Help me please! One of my toilets has been clogged for a few days now. Plunging has not helped as I cannot get whatever is blocking the toilet clear. I know that there is some little opening, as the bowl will fill up, but drop down in about an hour to a little below the regular level. I was hoping that whatever was blocking it would have dissolved by now, but no such luck. All of the Drano type items I've seen in the store specifically say not to be used on toilets. Is there some reason why you can't? Any other options other than trying to snake it out?
ETA: It is a flange plunger. When I pump it up and down all it does is manage to fill up the plunger with water, so I pull it up to get the air back in there to try and get some pressure going.
A drain snake is the way to go. If the plunger is not working - snake it! If you don't want to do that? Call a plumber.
One of two things. One your kids may have deposited something in the toilet and flushed, for this you either snake it, take it apart or call a plumber.
The second is mineral deposits. Not sure what it is called but when you flush you will noticed water coming in from around the rim but also down where it drains, if the intake down by the drain gets clogged with minerals it will not flush properly and something as small as toilet paper can clog it. For that you turn off the water, drain and plunge out as much water as possible and add vinegar. Leave for 24 hours and see if it dissolves the minerals. If not you do it again. When they are dissolved it will flush properly.
Good thing plungers work with pressure and not suction......I think someone has been watching too many cartoons. :p
Do you have a plumbing snake? You can purchase them at Home Depot or Lowes - 25' or 50'. It is a metal coil inside a container that reminds me of two sides of a spinning top stuck together and has a handle like you would find on a jack-in-the-box on the side.
Uncoil the snake into the toilet by turning the handle. When you hit the blockage, you will meet with resistance. Continue to turning the handle.
If that does not work, you will most likely need to call a plumber.
Last time that happened, the kids dropped a toy in there and it was not coming out without taking out the toilet.
Snake it or take the toilet out and get at whatever is plugging it from the the end. You will need a new wax seal and someone who knows what they are doing for the latter.
What type of plunger do you have? The simple cup type doesn't create enough suction to pull up the clog. Make sure to use a flange type plunger on your toilet bowl, and pump it up and down. Since you are getting some drainage, the clog should be loose enough to suction it up... eventually. Also, instead of flushing the toilet and watching it fill up (risky), pour tap hot water into the bowl to try to dissolve the clog between your attempts at plunging. Good luck.
When the plunger fills with water, just push down and force the water down.
That's what creates the water pressure to push the obstruction down the line.
I never hear of pulling a clog up but then we don't have anything unusual going down the toilets.
You can't use Drano because it's contains toxic ingredients which can splash back at you when you plunge. Also there is no way to get rid of the Drano if the toilet doesn't drain.
Probably need to snake it--you can get a pretty cheap closet auger from Walmart to accomplish the task. Good luck--we just had Roto Rooter out here yesterday and they BROKE the porcelin of our toilet while working on it, and then showed my husband the fine print of what he signed that said "not responsible for damage." Ugh!
Crazy, but my mom swears by dumping a bunch of liquid dish detergent down the toilet, letting it sit for a bit, then flushing. I guess it makes whatever is causing the blockage to slip right on through. It works, but your block may be too far down there for the detergent to reach. Worth a shot and cheaper than a plumber...
I would also try a snake.
My guess is that something got put in the toilet and is blocking it.
If the snake doesn't work, then you can go to Home Depot or something like that and get a wax ring and take the toilet apart and take out what ever is blocking it. Wax rings are under $5.
Its honestly easy to take it apart ( we have had to do it 3x). all you have to do is shut off the water. Unhook the tube that connects the water to the base of the toilet. Unscrew the bolts at the bottom of the toilet. Have some towels ready to soak up as much water in the back and in the bowl. Lift the base up and you will see what ever is blocking it at the hole on the bottom. Take a putty knife and scrape the wax off of the toilet base and the hole on the floor. Put the wax ring on the base of the toilet and put the toilet back on. Put the bolts back on, connect the water tube, turn the water on. Let it fill and you should be able to flush it again :)
It normally only takes about 20mins to do. Easy enough that you really don't need a plumber. Just someone strong enough to lift the toilet!
Another vote for the snake! Go to Lowe's and buy a toilet auger. I think they are only $15. Way cheaper than calling a plumber. If it doesn't work (and it probably will because the water is still draining somewhat), you'll only be out a little bit of money.
we invested a snake after my son developed a desire to flush everything at 2 years old. then one day the ceiling started leaking. The plumber tried to tell me that it was our shower, even though I knew better. After he left, I went upstairs and flushed, then came down and watched it flow through. I called him back and he lifted the toilet and pulled out about 20 toys that we didn't know had been flushed and that we couldn't reach with a snake. There are drano products that can be used on toilets, I can't remember which ones. But you have to tell your plumber that you used them, because if the toilet backflows and the drano contacts him it can cause a nasty burn.
You need to get a drain snake to push it through. They sell them at Home Depot or Lowes and they are not that expencive. I have found that the plungers with a small opening are better then the flat ones, they get a better seal to pump the water.
