Nothing strikes fear in a heart more than watching the water from the commode rise and rise without going back down. The fear is especially heightened if you are not at home! Let’s focus on the clogs that happen at home, though. If you have small children, there are an almost unlimited number of reasons that the toilet is clogged. With children, it is best to find out what was happening before the clog occurred and then assess if they are telling the whole story, or if part of it was left out. There are any number of toys, trinkets, gadgets, and whatnot that have wanted to “go for a swim” and were helped by the child flushing it down!
A toilet paper clog or bathroom material clog can be worked on by plunging the toilet to loosen/move it enough to allow the water to pass and turn the clog, so it goes down. There are a variety of plungers on the market that can be assessed to determine the one you feel will work best for your home. A snake can be used to snag the obstruction if needed. You can also try some hot water and dish soap to see if that helps.
Another issue could be that your toilet has low water flow. This means there is enough water pressure to push anything through. This could be determined by reviewing what happened before the clog and ruling out other issues first. Then you can have your pipes looked at and check the various parts of the toilet to make sure it is working properly. If you have an old septic system, this might be the wake-up call you need to upgrade your system.
This can be determined by calling a plumber and having them assess your system. Sometimes you might find that the issue is not in the house at all. You might have built up negative air pressure in your drain line. Sometimes that can be caused by blocks farther down the pipes or having something affect the pipes. There is a covering outside your home that can be removed to check to see if there is a problem out there. For these types of issues, though, your toilet might start gurgling.
One important point for a clogged toilet is to not use the drains near the toilet. You will need to assess if it is the toilet that is the issue or if you have a larger drainage issue that you noticed first in the toilet. Again, a plumber can help you determine how much of an issue your clog really is.
