Dec

How to Fix a Blocked Toilet – DIY and Professional Advice

Blocked toilets and drains are nothing less than a nightmare. With the awful smell and the black sludge, they make the surroundings difficult to bear with. No matter whether you are situated in a house or apartment, this problem is common to occur everywhere. You can try to clear the blockage on your own if it seems to be a small one. However, calling in experts to fix your blocked toilet may be crucial if you live in a rental property or the situation has gone out of your control.

Here are some useful tips on how you can unclog a toilet on your own, and all the options a professional service can offer you:

What Causes Toilets And Drains To Tet Clogged?

It is very common to see clogged drains and toilets in every household bathroom. However, most of them are unaware of what causes this issue to occur frequently. Most sink drains get clogged due to buildup of soap scum inside it. Soap scum can damage the overall relining of the drains and you may have to replace it completely after some time, to ensure your toilet functions correctly.

Similarly, toilets also get blocked due to toilet paper and other things that are flushed into it. Truth is, that when you try fixing it yourself, you’re going in blind and you never know where the actual clogging is. To compare, most companies conduct CCTV surveys to determine the clogging points, which solves half the problem right away.

How to Fix a Clogged Toilet By Yourself

When the toilet gets clogged yet again and you are sick of using the plunger because it is a nasty job you hate doing, I have one simple solution for you. If you haven’t seen it already on Built TV, don’t worry — I’ll explain the process down to the smallest detail.

Disclaimer: This method doesn’t work each time. In extreme cases, when the blockage is too much, or too thick, this solution might be insufficient and you’ll have to hire a professional plumber.

Anyway, it costs you nothing to try, and many have reported that the technique has lead to very good results and their toilets were successfully unclogged.

Here’s the method itself:

Pour half cup of laundry detergent or liquid soap into the toilet bowl. The soap’s density is greater and it’s heavier than water, and that’s the reason because of which it will fall straight to the bottom of the bowl.
Let it sit in the bowl for a while – the soap will permeate into the drain, lubricating the way of the blockage. An average of about 30 minutes is enough, but I guess the more time you wait, the better.
When the time has passed, take a bucket of hot water and carefully pour it into the toilet, making sure it will not overflow the bowl. The clog will work it’s way down the drains slowly.
In case the blockage is still in the pipes after the procedure, you might repeat the steps again a few times, or until the desired result is achieved.

Note: Wait for the night to pass before calling a plumber. Some of those who tried the technique claimed that the clog disappeared the following morning.

If the blockage is still there even on the next morning, then you might try the methods described by the Australian Department of Health.

How Do Experts Handle Blocked Toilets?

Be it bathroom drains or kitchen drains, they all end up getting clogged due to all sorts of grease, soap scum, hair strands and other debris. Experts who visit your house to perform a blocked toilet and drain relining service are equipped with a special set of tools and equipment for doing this task. They use the following set of tools.

Hydro jets: This is a sophisticated tool used by most plumbing experts to clear out all sorts of drains. In this process, they use a hose that comes with a nozzle on one end and is connected to a machine that pressurizes water on the other end; when the machine is turned on, water jet at high pressure is directed towards the blocked drain. This high-pressure water forces the clutter to move out from the drain, making it free from clogs.
Hot water: After clearing out with the help of water jet, plumbing experts sometimes use hot water to test the flow of water and also to remove any remaining grease or soap scum.
High-pressure jet: After identifying and removing the blockage, the high-pressure jet is used to make all the drains completely clutter and debris free.
Plunger: This is also a tool that is used to remove the blockage by using the vacuum method. This process loosens the blockage, and once the blockage is loose plumbing experts can easily dislodge it completely.
Toilet snake or auger: If a plunger is not able to eradicate the blockage completely, then this tool known as toilet snake or auger is used.