Caring for and Clearing Your Toilet

You rely on working toilets in your home. With proper care, you will never have toilet trouble to cause stress. Severely-clogged toilets can overflow, damaging your home and resulting in costly repairs. If you run into trouble you can’t handle on your own, call a plumber promptly to address the issue.

Preventing Toilet Clogs

Your toilet may seem like a convenient trash receptacle, but its plumbing is not meant to handle most manmade waste. Toilet paper is designed to break up in water to prevent plumbing clogs, but other paper products do not have the same properties. Never flush tissues, paper towels, or baby wipes down your toilet, even if they claim to be flushable. Waste such as dental floss, hair, packaging, cigarettes, and food should not be flushed down your toilet. These items are too large to travel through your toilet’s plumbing, causing clogs and backups as they accumulate in your pipes. Other items that should never be flushed include condoms, cat litter, diapers, and feminine hygiene products.

Clearing a Clogged Toilet

If your toilet is clogged and will not drain, you can take steps to clear away the clog yourself. If the toilet is overflowing, first close the water shutoff valve to prevent further damage. The water shutoff valve is typically a silver handle located on the wall behind your toilet’s tank near the floor. Once the water has been turned off, you’ll need a toilet plunger to clear the drain. Place the plunger over the drain in the toilet bowl so it is completely covered. If there is not enough water in your toilet to cover the lip of the plunger, add water from a sink before proceeding. Depress and pull up on the plunger’s stick about ten to twelve times in a row without lifting the plunger away from the drain. Next, pull the plunger up out of the bowl in one smooth motion and see if the water drains away. If not, try again—it may take a few rounds with the plunger before the water will drain. Once the water drains properly from the bowl, turn on the water intake by rotating the water shutoff valve in the opposite direction and flush the toilet to check that it is working. If plunging does not clear out your toilet, it’s time to call a plumber to assess the situation. Never pour chemical drain cleaner down your toilet, as it may overflow and cause skin irritation or damage to your home. If you don’t have a plunger, you can try a few additional tricks to clear your toilet without a plunger before calling your plumber for help.

These tips should keep your Memphis home’s toilets in excellent condition for years to come. If you’d like more plumbing information from the pros, we invite you to check out the Mrs. Rooter blog. When it’s time to call in an experienced professional plumber, visit the Mr. Rooter website to find out more or schedule a visit.