How to fix a clogged toilet:

Here we explain how to accurately determine the cause of a clogged, stopped-up toilet or slow toilet drainage.

Understanding the cause of a blocked toilet helps assure that the right repair is made at the lowest cost.

Here we explain how to diagnose and repair problems with toilets, leaks, flushes, odors, noises, running and wasted water.

Toilet Flushes Slowly or Backs Up - How do I Fix a Clogged Toilet or Sewer Drain?

These questions and answers about how to clear a blocked or clotted toilet were posted originally at TOILET CLOG REPAIR, UN-BLOCK - please be sure to review the steps given there.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Question: using caustic soda on toilet clogs? Really?

(Apr 1, 2014) Anonymous said:

1. I think this is the one of the best way to unblock a seriously clogged toilet. Especially when you have disposed organic waste into it and have tried, plunger, wire hanger, loads of water etc and have been unsuccessful.

2. Please take extreme care while handling caustic soda. You will require about 3 kgs of caustic soda, a plastic bucket, a plastic pipe or any long plastic object to help stir, rubber/plastic gloves, goggles for your own safety and protection.

3. It is ideal to do this at night. take about 3 to 4 liters of water in a plastic bucket, cover your nose with a piece of cloth, slowly add about 1 kg of caustic soda into the water very slowly. Stir the mixture slowly. make sure the room is well ventilated and do not inhale the fumes.

Get away from the room if it is taking longer to mix water and caustic soda. Always add caustic soda to water, do not do it the other way, do not add water to caustic soda. the exothermic reaction between water and caustic soda will make the water boil quickly. so adding water directly to caustic soda is not advised.

4. The water will heat up during mixing and will generate fumes. do not touch the mixture with bare hands as it will be highly corrosive. if a drop of the mixture falls on your skin, wash it will lots of water.

5. once mixed, slowly pour the solution into empty toilet bowl, cover the toilet seat and get away from the toilet for about 45 minutes.

6. Again mix caustic soda and water as described above for the second time. and slowly pour it into the toilet and leave it over night.

7. in the morning pour couple of buckets of hot steaming water into the toilet from about waist length. By now the toilet will be able to flush out quickly. If not mix water and caustic soda again as described above and pour it into the empty toilet. Wait for couple of hours and pour hot water into the toilet.

8. Never pour caustic soda directly into the toilet. Caustic soda crystals can solidify inside the toilet pipes creating a bigger block.

Reply: really? Caustic soda is dangerous and not recommended for homeowner use on clogged toilet drains.

Watch out: Caustic soda is not only dangerous to work with, it can burn the skin, cause blindness if you get it in your eyes, and it can destroy septic tank and drainfield bacteria and contaminate the environment.

Furthermore, using harsh chemicals as blocked toilet de-cloggers should not be attempted before a proper diagnosis of the reason for clogging has been determined. For local clogs at a toilet simple plunging with a toilet plunger will often do the job safely and immediately.

For remote drain clogs you will probably need help from an experienced plumber who may use a power snake or other drain cleaner or may use a drain line camera / scope to determine if the line is broken, crushed, or damaged.

Question: I dropped a plastic cap into my flushometer toilet and it went down the drain

(May 4, 2015) Alan said:

I dropped a plastic cap into my flushometer toilet and it went down the drain. Now it flushes slowly and overflows.

Please tell me what to do. Is the cap still retrievable. THANK YOU.

Reply:

Alan

I've retrieved toys, underpants and the like from toilet drains when by luck the obstruction was close to the toilet.

We had to remove the water from the tank and bowl, remove the toilet, and fish in the drain.

If the obstruction is not close by it's probably lodged at the next trap or bend in the waste line. Or it may be possible to push the obstruction onwards to the next cleanout by using a plumbing snake.

On 2018-02-20 05:41:36.778589 by (mod) -

If you're not hearing drain noises from nearby when the toilet is flushed then the problem may not be one with the vent system, which takes us back to the drain.

If the blockage is somewhat distant from the toilet then when no water has been run into that drain for some time, perhaps hours, you probably would get a pretty decent flush at the toilet. Subsequent flushes that fill the pipe behind the blockage would be slowed or backup.

Two things that are worth checking,

One is the volume of water filling the tank and the bowl. If those are two low you won't get a good toilet flush.

Beyond that it might be worth having a sewer line camera inspect the drain to find a blockage or point of damage.

Or you could go directly to hang a plumber to use a drain auger to clear the drain for a much longer distance.

On 2018-02-20 by Ryan

Hi,

For a few months, my master bathroom toilet has been flushing very slowly and often requires multiple flushes to get solids down.

I have tried many of the solutions I have read about on the internet, but the problem persists. I've tried excessive plunging, a couple of drain clearing chemicals, and a 3 foot drain snake.

I've also tried hot water/dish soap in the bowl, and it seems to flush okay once or twice afterwards but then reverts to flushing poorly. The tub and shower are on either side of the toilet, and they both drain fine. Their drains join into the main drain pipe close to the toilets drain, so I'm guessing the clog is around the toilet/drain connection (wax ring maybe?), or in the pipe between the toilet and the main drain.

We also just bought this house in October, so i don't know if this problem existed before we moved in. I seem to remember it being okay at the start, but I can't be sure.

This is really starting to frustrate me. Would the next step be to remove the toilet and check for blocks at the floor drain? I've never installed or removed a toilet before. Anything I should know?

On 2018-02-12 by Hollie

Thank you

On 2018-02-11 by (mod) -

Hollie

That's telling us that there is a blockage in the building drain below the flat below yours.

On 2018-02-11 by Hollie

I live in a converted block of flats on the 2nd floor above shops which was offices before flats. Every time I flush my toilet I’m on top floor, what ever I’ve flushed then floats up in the flat below me toilet.

On 2017-12-25 by (mod) -

Mary,

That's what a blockage can occur in normal use depending on the obvious problem of waste consistency.

However if blockages of the toilet base are recurrent, I suspect there is a problem with the wax ring installation or the type of wax ring.

The wax ring seals a toilet base to the toilet flange. If during installation the wax is squashed out such that it partially blocks the waist opening that can cause clogging.

In addition Sun toilet wax rings include a smaller inner diameter plastic funnel designed to assure no splash out around the toilet base. However. Smaller-diameter could also be clogging.

So if the problem occurs again I would pull the toilet and look carefully at the wax ring condition and the Seal of the toilet to the waste-pipe. And of course check with your plumber that there is no abnormal little or small diameter piping or improper use of the wrong type of elbow in the drain.

On 2017-12-24 by Mary

Plumber was here two days ago,because both toilets(adjacent bathrooms) were plugged and overflowed .

Toilets were pulled and drains were clear. The problem was fecal matter and toilet paper clog at the base of the toilets. Two days, later the same problem is occurring. Any solutions?

On 2017-12-08 by Joe

My pipes get clogged becomes of roots. My water company will send a person twice a year to snake it.

But if I forget, and the roots block the bath water, toilets, and sinks. My basement toilet overflows. Can I drill a hole near the top of my toilet seat with a pipe that connects with my sub pump 20 ft away. My only other option is cutting the cement floor 2inchs and make a drain in the floor to the pump?

On 2017-04-28 by (mod) -

Well the stop cap helps fight sewage backup but doesn't fix the problem of a clogged or improper plumbing drain.

Ask a plumber to use a camera to scope the line to find out if it's sagged, blocked, collapsed.

On 2017-04-28 by Laura

Renting a house. Bathroom wall is also furnace, heater, washer hooked up. Toilet would gurgle when tub drained. Owners out a stop cap on the floor drain under washer where it would over flow. Now the toilet leaks at base and doesn't flush. Drains in about 10mins though.

Took toilet off, main pipe under Meath water sits in it. Drains 10mins or so. Plunge and toilet water goes in bathtub. Roof vent seems fine but if a hose runs water down the vent the toilet and bath full with the water. Other bathroom is fine. Kitchen is fine. Just this bathroom and washer on other side.

Also heater and ac don't work. They are on the same wall as well. Owners have not come back, have no idea how to unclog this thing!

Even tried the bladder bag in on roof vent, and toilet. Bathtub s a Jacuzzi with extra small drain and overflow pipe. Clean out has no water running out. Do it must be stuck somewhere

On 2017-04-11 by Anonymous

Thanks!

On 2017-04-11 by (mod) -

It would be worth hiring a plumber to use a scanning camera to inspect the drain system for a broken or partly damage to drain line, for improper slope, or for another defect that can be cleared. You might also check the venting system for that toilet.

On 2017-04-11 by JS

I have a toilet that frequently clogs. I can clear the clog each time with a toilet auger, but it will clog again as soon as the next day.

This toilet doesn't flush with as much velocity as other toilets in the house, but I have replaced the tank internals once, so thought that was the difference. What to try next? Tired of getting out the auger! Thx.

On 2017-01-01 by (mod) -

Liz, that sounds like a partly-blocked maind rain.

On 2017-01-01 by Liz

When flushed, the water level in the toilet rises right up and then goes down again slowly. Waste is not being emptied from the bowl. Flushing also causes the bath drain to bubble up. Running water in the sink or bath causes the water in the toilet to bubble. Using unblocking liquids down the toilet, sink and bath has had no effect, nor has using a coil in the toilet.

On 2016-11-02 by Bob

When the toilet is partially clogged, clear water leaks out from the base of the toilet. Any ideas?

On 2016-03-23 17:33:07.068304 by (mod) -

George

This sounds like a partial clog. Try longer plunging with a better plunger. I don't recommend drain cleaners, worried that you'll then be plunging caustic, dangerous water - a splash can be harmful or in an eye, worse.

On 2016-03-23 by George Irwin

Slow emptying toilet. Water does not overflow but getting close. Water empties very slowly and can leave some waste in the bowl after flushing.

Tried using a cheap plunger - no success!
Going to purchase a much better plunger. Is there something like Draino I can use for the toilet? Thank you.

...

Continue reading  at TOILET CLOG REPAIR, UN-BLOCK - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• BLOCKED DRAIN REPAIR METHODS
• CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
• PLUMBING LEAK DETECTION METHODS
• PLUMBING LEAK DETECTION & SHUTOFF DEVICES
• SEWER GAS ODORS
• TOILET FLUSHES POORLY - diagnose and fix slow-flushing toilets caused by inadequate water volume in the toilet bowl or in the toilet tank or cistern, or caused by a partly-blocked drain, defective vent
• TOILETS, INSPECT, INSTALL, REPAIR - home
• TOILET TYPES, CONTROLS, PARTS - home

Suggested citation for this web page

TOILET CLOG REPAIR FAQS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to TOILET INFORMATION

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---