How To Fix a Clogged Toilet

If the water in a toilet bowl begins to rise above its normal level after you flush, suspect a clog. To prevent an overflow, remove the top of the tank and close the flush valve by hand--putting either the flapper stopper or the ball stopper back in the closed position. Most toilet clogs are caused by accumulations of paper products in the bowl's narrow trap or by miscellaneous items that accidentally fall into the toilet and get stuck in the trap. A complete blockage can cause a toilet to overflow; a partial clog can result in sluggish flushing. Whatever the cause -- toilet blockages are more than frustrating.

• To unclog a toilet with a plunger, bail out excess water, leaving enough to cover plunger cup. If possible, use a flanged plunger. Place plunger cup snugly over drain opening. Standing directly over plunger, pump up and down vigorously several times. On last stroke, yank up on plunger with a strong pull. If that doesn't work, Please Give us a call. *Excessive plunging can cause the wax ring to fail and cause further problems.
• Use a closet auger if plunger fails to unclog toilet. (Available at Menards or Lowe's for about $55) Place auger bend in bottom of toilet drain opening; push auger cable into trap. Crank auger handle clockwise to get cable past trap. If the auger becomes hard to turn, pull it back a little and try again. When auger tip hits clog, continue rotating handle thru clog. Pull back and repeat if water goes down, Clog is typically broken up. Test by gently slowly adding water to bowl by lifting handle slightly, then normal flushing if water is going down.
• If that doesn't work, please give us a call. Never use a chemical drain cleaner to unclog a toilet. Such products can be harmful to pipes and to people, and they are not effective in penetrating toilet clogs. If you cannot unclog the toilet with a plunger or an auger, the problem may be a blockage somewhere else in the drainage system, possibly in the main drain or the vent stack.

NOTE: If your toilet remains clogged after these steps, do not use a caustic or acid based liquid or crystal drain cleaner. They can sometimes damage pipes, and will complicate matters further. They will also dissolve the wax ring that seals your toilet to the drain pipe requiring replacement.

Call us for toilet repairs and we will be happy to provide a free quote to open your drains. We have additional tools that help us to efficiently open any drain, which is a simple process unless there is damage to the pipe itself.

Toilet Running All The Time? Toilet running all the time wastes water and costs you money. We can adjust or repair your internal valve. We carry replacements on our trucks and are able to replace them quickly if needed.