ChickSpeak

It’s not pretty, nor is is glamourous, but when you’re on your own, an overflowing toilet can be a nightmare. Just remember that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and you can fix this….

There’s never a right time for household items to start having a mind of their own. Especially not when it involves water, sewage, and potentially damaging your home and belongings. Or better yet your neighbor’s. Rather than falling into a state of panic if you, your roommate, family member, or friend accidentally clogs your bathroom toilet follow these easy steps before your home turns into a flood zone.

1. Turn off the water that’s running into the toilet. Typically, most switches are located either on the side of the toilet or on the wall beside or behind the toilet close to the floor. If you don’t do this, the water may continue to flow, sometimes at a stressfully rapid rate.

2. Don’t flush the toilet once you know it’s clogged. This will only make a bad situation worse.

3. Take off the cover or lid of the toilet for a quick inspection. Is the chain to the flapper seal at the bottom still in tact? If not, this may be the source of your problem and you’ll need to replace the chain or the flapper seal itself. If you live in a rental property, this is best taken care of by maintenance. If you own the home, however, it’s up to you to replace it. If nothing is wrong with the chain or flapper seal in the tank, it’s time to move on to step 4.

4. Next, grab or borrow the closest plunger. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to run out and get one. Most standard plungers feature a short stick with a rubber cup on the end. There is a small to slight chance that the standard plunger, designed for other parts of the home that are surprisingly not the toilet, may work as the cup on the end may not properly seal the air within the bottom of the bowl so the right amount of pressure is exerted. If you don’t have a flange or ball plunger, I recommend that you get one next time you’re out shopping. The ball or flange plunger has a smaller cup specially designed for toilet bowls.

5. Once you have your plunger, place it on the bottom, draining outlet portion of the bowl. Once you are sure that you have the section sealed from outside air, start pushing the plunger up and down for a few minutes so air pressure is applied to the potential clog area. If the water level starts to go down, mission accomplished. If not, you may want to try plunging a few more times before giving up.

6. If you notice that the level of water has gone down, things are looking up. To make sure that the clog is gone, you have to apply more water to see if it will clear. You can apply more water by taking some from the faucet and pouring it into the toilet bowl. Or, you can revisit the flapper seal in the tank mentioned in step 3 and slowly lift it, making sure not to bring it all the way up (or the toilet will flush and you will have failed this step), until water starts entering the bowl. If the coast is clear, your job is done. You may want to flush the toilet once to see if everything is okay. If the drain is still clogged, you have to continue on to step 7.

7. If the plunger doesn’t work after several attempts, there is one other tool to try before giving up and calling a plumber. Most people don’t have this tool, the toilet or closet auger, laying around in storage. But, if you do, then great! If not, you should go out and get one. When you access an auger, apply the curved end of the auger pipe handle in the direction that your toilet drains. Once you have done so, leave approx. 6 inches of cable between the end of the curved handle and the drain hole. Place the flexible part of the cable into the draining area, cranking it in a clockwise motion until it stops and moves forward like it has grabbed something or broken the clog. To see what’s going on, gently remove the cable from the drain. If the auger doesn’t budge when you try to pull it out, carefully move the crank back and forth. Remember not to force too hard or you could seriously damage your toilet. If you have removed the clog with the auger, go back to the plunger until the water level starts to drop and run the water tests to see if the drain is, in fact, gone.

8. If the plunger and/or auger have worked, then remember to put the tank lid back on and turn the water back on behind or on the side of the toilet. If the toilet clog appears to be gone, also flush the toilet once for confirmation.

9. If you can’t unclog whatever has made its home in your pipes after using the plunger or auger, then its time to call the plumber or maintenance. There’s no such thing as giving up too soon if you’ve already tried the above. You also don’t want to permanently damage a piece of your home or something in it as important as your toilet.