Monday 23 March 2009

Clogged Toilet: The Easy Way To Get It Working Again

A clogged toilet is always bad news, but you should stay confident that most of the time the problem can be solved quite easy and simple, without the need to call a plumber. Find out how to unclog a toilet by following the next easy steps.

First check the problem by flushing the toilet. Do not flush more than once as this is not needed. Check if the water drains from the bowl and at what speed. Get yourself some rubber gloves to stay free from any dirt and germs and place some newspapers on the floor next to the toilet to prevent any over flooding accidents.

Turn off the valve that lets the water into the tank of the toilet and pour a bucket of water into the bowl. Try not to do it too fast as it may overflow, instead pour it slowly and let it drain then again and again for a couple of times.

Use a plunger, preferably a big heavy-duty one, not the cheap suction-cup types as they usually do not work in this case. The plunger must be large enough to assure that water does not escape and that all the pressure pushes the water and the dirt down the drain and not back into the bowl or eventually on the floor. Try buying an integrated pump plunger that uses water not air with better and faster results as the regular ones. Unclogging the toilet with this type of plunger only requires a couple of pumps.

Submerge the plunger completely under water; you can even add more water if necessary, and start pushing it down slowly making sure to cover the entire hole. Pull and push using as much water as possible and avoid using air, going faster and faster to create pressure that in time will dislodge the blockage. Start with a pull, to make sure not to compact the blockage further.

You can use a metal wire hanger if the blockage is near the exit of the drain. Just disconnect the ends of the hanger and stick it into the clog then move it with circular motions to dislodge it. Remember to flush or pour more water if you suspect that the blockage is loosening.

If you can, use a plumbing snake. This tool is a coil of metal wire that you can screw into the clog then rise and push until the drain is clear. Unclogging toilet this way may prove to be more easy that any other way. Also you can try using a chemical cleaner. Be aware that those chemicals are extremely powerful and harmful to the environment and your hands. Use them with caution.

Last word: call in the plumber. It is possible that the blockage goes well inside your plumbing pipes and only a trained specialist can help you at this point.

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