If your toilet’s blocked, don’t reach for the phone and call a plumber – you can probably unblock it yourself and quite often it won’t cost you a penny! Follow this step by step do-it-yourself guide and only call out a plumber as a last resort.
What you’ll need:
- An old container (for scooping out water) and bucket
- A plunger – really you need a toilet plunger, as it’s very difficult to form a seal with a sink plunger. The one pictured right is a good choice – it’s less than a tenner and works a treat (buy it here).
If you don’t have a plunger, you can use a round headed mop. Take a sturdy plastic bag and put it over the mop head, tying the handles of the bag around the mop handle as tightly as you can, and then simply use it just like a plunger. A toilet brush and plastic bag can also work the same way. These are usually just fine for little blockages and save you splashing out any money at all.
1. Empty the excess water
If there’s quite a lot of water in the toilet bowl (past about half way), you’ll want to empty some out. The reason is that if you don’t, when you start plunging, things can get very messy. So use your container to scoop out as much water as possible and put it in the bucket for now.
2. Start plunging
Put the plunger in the toilet bowl, form a seal and start pumping it to help loosen the blockage. It can take quite a while so be patient! Every now and then, give it a flush to see if you’ve managed to clear it. If the water fills up again, you’ll have to empty some before you start plunging again.
3. If it doesn’t work…
Try an auger: If your plunger isn’t effective you can try using an auger like this one. This is a flexible metal wire with a handle. Feed the wire into the pan and wind the handle when the wire meets the obstruction. Pull out the blockage and flush the toilet several times. If you don’t want to buy an auger you can improvise with a metal coat hanger but it isn’t quite as good – you can end up pushing the blockage further into the toilet.
Use chemicals: Another option is to use a chemical cleaners like Mr Muscle – these can be helpful for dissolving too much toilet paper or similar blockages. You normally pour in a bottle and leave them overnight to work. A cheap alternative is to use baking soda and vinegar. Pour a regular-sized box of baking soda and up to a gallon of vinegar into the toilet bowl. Be sure to add the vinegar slowly because it will create a foaming action when it comes into contact with the baking soda. Leave it for a good while and then give the toilet a flush to see if it has worked.
Check the drain: A final option is to check the drain. Lift up the drain cover that is nearest to the loo to see if the chamber is full of water. If so, the blockage is further along the soil pipe. In this case, you’ll need to use drain cleaning rods to clear the blockage. This set is good value at under £20, or ask around and see if your neighbours have some that you can borrow. A word of caution with drain rods: you can end up simply pushing the blockage further into the system. The further down the drain you push a block, the more inaccessible it becomes and the more expensive it is to remove. On the other hand, calling out someone to clear your drains can be really expensive – around £200 is not uncommon. So it’s worth having a go yourself. If you need to, you can buy more than one set to create extra length.
A tip from an Amazon purchaser (C. Nation “chrisnation”) on how to get the first rod to bend into a drain from an access gully if there is a lip to the drain that prevents the rod end sliding into the drain:
“With the double helix end-fitting screwed in, pass a length of strong cord through the helix. With both ends of the cord in one hand, offer up the rod to the point where it catches on the lip that prevents it sliding into the drain. Bear down on the rod to get a good bend on it and with a stout heave on the cord, lift the end of the rod so that the screw pops off the lip. The screw will shoot forward into the drain under pressure from the bend you have maintained. Now release one end of the cord and pull the cord back to you, clear of the screw. You don’t want to add to your problems by sending a couple of metres of cord down the drain tangled into the screw! This process would be much easier with two people but that’s how to manage if you are on your tod”.
The end rod should have a claw attachment which can be rotated to grab, say, a nappy and pull it out or, possibly, break it up into smaller pieces (like the set we have linked to above). With the ones we have recommended (and pretty much most other sets), when waggling/turning the assembled rods in the drain, make sure you only turn them clockwise or you risk disconnecting them while still in the drain.
Unblocking a Saniflo toilet
If you’re faced with unblocking a Saniflo toilet, this is a slightly different challenge and a more unpleasant prospect. Saniflo toilet installations incorporate a macerator to liquefy waste matter and toilet paper to allow it to be pumped through thinner piping than a conventional soil pipe.
To unblock your Saniflo, first, check the fuse has not gone or the trip for the electrics, before proceeding. Then, disconnect the electricity, remove the top of the macerator unit and fish out whatever is blocking the pump or blades. Replace the top and re-connect. Just getting access to the macerator unit can sometimes make this a complicated job, good luck!
If all else fails, call in a plumber – but most toilet blockages can be dealt with by following the above steps!