Have you ever flushed only to hear the sound of the toilet overflowing? More than likely, you have. There are many ways you can unclog a toilet, but many people make it more complicated than it actually is. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish with a snake and a plunger. Today, we’re going to show you how to unclog your toilet without flooding the bathroom and making everything worse than it already was.
Tools You’ll Need
- a plunger
- a toilet snake
- gloves
- towels
Grab The Plunger
Before you do anything, we suggest putting towels around the toilet to avoid having to clean up a big mess. Once you’ve got the towels in place, grab the plunger. You want to make sure it’s a plunger designed for plunging a toilet. The traditional plunger that many people think of when a toilet clogs is actually a sink plunger. A sink plunger is a simple cup design, and they’re often red. A toilet plunger has a smaller cup that fits into the drain and plunges more efficiently.
This is what an actual toilet plunger looks like:
Once you’ve got the plunger, it’s time to plunge. Make a tight seal with the drain and push all the air out of the plunger by plunging once. After the air is gone, vigorously plunge up and down. Make sure the toilet has enough water to keep the plunger submerged. After a few minutes of this, try and flush the toilet. If you still have a backed-up toilet, it’s time to try a toilet snake.
The snake is fairly simple to use as well. All you need to do is slide the snake down the drain and manually turn the handle while you pull it in and out. If neither the plunger or snake work, DO NOT use harsh chemicals. You should never put things like Draino down the toilet. The oxidizing chemicals contained in Draino heat up and dissolve clogs, but these chemicals can damage PVC pipes and even porcelain toilets.
Call Drain Express Today!
If you’re toilet won’t come unclogged, you may need to remove the toilet to get to the root of the problem. If a plunger or snake won’t unclog the toilet, there’s a high chance that you need to have your sewer line cleaned out. We’re plumbing and drain cleaning experts and are always looking to help our customers in any way that we can. So give us a call today if you need help with your toilet or plumbing.