Coming home to a clogged toilet doesn’t sound like an ideal situation to be in. It’s a major inconvenience not only for you but also for your family members – and God help you if you don’t have a plunger at home! In that case, you’re probably looking at an entire ruined day (or worst case scenario, a couple of days).
And even if you do own a plunger, sometimes the clogs might be quite deep down the pipe for you to manage with just that. In this article, we’ll guide you through the reasons your toilet might’ve gotten clogged so you can be wary in the future, along with solutions to help you unclog them.
Signs of a Blocked Toilet
When any pipeline is blocked, you will notice that the drainage of waste or water will be very slow, notifying you that your toilet needs unclogging.
If the situation further develops, things get a little more apparent as the toilet starts to overflow. This means that the waste is not draining at all and needs your urgent attention.
Causes of Blocked Toilets
Before unclogging a toilet, you should know the reason it was clogged in the first place. Listed below are a few common reasons that you should consider:
Hard Water
Hard water has high mineral content which is formed when normal water percolates through salts of calcium and magnesium. When hard water passes through the pipes, it forms a white substance over time which is very difficult to remove. While it may not seem like a big deal at first glance, the residue gets thicker slowly but surely, which then causes a blockage down the line and prevents waste from passing through.
Foreign Objects
The most common cause of a clogged toilet in households is the flushing of objects which should not be flushed. Some examples would be nappies, sanitary products and other paper products. Such items do not dissolve in water and thus cause a blockage when too much of them accumulate in the pipes.
Worn Pipes
The pipes in your toilet can break down due to various reasons like heavy rain, corrosion, drastic temperature changes or simply long-term usage. After breaking down, the drainage slows down and cannot keep up with the waste that is flushed, which eventually leads to a blocked toilet.
Too Much Toilet Paper
Even if you’re not tossing in foreign objects, too much toilet paper can cause build-up and blockage. Courtesy flush is a simple way to avoid blockage due to toilet paper: all you need to do is flush down the waste, use the toilet paper and then flush them down the drain.
What to do With a Blocked Toilet
When you realise that your toilet is clogged, trying to repeatedly flush it away is a waste of effort and water (which may end up making things worse for you than it already is). And if you have decided to take care of things yourself and not bring in professional help, here are some tips that might prove useful.
Drain Cleaning Solution
There are many drain-cleaning solutions available on the market. Before trying anything else, we would recommend you choose and try a solution and see if it works for the clog. Another reason for using a dedicated drainage solution is that sometimes certain harsh chemicals used without knowledge might affect the pipelines, further damaging them.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
When you do not have a plunger at hand and your toilet is clogged, it might ‘smell’ trouble for you. You can turn to a non-toxic mixture of vinegar and baking soda if the problem persists. The combination of these two substances, as you might already know, is great at cleaning numerous surfaces and they function as great deodorisers that help unclog our drains.
We recommend you add a cup of baking soda to your blocked toilet and after a few minutes slowly pour down two cups of vinegar. Allow the mixture to settle in for a few minutes and then flush the toilet to see if it has done its job.
Plunger
The first thought to cross your mind when you find out that your toilet is clogged should be to get a toilet plunger. While it may be a basic tool, it is still the best way to unblock toilets for the most part. To use it correctly, place the plunger in the toilet bowl and push it down gently so it removes the air and creates a vacuum. Once you have a good seal, pump the plunger up and down forcefully while sustaining the seal. After removing the plunger, you will notice the water rushing down indicating that the clog has been removed. You can purchase a plunger from Screwfix, Wickes, Homebase and many other shops.
Hot Water and Dish Soap
You can also use dish soap and hot water. The soap helps lubricate the clogged pipeline and allows the waste to slide down more easily, and add to that some hot water with a little bit of pressure which helps break down the debris into smaller bits so that it’s easier for it to get washed down the pipeline.
Try a Drain Snake or Wire Hanger
We would recommend calling a professional to help you if this one does not work. A drain snake is a long, coiled metal rope with a crank at one end and looks somewhat like a clothes hanger. Typically, the snake (also called Auger) is pushed down the drain and the crank is used to either break apart the clog or remove the waste from the toilet bowl. Since most people do not have an auger immediately at hand, a hanger can always be used as a replacement.
These were some tips to help you unclog your toilet drain, but if none of these work, contact our team of plumbers in Bolton and we’ll be there as soon as possible.