waste away from your toilet. You should put the plunger in the bowl and try to make a seal with the cup of the plunger.
2. Push and Pull the Plunger
Once you’ve covered the outlet with the cup, you should gently push on the handle. If you’ve sealed the outlet properly with the cup, that’ll increase the pressure. This downward motion will push the blockage away and may even destroy it. Then, you’ll gingerly pull on the plunger. This will create a vacuum that pulls the blockage towards you.
3. Increase Your Motion’s Force
After you’ve pushed and pulled the tool, you should increase the force you use ― but not the speed! Try to get the handle as far down as possible without breaking the seal and then bring it back up. Eventually, this should loosen up the blockage and let water pass.
How to Unblock a Badly Blocked Toilet with Hot Water
If you want to unclog your toilet, you could use this liquid. With some soap, it’ll break down the fats and other wastes.
Here’s how you’ll use hot water to fix your toilet:
1. Close the Cistern Valve
To remove a blockage in your toilet’s plumbing, you’ll need to first turn the water valve connected to your cistern. This will ensure that cold water doesn’t prevent the process from working effectively.
2. Reduce Water Level
Once you’ve ensured that there’s no water coming from the cistern, you should remove water from the toilet bowl. It doesn’t need to be empty. You just need to reduce the level to a point where the water you pour into the bowl won’t cool too much. Additionally, you don’t want the bowl to overflow. And when you’re emptying the toilet, ensure you’re protecting yourself with gloves.
3. Pour Liquid Soap
After you’ve made sure that there’s little water, you should pour a cup of liquid soap into the bowl. The soap will lubricate the way and it’ll help break down the obstruction.
4. Pour Hot Water
Now that you’ve put the soap in the bowl, it’s time for the water. More specifically, you should use hot water ― not boiling! If you use water that’s bubbling, it could damage your plumbing and any mistake could burn you badly. So, ensure your water is just hot.
Then, you should carefully pour the water into the toilet. It’ll break up the blockage over time. However, you can keep pouring water until there’s no more space. If the water cools down and the toilet still isn’t fixed, you should repeat the steps.
How to Fix a Clogged Toilet with a Plumbing Snake
If the other methods don’t work, you could use this tool. A plumbing snake may seem like a daunting tool to use, but it’s fairly simple.
1. Slide the Plumbing Snake into the Outlet
If you want to remove an obstruction in your toilet’s outlet, you should start by putting on some gloves. Then, you’ll put the snake in the bowl and push it through the outlet. This tool is flexible and so, it should change shape to wind down the plumbing. If you meet resistance, it might be whatever is clogging your toilet.
2. Break Down the Blockage
Once the tool is in the toilet with the twisted head inside the outlet, you’ll need to push the tip of the snake into the blockage. After you’ve embedded the tool in the obstruction, you should twist and pull the snake. As you do this, the blockage should break apart. Additionally, the hole you’ve poked through the obstruction should allow some water to pass.
3. Extract the Plumbing Tool
Now that you’ve broken the blockage, you should pull the tool out. However, if there’s still something blocking the way, you can use the snake to pull it out of the outlet.
4. Flush the Toilet
Removing the tool from the outlet and then the bowl might be how you unblock a toilet, but it doesn’t end there. To ensure that your toilet works well, you’ll need to flush it. The water should flow freely. Moreover, it shouldn’t rise in the bowl. If there’s still an obstruction, you’ll need to repeat the steps until the water flows as it should.
Recap
Now you know how to unblock a toilet with three straightforward methods: using a plunger, hot water with soap, and a plumbing snake. Start with the plunger by gently pushing and pulling until the blockage loosens. If that doesn’t work, move on to the hot water method: simply empty the toilet bowl and pour in a mixture of soap and hot water. Lastly, insert a plumbing snake into the toilet’s outlet, work through the obstruction, and then remove the blockage. With these simple tips and tricks, you can clear up a clogged toilet in no time.
