DIY Plumbing Project: How To Unclog A Toilet

Synnuh | May 16, 2010 |

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If you are having issues with your toilet and it seems clogged or broken, that does not automatically mean you have to call in a plumber. Plumbers are generally paid by the hour and even if it only takes them a matter of seconds to unclog your toilet, chances are you end up paying them for the full hour. This is a waste of money, so why not take it on as a DIY task?

There is no reason you cannot learn how to unclog a toilet yourself and this is actually a very basic task that homeowners should familiarize themselves with.

First, make sure you have the proper equipment. A plunger is obvious and most people already have one. Keep it in the bathroom, right next to the toilet. It is amazing the number of people who own a plunger but who keep it in another room or in a hall closet, sometimes even the basement. What good will it do you there when the toilet starts to overflow right in front of you?

It may not be the nicest sight to have in the bathroom but at least keep it in a corner out of the way but close enough you could grab it in an instant if you had to.

There is another important plumbing tool that all homeowners should have and that is a toilet snake. Unlike a plunger, a snake is able to get all the way down into the actual toilet drain and pull out anything that may be clogging it. A plunger works using suction, above the drain, to pull clogs out. When there is something larger clogging the toilet a plunger is not going to do too much to help.

To use a toilet snake you simply stick it down into the drain of the toilet and wriggle it around a bit. Try to avoid banging it off the sides of the toilet as this could damage the porcelain. Try to get underneath the clog of toilet paper or other debris and push the snake up and down to break the clog up. Try to flush the toilet. If the water continues to overflow, start pushing up and down again with the snake while wriggling it to try and break up the clog.

After just a few tries, the clog should dissipate and the toilet should flush without any problem. If you are unable to solve it this way then you may need to use the snake along with a pipe-cleaning product to help dissolve or remove the clog.

That is how to unclog a toilet with a snake.