Best Ways to Unclog a Toilet

A clogged toilet can be nasty business under the best circumstances, and the best ways to unclog a toilet all accomplish the task as quickly as possible with limited time spent exposed to the unpleasant chore. Clogged toilets happen in every residence for a variety of reasons, but the two most common are either flushing items that do not belong in a toilet or flushing too much of the items that are appropriate. In any case, until one of the best ways to unclog a toilet are utilized life can become a distressful and disgusting episode that will not go away easily.

The best ways to unclog a toilet are to begin with the minor attempts at correcting the problem and slowly working your way up to the use of more drastic measures. The easiest way to unclog a toilet is to take a container of hot water that is about a gallon in volume and pour it into the toilet from a height of about 4 feet above the toilet bowl, This will often provide a flow of water with a little pressure behind it that will unclog a toilet on the first try. If not, try this measure at least three or four times before moving on to another way to unclog a toilet.

If the "waterfall" method did not produce results, the next best way to unclog a toilet is to utilize the old-fashioned plunger method to dislodge the clog. While this can be a productive method, most people do not comprehend how it really works. In order for the plunger to have the greatest impact, there needs to be a few inches of water present in the toilet bowl so the water that is plunged has some pressure behind it. Plunge the toilet for about 20 seconds, wait a few seconds and plunge it a second time. Flush the toilet and this should unclog the toilet in most instances. Don't give up after a few failures, it may take as many as 10 to 20 rounds with the plunger to unclog a toilet. If this does not work, before moving on try plunging the toilet followed by pouring water into the bowl rather than flushing.

If all else fails, the last measure that a homeowner can us to unclog a toilet is to use a plumbing snake on the clog, but snakes should only be used by those familiar with them and an electric snake should never be used on a toilet. Because the inside of a toilet bowl is ceramic and can be damaged easily, the snake is gently inserted into the toilet and passed until it hits a point of resistance at the clog. The snake is slowly and deliberately moved back and forth, removed from the toilet and the toilet flushed to unclog a toilet.

If none of the aforementioned measures work to unclog a toilet call a plumber, because odds are your sewer line has an issue that cannot be repaired by you to unclog a toilet without professional assistance.