Clogging of home toilets is one of the most inconvenient, unpleasant but more upsetting and terrible experiences when it is a public toilet or at someone else place. Most of these clogging situations can be handled easily without any expert’s interference just by knowing a few tricks of how to unclog a toilet without a plunger and secrets to handle them. Let us read through the different aspects of blocked toilets, how to handle such situations, and how to prevent them as well.
The Causes of Blocked Toilets:
There are many factors leading to a blocked toilet. A few of them are:
- A lifetime of your Toilet: Clogging is observed when your toilet is expired with its service.
- Drain Line: Sometimes it is neither our fault nor our toilet in the cause of blocking. It might be the issue with the drain line causing you inconvenience by clogging.
- Toilet Papers: These are the most common materials that block up toilets. Few papers don’t dissolve easily leading to stuffed toilets.
- Cotton Balls: Cotton balls are absorbent, therefore when flushed in toilets can block the pipeline causing clogging of the toilet.
- Menstrual Pads: Sanitary napkins are big in size and are also not dissolvable thereby clogging the toilets when flushed in them.
- Kids’ Contribution: Toys of kids dropped in the bowl and flushed may cause the blocking of toilets. Some kids even flush food which also causes clogging of the toilet.
- Hair: Hair usually gets tangled up with other substances and leads to a bigger obstruction causing blockage of the toilet.
- Diapers: Diapers and baby wipes are not to be flushed as they are huge and not dissolvable.
- Hard Water Deposit: Hard water is the highest source of frequent clogging.
- Bad stool: Bad digestion causes bad stool leading to clogged toilets.
Tools Used in Unclogging of Toilet:
How to unclog the toilet? Using these tools, one can easily unclog a toilet.
- Toilet Plunger: Try avoiding flushing repeatedly as that will lead to an overflow of water and mess up the whole toilet. Wait till the water drains to the lowest level, this might take some time as the clogged toilets may drain the water slowly.
- Get ready with your gloves and reach out the plunger to unblock your toilet.
- Place the plunger in the right place, fit, and seal it. Make gentle plunges or strokes initially till all the air is forced out.
- Once the air is out, start plunging vigorously. This will engender water in both directions in the drain, clearing most of the clogs.
- Repeat this motion 15-20 times to loosen up the clog.
- Be patient and continue plugging till the clog is free and the water drains fast.
- Toilet Auger: It is a flexible cleaning tool also known as a ‘Plumbing snake’.
- It is a flexible coil of wire that can pass deeper through the curves of the drain. It is also available in ‘J’ shape for some specific models of toilets to remove the block.
- Insert the auger into the toilet, and push the wire down till u feel the obstruction.
- Then give a twist and push the auger to break the obstruction into smaller pieces to make it flow through the pipe.
- It may take a while, be patient.
- Once you feel the obstruction is cleared, flush the toilet and let the water drain.
- Wire Coat Hanger: This method works if the obstruction is not too deep and can be reached easily.
- Take a wire coat hanger, straighten it and wrap a rag around the wire and secure the rag using tape.
- The rag prevents any scratches or damage to the porcelain in the toilet.
- Insert the wire into the toilet and reach the obstruction. Once you feel it, give it a push, twist, and give circular motion to the wire to help break the obstruction.
- This way of unclogging is applicable only when an obstruction is within reach by a few inches. Use a snake wire to clear the obstruction if it is too deep and out of reach of the hanger wire.
- Wet/Dry Vacuum: This vacuum cleaner is not an ordinary vacuum cleaner. It can also cope with water.
- Initially vacuum out all the water from the toilet bowl.
- Then use an out towel and seal the sides of the vacuum hose.
- Make sure to hold and put pressure on the towel before you start sucking the clog.
- It might take a while for the vacuum to suck out all the clogs.
- By this, you have unclogged your toilet.
- Flush the toilet when the clog is free.
Unclogging by Chemicals:
Apart from tools, chemicals are also used to clear the blockage in toilets.
Chemical Drain Cleaner: Pour the required amount of chemicals to unblock the clog.
Make sure not to use the plunger soon after adding the chemical.
The chemical may splash back into the skin and damage it.
These chemical drain cleaners assure a clear toilet without any blockage but are not highly recommended due to their toxic nature.
As soon as the chemical is poured into the bowl, it releases toxic fumes which when inhaled can cause serious respiratory issues and are also quite deadly.
Even after clearing the blockage and flushing the toilet, its fumes are all over the toilet. The water that is flushed has toxic materials which when enter the sewage system will lead to environmental issues.
Be sure your bathroom is well-ventilated to disperse the toxic gas and you don’t inhale it.
Be very sure to use the right chemical drain cleaner that uses drain cleaning chemicals to avoid toilet damage.
Few Home Remedies to Unclog the Toilet:
There are many homemade drain cleaners that can help you unclog your toilets, drains, sink, etc. with almost no to less afford.
A few of them are:
- Baking Soda and Vinegar mixture:
Materials Required:
- Water
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
Procedure:
Take a gallon of water in a bowl and heat it till it boils. Once it is boiled, let it rest and come to a lukewarm temperature that water should not be too hot.
Add 1 cup of baking soda and 2 cups of vinegar to the toilet. This will create a chemical process and help remove the clog.
Pour the warm water into the toilet from a height say from waistline height.
Using too hot water may lead to cracks in the porcelain of the toilet.
Let this mixture of baking soda, vinegar, and warm water stay overnight, and the next morning flush and drain the water; the clog should be removed by now.
This method is mostly used on organic material like toys etc. which might be dropped in by kids causing the blockage.
If still, the blockage persists use a plunger or hanger wire to clear the clog or see for help from plumber or expert.
- Dish Soap:
Requirements:
- Water
- Dishwashing liquid or Shampoo or a soap
Procedure:
This process is applicable for not overflowing toilet
Heat up a gallon of water. Make sure the water is not too hot and add a generous amount of dishwashing liquid or shampoo to it, making a mixture.
Add this mixture to the toilet which will initially increase the level of water in the toilet. After about 10 minutes of time, you will observe a lowering in the water level resulting in a cleared clog.
Blocking of Toilets is also caused by leakage of toilet tank:
Leakage of the toilet tank not only has an annoying hissing sound but also overflows the toilet bowl.
Let’s check how we can handle such a situation without interference from the plumber.
Flush Valve is a part of the flush tank with a rubber washer within it. The shrinking of this rubber washer is the major reason behind the leakage of water.
Replacing the old rubber washer with a new one and securing it properly in the flush valve will fix the leakage.
Tips, Tricks and Few Secrets to Deal with Clogged Toilets:
Here are a few tips that will help you avoid clogging toilets:
- Stop the toilet bowl from filling up.
- Use the right plunger.
- Plunge your plunger in warm water before using it in the toilet to unclog it.
- Plunge correctly and always use gloves.
- Teach your kids not to throw food, toys, or any other substances or materials in a toilet bowl.
- Weekly cleaning of the toilet using a brush will help avoid the build-up.
- Using stopped-up jets will help prevent toilets from flushing using high power which will lead to messing up the toilet and its surroundings.
- Replace the Valve washer at regular intervals to void the inconvenience.
Secret Tricks of Plumbers:
- Add a few cups of hot water before plunging. Hot water melts the fat in the clog, breaks it, and plunging the clog clears the pipe.
- Stop the water supply from the toilet bowl from the toilet tank by closing the toilet flapper to stop the overflowing toilet bowl.
- The soap or shampoo will help break clogs and help in the smooth drain when flushed.
Toilets have taken a dramatic shift today and there are different kinds of toilets available. They are comfortable, appealing, and have an opulence of their own. But as time passed from man immemorial when he would attend nature’s calls in the nature to the advent of the toilet has been a long and arduous journey. Along the course, water was the means of flushing out the residue thus avoiding smell and other harmful accumulation of germs. However, this uses a huge quantity of water each day and this is why there is a need to build water efficient toilets today. The need to get water efficient systems steamrolling in every city and town would then make a huge impact on the environment which has depleted all its resources for the provision of humankind. These toilets have their own set of advantages to the users – from remaining unclogged to being hygienic, they are everything that one can look up to.
Precautions to Prevent Clogging Toilets:
Prevention is better than cure and is also less expensive.
- Clean your toilet with approved products every week to avoid clogging.
- The Courtesy Flush is the best and easy solution to prevent common clogging.
- The practice of flushing the dirt and poop initially and then tissue papers separately will avoid blockage. Use only dissolvable toilet paper.
- Flushing of heavy paper products at a time will cause blockage and overflowing of water from the toilet bowl causing a mess in the toilet.
- A Drain or pipeline designed to avoid or reduce the buildup is best for an unclogged toilet.
- A professional inspection of the septic tank every 2 – 3 years is a must not only to avoid blockage but also to maintain environmental health.
- Eat healthy like protein and fiber for a better stool or poop that will avoid clogging of toilet.
Following the above-mentioned precautions to avoid and tips to unclog will reduce the blockage of toilets. Learning the basic instructions on how to handle such situations is easy and the best to avoid the cost of a plumber.
Installing the best and most efficient toilets at home and office
Today, when it comes to flush toilets, there are many designs, brands, and types available. Before you go about shopping for the best toilets for your home, you need to know the basics as to what types of flush toilets are out there and what will suit your home the best. Just because there is a modern toilet out there does not mean that is right for you. Always try to study the features of each model and think whether those features are what you require.
Choose one that fits your budget and at the same time, comes with modern features. Of course, the water-saving feature should be on your top list when you choose the flush toilet for your home or office. To check the flushing ability of the toilet, you should check the speed of the water. Eat well, poop well and avoid blocking of toilets.