Unblocking a toilet is hardly the most glamorous part of looking after your home – but leave it to fester and you could soon have a hefty bill from an emergency plumber.
For this reason, it’s important to act quickly and decisively as soon as you notice there’s a blockage. In some cases you can attempt to sort out the problem yourself, using a few cheap tools and products found at your local DIY store.
Firstly, it’s important to know what you absolutely should not do when you’ve got a blocked toilet, which is to flush it to try and clear the obstruction. Doing this could cause the toilet to overflow and flood the bathroom, causing damage which could push your repair bill even higher.
Instead, your first action should be to use a plunger to try to draw out the blockage and encourage it to progress through the pipes. You should push the plunger firmly down into the toilet then pull slowly upwards, creating vacuum in the head. You’ll often need to repeat this around ten times - you’ll know the blockage has been removed as you’ll hear water going down the pipes.
However, the blockage is proving stubborn, you may need to look into another course of action. Chemical drain cleaners or caustic sodas can be used to dislodge blockages – but you’ll need to be very careful with these as they can be a health hazard.
You could also check your drains – the cover is usually found somewhere outside your property. The blockage can often be in the chamber, which means you may have to invest in a specialist rod or wire to get to it. Alternatively, you could try using a long piece of wood. If the blockage isn’t in the chamber, this means it must be located elsewhere in the pipes or pan. Once you’ve eventually found the problem and moved it along, it’s important to remove it to avoid it causing further blockages further along.
If you’ve tried these methods and it’s still not shifting, it may be time to bring in an expert. Paying for one can be expensive, however, which is why many households get plumbing and drainage cover in place to ensure they can get a fully qualified tradesman in to sort out the problem without needing to worry about a big bill at the end. With this cover in place, you can call out a plumber as soon as you notice a blockage – let them get their hands dirty so you don’t have to.
For this reason, it’s important to act quickly and decisively as soon as you notice there’s a blockage. In some cases you can attempt to sort out the problem yourself, using a few cheap tools and products found at your local DIY store.
Firstly, it’s important to know what you absolutely should not do when you’ve got a blocked toilet, which is to flush it to try and clear the obstruction. Doing this could cause the toilet to overflow and flood the bathroom, causing damage which could push your repair bill even higher.
Instead, your first action should be to use a plunger to try to draw out the blockage and encourage it to progress through the pipes. You should push the plunger firmly down into the toilet then pull slowly upwards, creating vacuum in the head. You’ll often need to repeat this around ten times - you’ll know the blockage has been removed as you’ll hear water going down the pipes.
However, the blockage is proving stubborn, you may need to look into another course of action. Chemical drain cleaners or caustic sodas can be used to dislodge blockages – but you’ll need to be very careful with these as they can be a health hazard.
You could also check your drains – the cover is usually found somewhere outside your property. The blockage can often be in the chamber, which means you may have to invest in a specialist rod or wire to get to it. Alternatively, you could try using a long piece of wood. If the blockage isn’t in the chamber, this means it must be located elsewhere in the pipes or pan. Once you’ve eventually found the problem and moved it along, it’s important to remove it to avoid it causing further blockages further along.
If you’ve tried these methods and it’s still not shifting, it may be time to bring in an expert. Paying for one can be expensive, however, which is why many households get plumbing and drainage cover in place to ensure they can get a fully qualified tradesman in to sort out the problem without needing to worry about a big bill at the end. With this cover in place, you can call out a plumber as soon as you notice a blockage – let them get their hands dirty so you don’t have to.
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