Disclosure: This is a collaborative post about why your toilet just won’t flush.
Every home needs a working toilet. Especially if you have a full family and even more if you have a child going through toilet training. As such, when your toilet won’t flush and seems blocked, it can turn into an emergency real quickly. But what if the plunger alone isn’t doing the trick? Here are a few things you can try to get things back in working order.
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Try easing the blockage down
If your plunger isn’t working, it might be that whatever the blockage is. You can use a cup of dish soap, lining the toilet bowl with it and then letting it slide down for 30 minutes. Next pour a bucket of hot water in and, after a few minutes, flush. If that doesn’t work, try a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar in the water for 20 minutes. It can break up the blockage, not to mention freshen up the smell a bit.
Snaking it out
If you have a toilet snake, then you should try using that as well as your plunger. There are different kinds of toilet snakes, some of which are able to reach into the opening of the drain beyond the toilet. Basically, they all work the same way: by reaching down into the toilet and dislodging whatever it is that might be stuck. However, you can use a wire coat hanger as a replacement for the snake by uncoiling. You just want to be careful that you don’t scratch the porcelain going down and, whether you get the clog unstuck or not, wash your hands and the tool thoroughly after.
If they don’t work
If the above methods don’t work, then you shouldn’t try to brute force it too much. Digging too deep into the pipes might cause some damage which can lead to leaks in the home. Instead, you should contact a professional to come out and fix the issue. Plumbers can bring out professional tools that can pick apart or unclog blockages in your toilet and drains, even if they get far outside of the home into the drains surrounding your property. Make sure you get in touch with them as soon as you know the regular methods don’t work.
If it keeps happening
If you have a toilet that keeps clogging on you, then it’s not likely to be a random blockage each time. In some cases, it might be that you use too much toilet paper or you (or someone in your family) has a habit of flushing non-flushable items such as baby wipes. However, it could be a case of having an older model low-flow toilet, which means you might need a replacement. It could also be a blockage or clog in the toilet trap, vent, or even the sewer line outdoors, but a plumber should be able to spot that when they come out to make a fix.
A blocked toilet might seem like a minor issue, but that’s only true if it can get fixed quickly. Make sure that you have the number of a good plumber available if you can’t get it unblocked yourself.
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