Toilet is Clogged With Poop - What Should I Do?
We know it can be a hassle when your toilet is clogged with poop. It’s embarrassing, yes, especially when you have visitors or if this happens in your friend’s house. But, things like this can happen. So what should you do and how to prevent this from happening? No worries! We are here to give you lots of tips and tricks to prevent and solve this issue.
There are several reasons why your toilet keeps clogging even with poop. First, it could be the date when your toilet bowl was installed. To check on this, see the back of your toilet and look for a stamped date. If your toilet was installed in the mid-1990s, it may be one of these first-generation low-flow toilets. Low flush toilets are great for water conservation, but they are susceptible to clogging due to the low water volume they can handle. So if you’re pooping like a happy elephant while dumping loads of tissue paper in there, such a toilet won’t cooperate and may not flush as easily.
Another reason is the things that you do with your toilet bowl. Are you dumping in wipes that do not disintegrate on water? Wipes made of porous materials are some of the most common things that clog toilets and are non-flushable. Another cause is the accumulation of materials such as toilet papers along with non-flushable products that can clog the main drain and sewer lines.
Clogs do happen, but they can also be caused by the lack of required maintenance. For example, pipes outside your home can clog resulting in slow or non-moving of toilet drains inside your home. Another cause is the slow movements of water in your septic systems or the systems do not work normally which can result in the clogging of your toilet.
How to Unclog Toilet Using Plunger
When your toilet is clogged with poop or with other materials, the toilet plunger can be the most effective tool to unclog it. However, we suggest that you use a high-performance plunger, ideally one with a flange. You also have to wear rubber gloves to avoid contaminating your hands.
Here are the procedures in using a toilet plunger:
- Cover the floor with newspapers or paper towels to catch and absorb any spills. The paper will help with the cleaning later. To get rid of the odors, open a window or switch the ventilation fan on.
- Since the water in the tank is not dirty, you can safely close the flapper with your hand inside the tank. To do this, remove the top of the tank and press the flapper down to prevent the bowl from filling any further.
- Mix hot water with dish soap to help break up blockages. Pour the mixture into the toilet and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Run your plunger under hot water for a minute to warm it and to make the sealing more effective.
- Plunge the plunger into the bowl’s bottom and make sure the drain of the bowl is all covered up by the plunger. Push the plunger in and then release it to let it pop out. Repeat as necessary until you feel the sucking pressure is getting stronger from the inside.
- If the plunger could not do the work because there could be a solid blockage clogging the toilet drain, you have to use a toilet auger to disintegrate this. Insert the auger into the drain of the bowl and stop when you fee resistance.
- Rotate the handle until you feel that the blockage has broken up. If you see that the clog is slowly seeping in, use the plunger again to put pressure on the drain.
- To ensure that the drain has been cleared , open the flapper of the tank and let the tank fill then flush.
And these are what you should try when your toilet is clogged with poop.
How to Unclog Toilet When Plunger Won’t Work
So here is a more serious question – how to unclog a toilet when plunger won’t work? Well, we have discussed the toilet auger. But there are also some things you can use aside from the auger and here some examples and how to use them.
Use a Wire Hanger as a Drain Snake
If there are blockages that cannot be disintegrated by a toilet auger, the only way to get them out of the way is by moving them out using pushing force. Try a wire coat hanger. Unfold the wire and straighten it and put into the bowl and do a pull and push. The objective of this is to force the clog out and let it flow into the drain once you flush out the content of the tank.
Use Plastic Bottle With Soapy Water
Get a one-liter plastic bottle that is squeezable and fill it up with soapy water (water+ liquid detergent). Wear rubber gloves and remove the toilet water by using an old pitcher and an old bucket and set this aside so that you can flush this out later.
Once the water is completely out, insert the top of the bottle into the toilet drain and push it deep. Then squeeze the bottle with your thumb with increasing pressure. The soapy water should forcefully dislodge any dirt or gunk that’s clogging the toilet trap.
Get a small bucket and fill it up with water then pour this into the bowl. If the water flushes out quickly, this means the clog is out. You can now flush the toilet then flush out the dirty water that you have set aside.
Toilet Brush
Grab a toilet brush and angle the bristles and shove it down the toilet drain if you’re in a rush and don’t have access to a plunger. Pushing in and out with the brush a few times should loosen up the clog.
Wet/Dry Vacuum
This should not be attempted with a normal home vacuum. To begin, remove the water from the bowl with a wet/dry vacuum. Wrap the hose in an old rag to make a seal, then push the vacuum down the drain a few inches. When you turn on the vacuum, the clog should be sucked out.
How to Unclog Toilet Naturally
What we mean by how to unclog the toilet naturally is using stuff that should not be made of strong chemicals but more on the organic side. So if the tips above won’t work, you can also try using these:
Dish Soap
Dish soap can lubricate the clogged pipe to make it easier for the trapped debris to slide down. If your toilet bowl commonly experiences clogging, pour in about a half-cup of water into the bowl then squeeze a quarter cup of dish soap. Allow the soap to pass down the drain and reach the clog which can take up to 10 minutes then flush.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
When you mix vinegar and baking soda, it produces a lot of fizzes which can act as a cleansing agent. To use these two ingredients, get a small bottle of white vinegar and pour half of it into the bowl with no water then put in the same amount of baking soda. After the fizz has gone down, pour the remaining vinegar and add the same amount of baking soda. Let the solution sit for about 30 minutes then run hot water through it and see if the clog has cleared up.
DIY Toilet Bomb Method
Mix two cups of baking soda and one-fourth cup of Epsom salt. Then slowly add eight to nine tablespoons of liquid dish detergent by adding one tablespoon at a time to produce a dough-like material. Press the stuff into a pressing tool you use in making cookies then let the pieces dry overnight.
When the toilet is clogged with poop, you may use these as toilet bombs. As this stuff touches the water, it will produce a lot of fizzes and the stuff will dissolve. After the fizz has gone down, flush the toilet.
Bio Cleaner
Chemical drain cleaners aren’t recommended because they can ruin plumbing and can cause chemical burns. However, bio-cleaners made with organic materials are safe to use and also environmentally friendly. You only need to pour a good amount into the toilet bowl, wait for a few minutes and flush.
Knowing how to unclog toilet naturally can be beneficial in the long run and it is safe for your family too.
Will a Clogged Toilet Unclog On Its Own?
It will almost definitely clear up on its own if the toilet is clogged with poop or clogged with too much toilet paper. These aren’t going to flush right away, but they’ll soften and break down over time.
Moreover, you’ll have to act fast if you’ve clogged the toilet with something else, such as tampons. These materials will not dissolve because they are not biodegradable so the clog will linger until you extract it or force it down the sewage.
When it comes to self-unclogging, the water in the bowl can be a good indicator. If some of the water slowly drains out, this indicates that there is an opening around the debris and that you only have a partial blockage. If this occurs, simply leave the toilet for an hour or so, and it should unclog on its own. However, if there is no movement, then you would have to do the unclogging.
How to Prevent Toilet Clogs
It is costly to hire a plumber, and unclogging the toilet on your own can be messy, so it’s important to take good care of your toilet before the toilet gets clogged with poop or with other materials. So here are some preventive tips.
- Never flush something other than poop or toilet paper. The most straightforward way to avoid clogs is to flush properly. This means being more mindful of what you are flushing down the toilet. However, avoid flushing toilet paper in large volumes at one time to avoid clogging.
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- Never use the toilet tank as a makeshift counter. Soap, paper towels, among other things should not be put on the toilet tank’s surface because any of these may drop into the bowl.
How to Avoid Toilet Unclogging Mistakes
- Harsh chemicals should be avoided when unclogging toilet bowls. Don’t believe that harsh chemicals will always do the dirty work for you. Yes, they can also work but they can also significantly corrode and damage the natural texture of porcelain toilet bowls and hinder the smooth flushing of waste.
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- Ensure that the toilet cover is always lowered to prevent things from dropping in and going into the toilet drain especially if there are small kids around the house.
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Golden rule: If it’s not poop, urine or tissue paper, don’t flush it in your toilet bowl. Period.
Conclusion:
This article could be helpful in case your toilet is clogged with poop. So if you can follow the steps on how to unclog toilets with a plunger or if the plunger won’t work you now know what to do. Also, be sure to tell your family on how to take care of your toilet because clogging can be a big issue as it can ruin your day. As a precaution, never allow your small kids to play in the comfort room because they might dump their toys in there and that would be a big problem.
