How To Unblock A Toilet Naturally? – The throne keeps homeowners and renters in awe of it. Like Gilligan’s Island where the grass-skirt wearing natives feared “angering the volcano”, most people have a little secret trepidation surrounding the toilet. What other part of a home does dirty duty like that, but could seriously go either way? Sure everything goes down without a hitch most times. But, what about that one time when the toilet log-jams, filled to the brim with paper, the water level in the bowl rises steadily, seemingly at a feverish pitch. What do you do then?
How To Unblock A Toilet
Well, the title says a lot because plumbing is very delicate. Think of it as a neglected house wife or house husband who takes care of anything without receiving flowers or a thank-you. In particular, older homes may have ceramic pipes that are decaying. Other homes could have a water line into the home that is breaking down and clogging too.
The Biggest No-No
Let’s start with the obvious. This is where most people confidently think:
I can just put some chemical drain cleaner down the drain and it should be fine, right?
Wrong. Remember the delicate pipes? Pretend that they are always very sensitive, otherwise, it could have some explosive (and very expensive) results.
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The companies that make drain cleaner even warn against using their products. Do not do it, unless you are feeling like paying to replace pipes and make a big expensive mess in your home. Instead, you may use vinegar alone. That will break through clogs, debris down the line, and will not harm the pipes.
The Beginning: The Very Best Place To Start
When the water is rising quickly, reach for the water shutoff valve and turn it to the right first. That will stop the water from backing up all over the room and home. Face it, only when a toilet is doing double duty does it decide to overflow. It is never when simply flushing a piece of toilet paper used to wipe off a sink or something else that’s not harmful.
The shut off is on the bottom left, near where the toilet meets the floor. It’s the only valve. Just remember “righty tighty” to tighten.
Plunging Unblocks Toilets
Usually plunging directly over the mess vigorously up to 25 times will unblock the clog. Yes, this is the one time that vigor is required. Have no fear about harming anything right now.
The clog may start to move, and that’s a good sign. You could add some vinegar at this point and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then again, if it is a serious mess, try plunging another 25 times pretty vigorously, just to force the gunk to go down the drain.
Calling A Drainage Plumber
If the plunger and the vinegar fail you, you probably want to call a plumber. The reason the methods so far on how to unblock a toilet may not be working is that there could be a blockage caused by something that is wedged in the pipe. If this is the case, you will want to put the onus on a licensed, experienced, and trained plumber.
They can use a snake or high pressure water jetting to clear the pipes once and for all. It is worth repeating again, but pipes are very delicate. They may be in a delicate state where jabbing them unceremoniously with a hanger or other sharp objects could cause a great deal more damage.
The plumber’s snake has a spike point at the end of a metal line. There is a cable within the metal tubing that has blades on it. When the user turns the crank, the cable proceeds down the drain. When it reaches the clog, you will feel it. Push through the clog. Augers are either J-shaped or straight. Guess which one is made for the toilet? That’s right, part of knowing how to unlock a toilet is in knowing what tool to use. Use the J-shaped auger. The straight snake is for sinks.
Hydro Jetting is like the pressure washer for toilets. It effectively uses the power of water in this how to naturally unblock a toilet method. Hydro jetting is not performed at the toilet but at the cleanout. It requires a professional drainage plumber. With the help of the hydro-power, everything from minerals to hair, tree roots, other debris are all cleared out of the plumbing line.
How Does A Plumber Ensure Proper Care?
The plumbers are careful. They will take a look into the drain before they make any heroic efforts with sharp pointy objects and pressurized water. A CCTV drain camera lets them examine the pipes for any damage that may make such unclogging efforts a bad idea.
Part of being a responsible homeowner is to know when to call a professional plumber. It is ok to hire out some work around the house. This is especially true where it means the difference between enjoying a cleared drain, or destroying your house’s plumbing and paying for the repairs. The homeowner’s insurance likes to know that you are performing maintenance on your home, but may balk if you cross the line into destructive actions. Use your best judgment.
The Right Way To Maintain A Toilet
Now, the best way how to unblock your blocked toilet turns out to be… prevention. A little maintenance goes a long way. Let the plunger take a rest. Instead, grab a bottle of vinegar, and a funnel. Open up the lid on the tank, and locate the overflow pipe. It sticks up into the tank, above the water line on the tank, to catch overflow water. Pour one-quarter cup of vinegar down that pipe monthly or every couple of weeks.
That means if you had been in the habit of using a household chemical cleaner, switch it up. Replace the expensive cleaner and the noxious gasses that could blow up your drains with vinegar. Let the vinegar sit for 30 minutes. For the Cadillac treatment, dump hot water down the drain, and enjoy knowing you do not have to call a plumber or fear the throne any longer.