A blocked toilet is a nightmare scenario and can cause panic within the property. Keep calm though as one of the worst things you can do in this type of scenario is start flushing as the toilet is highly likely to overflow.
Prior to calling out a drainage specialist, we would advise trying to clear the blockage yourself with a few simple techniques as a lot of the time a bit of force is all that’s required to dislodge the obstruction.
Firstly, you should always raise the foul manhole cover outside of the property to ensure that it is not blocked from the manhole.
If the manhole is clear, that indicates that the blockage is further up the pipework to the toilet.
The next step would be to run the sinks and other toilets within the property to check if they are free flowing. If they are free flowing that indicates that just the one toilet is blocked, rather than the below ground pipework.
What Do I Use To Clear The Toilet?
You can use a plunger to clear the toilet, ideally a ball shaped-plunger.
Prior to commencing plunging try to protect the area around the toilet by covering the floor and walls with old towels or old newspaper.
Make sure you are wearing some rubber gloves to protect your hands from the mess and any germs. Depending on the type of blockage you may need to use bleach, caustic soda and/or drain unblocker, although these aren’t always necessary.
Take the plunger and place it into the pan, ensuring it is completely under the water.
Proceed to slowly plunge in a short forceful motion to form a vacuum effect. Once the vacuum effect has started, continue working in the same manner increasing the speed of the strokes.
We would advise working on the blockage for a minimum of 15 minutes as some obstructions can be more stubborn than others, dependent on what is causing the blockage. For example, a wet wipe expands within the pipework once it meets water and when lots of wipes combine they form a solid ball.
Once you think you have cleared the blockage give the toilet a minimum of 5 flushes to ensure the blockage has not been pushed further down the pipe and will create a problem after a couple of flushes.
If the blocked toilet persists it’s time to call Total Drain Care.
