Clogged Toilets: A Homeowner’s Guide to Preventing Plumbing Problems

Most Houston area homeowner’s think of clogged toilets as one of those everyday inconveniences; you just grab the plunger, you clean up the mess, and you move on. There’s no reason you need to suffer through this messy (and sometimes embarrassing) problem any longer. Here are few tips that could have you saying goodbye to the plunger and reduce the amount of plumbing problems you encounter in your Houston area home.

Put a Trash Bin Near Your Toilet

Too often, people treat toilets like trash cans, tossing in tissues, cotton swabs, and other assorted items with impunity. A toilet isn’t at all like a trash can, however.
The things you toss in go directly to your sewer line. If they aren’t easily dissolvable, they’ll take up residence there, leading to clogs that can eventually back up into your Houston area home. A good strategy is to always keep a small trashcan adjacent to your toilet. It will lift the temptation to toss in items other than toilet paper, and save you from a costly mess later on.

Use Toilet Paper Sparingly

The most common cause of clogged toilets is the excessive use of toilet paper. To avoid this problem in the future, simply use less. Or, if you must indulge, use light toilet paper varieties and flush frequently. You’ll use a bit more water, but you’ll avoid a possible mess on your bathroom floor. The most crucial thing is to avoid the buildup of toilet paper in the toilet bowl before you flush.

Make Sure You Sewer Lines Are Clear

Once the surface issues are out of the way, toilet clogs become a little more in depth—literally. If it’s not just one toilet, but all the toilets in your home that are backing up frequently, you may have a blockage in your sewer line. Most Houston homes have a lateral sewer beneath the front yard hooked directly to the city sewer system. This line can become clogged in a variety of ways. Grease and sludge can build up along the inner lining, capturing any solid particles that bump up against it. Tree roots can make their way through cracks, growing enough to block the line entirely. If you feel you have a sewer line blockage, call a professional Houston plumbing professional to perform an inspection.

Upgrade Your Toilet

If all else fails, the problem could be in your toilet itself. Old toilets can lose their ability to flush properly, requiring constant flushes and clogging frequently. The also use a great deal of water, up to five gallons per flush on older models. If your toilet has reached the end of its useful life, consider investing in a new, high-efficiency model. Forget all you’ve heard about new toilets and their poor flushing capabilities. Recent developments have made new toilets much more powerful while using substantially less water (about 1.6 gallons per flush on most new models). Talk to your Houston area plumber about finding a water-efficient replacement for your old toilet.

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