There’s never a good time to plunge a toilet, but blockages seem to happen at the most inopportune moments. Fortunately, you can clear most blocked toilet problems yourself before calling us.
Follow these steps, and you could have the blocked toilet problem cleared up before the in-laws come over for dinner.
Method 1 – The Good Old Rubber Glove Method
1. Flush only once. If it’s not flushing the first time, don’t flush again. This will cause more water to be pumped into the toilet bowl. If the toilet becomes blocked, the first flush will not cause the bowl to overflow, but the second flush might.
2. Put on a pair of rubber gloves. Toilets are inherently unsanitary places to work, but a good pair of rubber cleaning gloves will protect you from any germs within.
3. If you can see the cause of the blockage, put on a pair of rubber gloves and remove it from the toilet if possible.
Method 2 – Dish Soap and Hot Water Method
1. Add a little dish soap. Just place a few squirts in the toilet.
2. Pour a pot or half a bucket of tap-hot water from about waist level into the bowl. (The reason you pour from waist level is because the weight of the water can help to clear the blockage, or erode it away if some amount of water is getting through.
The water should be no hotter than a hot tea you can drink comfortably, but not boiling, since very hot water can crack porcelain. A little water won’t work––you want to raise the temperature of the water passing around or pressing on the blockage.
3. Let the water and dish soap sit for a few minutes. Sometimes doing this will soften a blockage enough for the blockage to loosen and clear on its own.
4. If the water has not gone down, give the coat hanger method a try.
Method 3 – Wire Coat Hanger Method
1. If the soap and bucket method fails to unblockage the blocked toilet, a wire coat hanger may clear the obstruction. This will generally work if there is an obstruction in the first few inches of the drain.
2. Unravel the coat hanger. Twist the top ends of the coat hanger apart until they are no longer connected. (To avoid damaging the porcelain tightly wrap one end with a rag).
3. Stick the wrapped end of the wire into the drain. Once the wire is in the drain, twist it, push it, and manoeuvre it in a circular motion to clear the drain.
Hopefully these methods will have cleared your blocked sink. If not were always here to help 24hrs a day, feel welcome to call us 01202 300040.
