Be Your Home’s Hero And Unblock A Clogged Toilet!

Posted by Hy-Pro Plumbing & Drain Cleaning on December 29/2014 | 0 Comments

How To Unblock Toilet

We’ve all been in that situation—equal parts frustrating, frightening, and embarrassing—when we’re faced with clogged toilets and are the ones who caused it. Try as we might, we can’t get the water to flush properly, and time’s running out. It’s bad enough when we’re alone, but all the more dicey when we have guests over or if we live with other people—and even worse when we’re unable to unblock toilets at one of our host’s washrooms! So before you panic, start flushing madly (a terrible idea, by the way!), and flood the room, remember HY-PRO Plumbing and Drain Cleaning’s quick (and dirty) tips on unblocking toilets and saving the day.

How To Unblock a Toilet: Tips and Tricks

If you’ve got the time, remember to slap on a pair of rubber gloves and prep the area around the clogged toilet with newspaper or paper towels. You don’t want to make an even bigger mess, and nobody wants to be shoving bare hands down a drain. Wait until the water level drops as much as possible before you unblock a toilet. If you have a real problem with excess water—and you have access—you can always turn off the water supply while working.

Suck it up and get it there. Seriously—use your gloved hand to try to dislodge what’s causing the blockage. It can be gross, but it’s sometimes effective. Though please keep in mind that these plumbing solutions are designed to unblock your toilet wisely by eliminating nearby clogs in your drain line and are not designed to treat sewer line clogs.

Plunge It Right

When you have your plunger handy, make sure it’s designed for the purpose, and you can use it effectively. Sometimes all it takes is assiduousness, pumping up and down ten, fifteen, or twenty times, so don’t give up after a few feeble pumps. It’s worth a shot! When you unblock toilets, make sure your toilet bowl actually has water in it, or this method won’t work. Also, always wash your plunger off when finished. Purchase a toilet plunger that’s actually designed for this task, with a small nozzle-like protrusion (suction cup) that fits into the drain, as opposed to the flat variety.

Use Soap

When you need to unblock a toilet, try dish soap and water. Squirt a few drops of liquid dish soap into the bowl, then pour hot water from a few feet above the surface. This pressure and grease dissolving combination might force the water down and dislodge the drain. Be careful not to burn yourself while trying this out.

Wire Hanger Trick

Hang in there. If you don’t have a professional toilet auger, grab a wire coat hanger, unravel it, and use it as a long wand by bending it into a snake shape. When unblocking toilets, try to dislodge obstructing masses and employ a circular motion for extra efficiency. If you can wrap a small rag or piece of fabric around the business end of the hanger, this might work even better, but make sure it’s attached securely (or you’ll just be adding to the problem).

Baking Soda and White Vinegar

Get cooking. Just kidding—but you can raid your kitchen for baking soda and vinegar, which make a great de-clogging combination to help unblock toilets. Add a cup of baking soda, then a cup of vinegar, and wash it all down with a pot of very hot water.

Drain Cleaning Product

Use a commercial drain cleaner product to help unblock toilets. If you opt for this method, always go for eco-friendly products. Our plumbers use GES+ Grease Eliminator and Drain Treatment, as well as Drain Blast Drain Fly Eliminator, to treat severe blockages. Unlike household cleaners, these enzyme products are biodegradable, non-toxic, non-pathogenic, kill foul odours, and are free of pesticides and poisons. You don’t want to harm your plumbing system—or the environment—with harmful chemical products. As you can see, our plumbing technicians prefer to steer clear of chemical cleaners that are not only bad for our nature, but also bad for your plumbing system.

Another Way To Unblock Toilet

If you have some basic plumbing knowledge and possess some essential tools like a plumbing wrench and a pair of slip-joint pliers, you can try disconnecting your toilet’s p-trap by removing the nuts. Remember to turn off the shutoff valve and clear the toilet bowl from excess water.

Our customers have also asked about using household bleach, which, from our experience, doesn’t do much either in unblocking toilets, similar to the vinegar mixture attempt. It’s also a type of chemical we prefer not to use.

All Attempts in Vain? Unblock Toilet With Hy-Pro Plumbing!

Depending on your property’s design, the waste pipe connecting your toilet usually has the closest access to your residential sewer line. If all the attempts above end up in vain, it indicates that there is an underlying issue concerning your sewer system that requires a professional plumber to inspect.

With our professional plumbing tools, we’ll be able to inspect your toilet drain and check if there is a major blockage in your sewer line. If lucky, and your pipes are all intact, all you need is a drain cleaning service to recover your drainage systems. Count on us to unblock your toilet clog, so you won’t have to worry about any more stubborn clogs in the future.

How To Prevent Clogged Toilets In The Future

While the unclogging process is a huge pain, there are ways to eliminate this unnecessary chore. Unfortunately, there are people who treat their toilets like a garbage can by flushing down all sorts of objects they are not supposed to, including paper towels, baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, Q-tips, tooth floss, and other household items. But your unit is only designed to wash down human waste and toilet paper. That is because solid waste breaks down and toilet paper is designed to dissolve.

Need A Professional Plumber To Unblock Toilets At Home?

The final step in this fretful process should always be to call your local plumbing service in Ontario, HY-PRO Plumbing and Drain Cleaning! If you can’t get the job done using one of the methods above, there’s no need to worry; we’ll bring the expertise and skill to efficiently unblock your toilet and make sure it won’t happen again.

Our expert plumbers in Ontario are here to help you out whenever you’re having trouble, night or day, seven days a week. Unblocking toilets is a chore and can end up horribly wrong besides just causing you discomfort—let us be your clogged drain experts and bathroom saviours!