Can hot water unclog a toilet
What to Do When Your Toilet Won’t Unclog
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We rarely think about toilets until something goes wrong. When our toilet malfunctions or clogs, it can be more than a minor inconvenience, especially if we don’t have a plunger. Keep in mind that a severely blocked toilet could interrupt your household completely.
Although clearing the blockage is frequently as simple as plunging the drain, you might need to run an auger through your plumbing.
Moreover, some clogs might be far down the pipe or extremely hard to remove that you’ll require Pompano Beach Plumbing Services. Fortunately, these tips will help you unclog your toilet.
Plunger
While this tool might appear basic, it remains the best way of unclogging a toilet. We recommend all households to have this tool and preferably one with a flange because they work best to unblock toilets.
When using this tool, you need to place the plunger in the toilet bowl and push it down gently. The first push is simply to eliminate the air. Take care not to push forcefully, otherwise; you might splash dirty water on yourself.
Once you have a good seal, pump the plunger down and up forcefully while sustaining the seal. Finally, pull the tool up sharply while breaking the air seal. You’ll notice the water rushing down the drain. If this hasn’t fixed the blockage, repeat the steps until the clog loosens.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
When your toilet won’t flush and you don’t have a plunger, you can turn to non-toxic household cleaning aids: vinegar and baking soda. You probably know that vinegar and baking soda are great at cleaning numerous surfaces, function as great deodorizers, and are helpful in keeping our drains running smoothly.
However, these household cleaners also work when you need to fix a blocked toilet if you don’t have a plunger. We recommend you add a cup of baking soda to your blocked toilet and wait for some minutes. Next, pour two cups of vinegar slowly into the toilet.
Vinegar and baking soda will typically react to form bubbles, so ensure you pour carefully and slowly to prevent the toilet water from overflowing or splashing. Allow the baking soda and vinegar mixture to work for a couple of minutes.
You’ll need to flush your toilet to establish whether the clog has cleared. You might need to repeat the process until the clog clears. The clog will clear when your toilet makes a fast suction sound and drains naturally thereafter.
Hot Water and Dish Soap
Heat up a gallon of hot water on the stove and pour some dish soap into your toilet while the water is heating up. When the water is extremely hot, but not boiling, pour into the toilet carefully. Wait for 10-15 minutes while the dish soap and hot water soften the clog.
Once you do so, the toilet will unclog and flush freely. Alternatively, you could use hot water and shampoo from the sink if you wish to clear your toilet without leaving your bathroom.
The Snake
For about $25, you can purchase a toilet snake. You only need to purchase it once and you’ll avoid chemical use. You can thread the handy device and then wind it around until you release the blockage. While this can get a bit messy, it’s better than using your hands. This method is particularly beneficial when the clog is deeper than the bowl itself.
If this approach doesn’t work, try again and contact certified plumbers. Don’t use a clothes hanger as a substitute because it can scratch the toilet bowl’s porcelain surface severely.
Household Bleach
Similar to soap, household bleach helps break down the waste. The procedure resembles the one that involves dish soap. Simply replace the solid or liquid dishwashing soap with 2-3 cups of bleach. After one or two minutes, pour one cup of powdered soap.
Wait 10-15 minutes and flush your toilet. You’ll discover this approach is more efficient for a very clogged toilet.
Contact a Plumber
While this approach is simple, it’s probably the easiest and most reliable way of unclogging a stubborn toilet. The best thing about hiring Pompano Beach plumbers is that we have everything we require to tackle even the worst blockages. Moreover, we’re more affordable than you think and we’ll be done in a short time.
Most of us have dealt with clogged toilets at one point or the other and while it’s easy to assume a plunger will do the work, you might not have one at the time. Therefore, it’s important you implement other means of unclogging your toilet. If you don’t know where to start, consider these tips.
How to Unclog a Toilet Without a Plunger—7 Ways to Fix a Clogged Toilet
When Plunging Doesn't Work
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It’s never an ideal situation: A quick trip to the bathroom followed by a single flush and, boom, you’re dealing with a clogged drain or—much worse—a nearly overflowing toilet.
If you find yourself without a plunger or if using a plunger doesn't work, consider your unclogging options before hiring a plumber. There are a number of ways ways to take care of a toilet overflow or toilet clog, many of which require nothing more than the items you already have in your bathroom or kitchen cabinets. Read on to learn how to fix a clogged toilet (and be sure to wear protective gloves).
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Heat Wave
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When you notice a nasty clog, your best bet is to fill a pan with hot water. Heat it up on the stove or use the tap, but don’t let the water get to boiling point. Pour it down the drain and let it sit for a few minutes to see if it loosens the clog. You’ll know if your efforts were successful if you see the water start to drain. Then, give the toilet a flush or two. In many cases, the hot water is enough to break up whatever is causing the backup.
Related: How To - Clean Any Appliance
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Dish Duty
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If you need to kick the unclogging process up a notch, borrow some dish soap from the kitchen and squeeze a generous amount, about a 1/4 cup should do, into the toilet bowl. Let the soap sit for 5 to 10 minutes so it has time to move down the drain and reach the clog. Then, add hot water (again, not boiling water) to the bowl and give it some time to sit. In most cases, the dish soap will act as a lubricant and grease the clog in the toilet drain to get everything moving again.
Related: 13 Lazy Cleaning Tricks for a Spotless Home
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Fizzy Fix
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It’s time to channel what you learned in elementary school science! If your toilet bowl is already filled to the brim, either empty out some of the water or be prepared for a little overflow. Next, pour one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar down the toilet drain. When the vinegar and baking soda combine, the natural chemical reaction will bubble up and loosen the clog.
After about thirty minutes, follow up with some hot water and see if it drains. If it does, you're good to go. If it doesn't, repeat the process once more.
Related: 10 Ingenious Home Uses for Baking Soda
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Brush Battle
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This may seem a little unpleasant, but if you’re really in a bind and there’s no plunger in sight, grab a toilet brush and angle the bristles down the drain. Pumping up and down a few times should be enough to loosen things up so the clog clears in no time. (If you want a plunger handy for your next clog, here are our recommended plungers.)
Related: 9 Home Repair Remedies to Borrow from Your Medicine Cabinet
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Helping Hanger
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If you don’t have access to a drain snake, you can fashion your own using a wire coat hanger from your closet. Simply unwind the hanger so that it’s completely straight with the exception of the hook.
Then, wrap a small rag around the hook to help prevent any scratches or damage to the porcelain and, while wearing rubber gloves, gently angle the hanger down the drain until you find the clog. When the water starts to drain, flush the toilet a few times to clear it out.
Related: 9 Clever Things You Can Do with a Wire Hanger
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Bathroom Bomb
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Don't run out to buy Drano, create your own DIY de-clogger instead by mixing together the following ingredients: 2 cups baking soda, 1/4 cup Epsom salt, and 8-10 tablespoons of dish detergent (add one tablespoon at a time). Pour the combination into individual muffin liners, then let them dry and harden overnight. The next morning, drop one into the toilet bowl, add four cups of water, and let it sit for a few hours to see results.
Related: 7 Surprising Pantry Items Naturally Clean and Freshen Your Home
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Vacuum Valve
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Last resort: Rent a wet/dry vacuum from your local hardware store—do not, we repeat, do not try this with a regular vacuum. First, use it to empty the water from the bowl. Next, wrap the hose in an old rag to create a seal, then stick the wet/dry vacuum a few inches down the drain. When you turn on the vacuum, it should suck out the clog. Again, don't forget the rubber gloves!
Related: 7 Ways You're Vacuuming Wrong
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6 Ways to Clear a Clogged Toilet on Your Own Without a Plunger and Plumbing Costs
Think You Can Clear a Clog on Your Own? You are not mistaken. You can fix the problem without a specialist in many cases.
If you fail, it's never too late to call a plumber.
Anna Zalesskaya
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Long hair from combs, hairballs and dust washed down the toilet after household cleaning, food waste, cat litter, foreign objects and rags, bags or feminine hygiene products that accidentally fall into the toilet are very common causes of blockages.
Contents of the article
Fluid dynamics is easy
If the sewer system has failed, that is, the toilet bowl does not flush, you must first understand where the “plug” has formed, in the local or central sewerage system, and then act . It can be either a light blockage that you can deal with on your own, or a more serious problem that will require a specialist to solve.
If the blockage is not serious, then the water will drain slowly and badly, but still.
To understand this, pour about 1 liter of water into the toilet bowl and check its level after half an hour. Just do not press the drain tank button, as there is more water, and it can flood the floor in the bathroom. If the water drains at least a little, it means that not everything is lost, and the water enters the sewer. If nothing has changed, but at the same time, water drains normally in the adjacent sink or bathtub, most likely the blockage is in the pipe at the outlet of the toilet bowl. When water does not drain anywhere, it’s bad, the problem may be in the sewer system of the house, and you can’t do it with your own hands.
Almost always, blockages occur at the joints, bends and transitions of pipes, they should be looked for in these places.
In other cases, there are quite a few solutions, but we will talk about the simplest and most affordable ones.
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Hot water
This method is great for blockages due to wood cat litter.
If there is a blockage, heat the water on the stove without letting it boil, pour it into a bucket and pour it sharply at an angle into the toilet bowl. Leave for a few minutes to see if this loosens the blockage. When the water starts to drain slowly, it is better to wait a while and then pour another bucket of liquid. In many cases, hot water is sufficient to clear the blockage. Here you can also connect a plunger to speed up the process.
Dishwashing liquid
If you want a quick cleaning effect, take some dish detergent from the kitchen and squeeze about a quarter of a cup down the toilet. Leave the product for 5-10 minutes so that it has time to drain into the sewer and get to the blockage. Then pour hot water (again, not boiling water) into the bucket and let it stand for a while. In most cases, dishwashing detergent acts as a lubricant and objects stuck in pipe bends begin to move in the right direction.
Sizzling mixture - soda with vinegar
Soda allows you to partially dissolve organic dirt and fats, which will help to quickly eliminate blockages.
If the toilet bowl is already filled to the brim, pour some water into the basin, then pour one glass or half a pack of baking soda, trying to push it as deep as possible into the pipe, and after that, pour a glass of vinegar there and wait for the reaction. After about thirty minutes, pour 2 liters of hot water and see if it flows down the drain. If so, everything is fine. If this does not happen, repeat the process again.
Toilet brush
Not the most pleasant way, but if you are in a really difficult situation and there is no plunger in sight, take a toilet brush and place it as deep as possible in the drain hole. Pump it up and down a few times to try and dislodge whatever is keeping the water from draining.
Dry Cleaning Wire Hanger
If you don’t have a plumbing cable, which, by the way, is one of the best tools for removing blockages, you can make it yourself from a wire clothes hanger.
Unroll it to become straight, leaving the hook intact. Then wrap the hook with a small piece of cloth (any rag) so as not to scratch or damage the walls of the toilet, and, wearing rubber gloves, gently slide the hanger down the drain until you get to the blockage. When the water begins to drain a little, flush the toilet several times with hot water.
Plastic bottle
For an ordinary 1.5 liter plastic bottle, cut off the bottom and screw the cap on tightly. Next, pour hot water into the toilet bowl, bring the bottle to the drain hole, and, pressing and releasing the bottle, try to remove the blockage using a device similar to a plunger. For a greater effect, you can add a cleaning agent to the water.
What to do if the toilet is clogged: how to remove the clogged toilet
A clog in the toilet is a serious domestic problem that can lead to big troubles up to flooding the neighbors on the floor below. What to do if the water does not go away? You can call professional plumbers to your home or try to cope with the situation yourself.
Next, we will look at several proven ways to help clear blockages at home.
- Why is the toilet clogged
- How to identify the clogged toilet
- How to clear a blockage in a toilet with household products
- Home remedies for clogged toilet
- Clogged toilet with plunger
- How to use plumbing cable
- Clearing a clogged toilet with a plastic bottle
Causes of clogged toilet
Sewer pipe from the toilet can become clogged in different cases. The main reason is the ingress of foreign objects into the drain hole: diapers, rags, sanitary pads, children's toys, cat litter, etc.
Problems associated with improper installation or design of the sewer system should not be ruled out. Small slopes during laying, a large distance of the toilet bowl from the main pipe, the absence of a vent pipe and much more lead to blockage. If a gap has already formed, what can be done?
Locating the plug
Start cleaning yourself by determining the location of the blockage.
If it arose in the toilet cavity, this is one thing, but if the blockage appeared further along the sewer pipe, you will have to act differently.
Turn on the taps in the bathroom and in the kitchen to roughly understand where the pipe is blocked. If the water from the sink drains normally, it is the toilet that is clogged, and not the sewer pipe at some distance from it.
Do not drain the water tank, as it holds about 3 liters. If the toilet overflows, dirty water will leak onto the floor and create additional problems. When the blockage is localized further down the pipe, when flushing the toilet, its contents may spill out of the bath drain (according to the principle of communicating vessels).
Household chemicals from clogged toilets
In specialized stores and on the shelves in supermarkets, you can find various chemicals from well-known brands designed to clean toilet clogs at home without a plunger, a cable and the help of a plumber. The following products are most in demand:
- Mister Muscle;
- Mole;
- Bagi Pothan;
- Tiret gel;
- Flup (granular product).
Buy any of these and use as directed and safely. Be sure to protect your hands and avoid getting the product in your eyes. Each contains the strongest aggressive components that can harm health.
All chemicals work on the same principle: you pour or pour the contents of a bottle or other package into the toilet hole and leave it for a while (from 15 minutes to several hours). After a while, you need to drain the water from the tank several times, thoroughly flushing the system.
To avoid damaging plastic sewer pipes and causing leakage, never mix two different products. The substances included in their composition can react, which will corrode the sealing gum and even the plastic walls of the pipeline.
How to clear a blockage in the toilet with improvised means
You can sometimes quickly clear the blockage in the toilet with your hand, wearing a rubber glove or pulling a tight bag over it. This method helps if you know exactly what caused the blockage: for example, you flushed a diaper, a pad, or a rag that could be stuck in the toilet itself.
Remove the item and the water will begin to flush normally without lingering.
Boiling water
The simplest tool at hand is boiling water poured into the toilet bowl. You need to pour a bucket or pot of hot water and wait 15-20 minutes for it to dissolve the contaminants that caused the congestion. But be careful if the toilet is connected to the sewer with a corrugation. A thin-walled connection may burst due to boiling water. Also, it is impossible to flush immediately after pouring hot water, as a sharp temperature drop can damage the sanitary ware bowl.
Mustard
This is mustard powder, which must be dissolved in warm or hot water: 2 tablespoons per 5-6 liters of water. This composition must be poured into the toilet and left for half an hour, and then rinsed with water. If it starts to go away, repeat the procedure a few more times in a row to completely clear the congestion.
Citric Acid
It destroys mineral deposits and other contaminants, helping to clear toilet clogs by hand.
Dissolve 200 g of powder in several liters of water and pour into the toilet bowl. It is better to remove the water from it beforehand so that the product has a stronger effect.
Chlorine and Whiteness
You can pour 400-500 g of bleach into the toilet in case of blockage or pour a liter of Whiteness and leave it overnight. The product is very aggressive, so be sure to lower the lid. Even in this case, the bathroom will smell bad, but you will most likely remove the blockage by simply flushing the water from the tank in the morning.
Vinegar + baking soda
A good way to quickly clean a clogged toilet bowl is baking soda with vinegar. First, pour 600-800 g of ordinary baking soda into it, which is in the kitchen of every housewife, and immediately pour a bottle 9- percent vinegar.
Be prepared for a strong chemical reaction with hissing and foaming. Leave the product on for 20-30 minutes so that it has time to act and dissolve the congestion. Pour a few liters of boiling water and wait another 15 minutes.
After this, check that the water has begun to drain and flush the clogged drain behind the toilet with water.
Note that all of the above products are ineffective in case of mechanical blockage of the toilet bowl with a rag, diaper or sanitary napkins.
How to open a clogged toilet with a plunger
A simple device gives a result that often exceeds all expectations. In order for the plunger to work, you need to choose a model suitable for the toilet:
- Cup-shaped. A classic device that removes small congestion. It is convenient to clean sinks and bathtubs with such a plunger, and in the case of toilet bowls, it is ineffective, as it does not adhere well to its walls.
- Tapered. This model is designed specifically for cleaning toilets at home. the rubber nozzle has a conical shape and ensures a perfectly tight entry of the plunger into the hole for draining the water.
- Pneumatic. An advanced device with a nozzle that moves inside the sewer pipe, increasing the effectiveness of the pneumatic action on the blockage.
All of these devices are equally easy to use. it is enough to follow the elementary instructions:
- Attach the rubber nozzle of the plunger to the hole so that it completely covers it.
- Press the handle in a few forward motions so that the suction cup sticks to the walls.
- Then, pull the handle sharply, prying the nozzle away from the hole. At this point, a water hammer will be created, releasing the congestion.
The plunger can be used to clean a toilet with newsprint, cat litter, or other foreign objects.
Plumbing Rope for Clogged Toilet
This tool is used by professional plumbers, but you can also use it yourself at home. the device consists of a hollow tube with metal rings and a handle at the end. At the opposite end is a spiral nozzle. The length of the cable varies, but 2-3 meters are usually enough to clean the toilet in an apartment or house. It's easy to use:
- If possible, remove water from the toilet bowl.
- Insert the end of the rope into the hole until it stops.
- Start turning the handle clockwise, pushing the cable deeper (this is easier to do with a helper).
- Continue driving until the drain is clear and the blockage is no longer flushed.
- Flush drains with hot water to remove any remaining blockage.
If you see a dirty nozzle after pulling out the cable, repeat the procedure again.
How to remove blockage in the toilet with a plastic bottle
Finally, let's look at another simple and non-standard way - how to remove blockage in the toilet with your own hands using a simple plastic bottle. It may turn out that there is no plunger, no special chemicals, no plumbing cable at home.
The principle of operation of the bottle in this case is based on the laws of hydrodynamics, that is, it will work like a plunger. It is better to work with gloves, as you will get dirty:
- Cut off the bottom of the bottle with a knife and leave the cap in place.
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