A clogged toilet is a fairly common, yet frightening, plumbing issue that almost everyone has to deal with at some point in their lives. If you’ve never unclogged a toilet before, just follow these simple instructions to get a full flush.
What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Rubber gloves
- Toilet plunger
Materials
- Water to fill toilet bowl (if necessary)
Instructions
Fill the Toilet Bowl (as Needed)
Make sure there is standing water in the toilet bowl. Submerging the head of the plunger is ideal, but you need at least enough water to cover the rim of the plunger cup (not just the flange). If there’s anything floating in the toilet bowl, don’t sweat it (that’s why plumbers can charge so much!). Add water to the bowl if necessary.
Position the Plunger
Put on rubber gloves if you wish. Make sure the flange of the toilet plunger is completely pulled out from the cup. Lower the plunger into the bowl at an angle so the cup fills with as much water as possible. If you go straight down, the cup traps a lot of air, which will compress more than water and reduce the plunging force. Fit the cup over the toilet’s drain hole so the flange is inside the hole and the cup forms a complete seal around the outside of the hole.
Work the Plunger
Grip the plunger handle in both hands, and push down on the cup forcefully, then pull back up without breaking the cup’s seal around the hole. Repeat the push-pull motion five or six times, then pull the cup off of the hole after the last thrust.
The goal is to create rapidly alternating forces of compression and suction in the toilet drain to loosen the clog. If your pushing seems to be blowing out the side of the cup rather than down into the hole, you don’t have a proper seal. Reposition the cup, and try again.
Repeat the series of plunging motions as needed until the bowl empties by itself. Set the plunger aside.
* Tip
Maintain some downward pressure on the plunger at all times while plunging, even when letting up a bit on the upstroke. If you let up on the pressure completely, you’ll break the seal around the cup.
Flush the Toilet
Remove the tank lid from the toilet, and locate the round rubber trap door (called the flapper) at the center of the tank bottom; this is your emergency water shutoff if the toilet is still clogged.
Flush the toilet. If it flushes normally, you’re all done, and you can set the lid back on the tank. If you’re not so lucky and the toilet is still clogged and threatens to overflow, reach into the tank and push the flapper down over the hole to stop the flow of water from the tank to the bowl. When the tank stops refilling, plunge the toilet again.
If Plunging Doesn’t Work
If you can’t clear the clog after several rounds of plunging, you can try clearing it with a toilet auger before finding a plumber. A toilet auger, or a closet auger, is a specialty version of a drain snake designed specifically for toilets. It has a telescoping metal tube with a crank handle on one end and a cable running inside. Insert the cable end (which has a corkscrew tip) into the toilet, and then turn the handle while pushing the cable down through the toilet trap to clear the clog.
In addition to driving through and breaking up a tough clog, the corkscrew tip of the cable can grab onto obstructions in the toilet trap so you can pull them out. This is often required if a sponge or other inappropriate item gets flushed down the toilet and becomes stuck.