Toilet clogs

Do You Have a Slow Drainer or a No-Drainer?

A poor flush means that your toilet drain is either partially or completely plugged. A toilet that’s completely plugged—a no-drainer—is obvious. The toilet bowl will fill to the brim with flush water and perhaps overflow. Give the water level 10 minutes or so to drop, then attack the problem with a plunger. 

However, most clogged toilets are slow drainers; that is, flush water partially fills the bowl but doesn’t rush out and clean away the waste. The water level remains high, then usually drains down to normal height within a minute or two. You might not know the toilet is clogged until you flush it. So if you suspect a problem, test the drainage first as we show in Photo 1. Remove the tank lid and lift the flapper valve slightly to let a cup or two of water into the bowl to see if the water goes down. Flushing a clogged toilet may flood your floor!

 1.     

Using a plunger

Photo 2 shows how a plunger fits over and seals the toilet drain. Wear rubber gloves—things can get messy—and follow these plunging tips:

2.  

• Make your first plunge a gentle one. Initially the bell is full of air. A hard thrust will force the air back around the seal and blow water all over the bathroom and you!

• Once you force out the air, plunge vigorously in and out, maintaining the seal. You’ll be forcing water both directions in the drain, which will effectively loosen most clogs. Stick with it, plunging 15 to 20 times if necessary.

• Be patient. Try alternating between steady strokes and occasional monster heaves.

• Keep enough water in the bowl so the plunger stays covered. Trying to force air through the toilet trap won’t generate much pressure.

Most of the time, this is all it takes to clear the clog. However, if the plunger won’t open the drain, or if you can force out the water with the plunger but the toilet still won’t flush well, reach for the snake (Photo 3).

Bore Through the Clog With a Closet Auger

A closet auger is a short length of coiled wire inside a piece of curved metal tubing.  You turn and push the coiled into the toilet until you break up or pull out the clog. 

Use a closet auger (Photo 3) instead of the less expensive snakes, which are harder to use and leave scrape marks on the enamel.  A closet auger is designed to get around the first bend, keep debris at arm’s length, and yet still spin the coil to hook “foreign objects.” A rubber sleeve protects the bowl from scrape marks. These snakes are short because most obstructions catch in the first S-bend or at the floor flange. (Plumbers report that the most common foreign objects are toys.)

3. 

Removing the toilet

If the clog resists all your efforts, you’ll probably have to pull up the toilet. Turn off  the water supply, drain all the water from the bowl and tank and unscrew the water supply line from the toilet.  Turn off  the nuts attaching the toilet to the mounting ring on the floor, then lift the toilet up off the bolts (Photo 4).  Toilets are heavy, and you may want to remove the tank before lifting the toilet. 

4. 

After the clog is removed, reinstall the toilet with a new wax ring (Photo 5).  Mark the location of the mounting bolts on the floor so you can align the toilet as you set it down.

5. 

Problems in the main waste line

If other drains in your home are plugged, or if water comes up through them, the problem is probably farther down in the main waste line, often out of easy reach.  Older homes with mature trees sometimes develop clogs when tree roots penetrate a joint in the waste line (Photo 6).

6.  

In extreme cases, you may need to have a plumber look inside the pipes with a special camera (Photo 7).

7.  

For these major clogs, call a plumber. They're expensive, but they have the equipment to put your bathroom back in service fast, even if there’s a major blockage.

Do's and dont's

• Avoid chemicals. Don’t be suckered into thinking that powerful chemicals will do the messy work for you. They sometimes work, but they’re slower. And when they don’t work, you have a drain full of corrosive water on your hands.

  If you tried chemicals and they didn’t work, run as much water into the toilet as possible and let it sit overnight to drain through the clog. Then, when you plunge, wear safety goggles and rubber gloves to keep the water out of your eyes and off your bare skin.

• Keep the toilet cover down, especially if you have small kids, so toys and hair-brushes won’t fall into the toilet.

• Don’t pour anything that can harden or congeal down the toilet. These include such things as drywall joint compound, plaster, cement, grease, caulk and wax products.  Also, don't flush paper towels.  

For more information

Fix a running toilet
Leaky toilet
Cleaning a sluggish toilet
Toilet performance and features
Repair a leaking toilet
New toilet that won't flush well
Fixing a double-flushing toilet
Bathroom remodeling ideas
Remodel a small bathroom