Clogged Toilet

[stockrex]

Some years back after I bought a hand auger with handle and a few feet long shaft to unclog toilets being clogged with excessive toilet paper.

Finally caved in and upgraded all the toilet with the powerflush/dual stage from costco.
Things were going well, till my oldest started to use flushable wipes to clean herself.

She is bit over zealous with her flushable wipe use and clogged 2 toilets.
one toilet after a day or so unclogged itself when I flushed it would fill up with water and then slowly drain down,I did this few time and baaaaaaaaaaaam, unclogged itself and flushes fine.

However, the downstairs toilet would not unclog itself even though the wipes have disintegrated into tiny pieces.

I used the hand held auger with a auger end that goes down 3 or 4 feet and still nothing.
What the fluke? I mean what is going on?
Help, how can I unclog this toilet....

 

[TrevorS]

Hardware stores sell natural enzymes that will eat through blockages. Use them not just in that toilet but everywhere.

Might take a bit of time. Make sure there are no chemicals in the water before using.

 

[Stelth]

According to Dave Barry, firing a .22 pistol straight down into the toilet is effective.

However, I don't recommend this. The best thing to do is to pull up the toilet so that you can see where the stoppage is, and completely clear it. However, if the clog is in the "trap arm" of the drain, i.e., before the vertical vent, a plunger properly applied will sometimes do wonders. Wouldn't hurt to try.

I would recommend to your daughter, or anyone who uses "flushable" products that aren's T.P., to perhaps use more than one flush (without getting too graphic). Alternatively, she could have her own little trash can to put them in.

 

[Wolf359]

It's basically two bolts that hold the toilet down. There may be something else trapped inside, all your auger does is push it aside temporarily. Just make sure you get a new wax ring.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Use some water (from the sink) drippeled onto your everyday recyclable tP - not flushable wipes.

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: Stelth
According to Dave Barry, firing a .22 pistol straight down into the toilet is effective.

However, I don't recommend this. The best thing to do is to pull up the toilet so that you can see where the stoppage is, and completely clear it. However, if the clog is in the "trap arm" of the drain, i.e., before the vertical vent, a plunger properly applied will sometimes do wonders. Wouldn't hurt to try.

I would recommend to your daughter, or anyone who uses "flushable" products that aren's T.P., to perhaps use more than one flush (without getting too graphic). Alternatively, she could have her own little trash can to put them in.


"I would do anything for love but I won't do that...."

I guess it is time to call my plumber buddy,
and flushable toilet wipes ban will go into effect immediately!

 

[stockrex]

wait, if stuff is sitting in the trap below the toilet, won't my LONG auger get them?
My auger is long enough to go through every thing,
what the fluke, ok I will give it another shot with the auger,
I hope she did not have a potty accident and flush her underwear down too.

 

[tomcat27]

"flushable" wipes belong in the waste basket, not the toilet. (IMHO) and there should not be a trap downline from a toilet. the toilet itself contains the trap and it should be a straight run of wasteline to the stack.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: stockrex
wait, if stuff is sitting in the trap below the toilet, won't my LONG auger get them?
My auger is long enough to go through every thing,
what the fluke, ok I will give it another shot with the auger,
I hope she did not have a potty accident and flush her underwear down too.


Having had multiple tenants that clog up toilets, the only way to really clear them out was to remove the toilet. I've seen rubber balls, and plastic containers clog up toilets. All the auger does is push it aside for a while, then it shifts again after the toilet gets used and blocks it again.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: stockrex
Some years back after I bought a hand auger with handle and a few feet long shaft to unclog toilets being clogged with excessive toilet paper.

Finally caved in and upgraded all the toilet with the powerflush/dual stage from costco.
Things were going well, till my oldest started to use flushable wipes to clean herself.

She is bit over zealous with her flushable wipe use and clogged 2 toilets.
one toilet after a day or so unclogged itself when I flushed it would fill up with water and then slowly drain down,I did this few time and baaaaaaaaaaaam, unclogged itself and flushes fine.

However, the downstairs toilet would not unclog itself even though the wipes have disintegrated into tiny pieces.

I used the hand held auger with a auger end that goes down 3 or 4 feet and still nothing.
What the fluke? I mean what is going on?
Help, how can I unclog this toilet....



I would remove the toilet. If you have a shop vac use that first to remove all the water otherwise there might be a huge pool of water when you lift the toilet off the flange.
Then you can see if there is a clog below.

Regards, JC.

 

[bvance554]

You have plenty of advice on unclogging the toilet, so all I will add is to hide the 'flushable' wipes after you get it flowing again

 

[Trajan]

Cherry bomb.

 

[paulo57509]

When we were younger, my little brother once clogged the toilet when he tried to flush a chopstick.

Forty years later, I still haven't gotten a straight answer as to the circumstances.

 

[wally6934]

The longer thinner snake will not work. It will just kink up. The short thick toilet snake is heavy duty enough to force thru the toilet trap.

As others have said if the long snake does not work then you have to remove the toilet or use the enzyme. If you have metal pipes they are probably constricted causing the wipes to clog up easily. If you have the luxury of time then the enzyme would be the way to go.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: JC1

I would remove the toilet. If you have a shop vac use that first to remove all the water otherwise there might be a huge pool of water when you lift the toilet off the flange.
Then you can see if there is a clog below.

Regards, JC.


Agreed. Toilets are easy enough to remove and you'll know immediately if the clog is in the toilet itself or the line. If it's in the line you can rent a real power auger and have better access to the drain. If it's in the toilet S trap you'll be able to get to it from the base of the toilet.

Make sure to use a new wax bowl ring when you reset the toilet. And there are only 4 things that should ever go down a toilet. Water, toilet tissue, #1 and #2.

 

[Errtt]

If the bowl water level is down (not up to the rim), I'll first use a 5-gallon bucket of water. Hold it up (high about chest height) and hard pour (as fast as possible, like a big dump of water) causing a water force straight into the drain.
If that doesn't work, then a snake, then lift it off the floor, but the hard water force has many times saved doing extra work.
And no more flushable wipes

 

[supton]

Plumbing is weird. Years ago we rented, and it was basically an inlaw apartment added to the house. One septic. We started having problems with our toilet overflowing. But the house never did. Wound up being tree roots in the line. I think our toilet was lowest, but I'm not 100% sure of that--all know is, out of three toilets ours was the only affected. And they had two kids, as opposed to just the wife and me--and we were only home at night.

 

[mailman74]

Originally Posted By: paulo57509
When we were younger, my little brother once clogged the toilet when he tried to flush a chopstick.

Forty years later, I still haven't gotten a straight answer as to the circumstances.

 

[stockrex]

I have the auger for clogged potty, it has a handle and L-Shaped piece of plastic,
I am going get the enzyme today and leave it in it and attack this later next week.

The flushable product did disintegrate but formed a soup like curd,

 

[DBMaster]

I used to have a fascination with toilets. Once, in my childhood, my little brother and I flushed about anything that would fit down the toilet one night when my parents were out and had a babysitter at the house. Amazingly, they had to call a plumber the next day due to issues with the toilet. My parents were certainly not abusers, but the early 70's were not today so we got "the belt" and never did it again.