What to do if a plunger isn't enough to fix the toilet?

Factual Questions
1

One of our toilets is stopped up. I’m not sure what caused it. FWIW this toilet seems to clog up a bit easier than the others. So we have a rule that we only use this one for peeing. But the kids have friends over and all that.

Anyway I tried using the plunger for several minutes, something that had always worked before. This time there’s no sign of improvement.

I’m wondering if buying a new plunger might help. This one doesn’t bounce back into its natural shape after each plunge, so I think that might keep it from doing its best.

What about trying something like Liquid Plummr?

And what about waiting it out? We got by for years without this toilet. We only installed it a couple of years ago.

2

You can try using an auger . You can buy them at Home Depot or any store like that. If that doesn’t work, you might need professional help.

3

In my experience, a plunger like this works better than the ones shaped like this. Beyond that, consider a snake.

Not very effective, if you ask me. (And some such products are noted as not for use with toilets.)

4

[QUOTE=Plan B]

I’m wondering if buying a new plunger might help. This one doesn’t bounce back into its natural shape after each plunge, so I think that might keep it from doing its best.

What about trying something like Liquid Plummr?

And what about waiting it out? .
[/QUOTE]

Try a new plunger, the one like Xema suggesedt. Then a snake. Then a plumber.

Never use caustic based crap like Liquid plumber, especially not on toilets.

Do not “wait it out” it can only get worse. You can try the bacteria/enzyme based stuff and it might work over the long run if you have some drainage.

5

[QUOTE=DrDeth]
Never use caustic based crap like Liquid plumber, especially not on toilets.
[/QUOTE]
Just out of curiosity, and not doubting you or anything, but why not? I understand not using it on toilets, but what’s wrong with liquid plumber for sinks?

6

Well, sometimes it damages the pipes. Then there’s the fumes, and having nasty stuff like that around the house. But the real issue is what happens when/if it doesn’t work and now you have a clog *and *a sink full of caustic lye. :eek: Dangerous and a plumber usually charges a lot more.

Use the enzyme/bacteria one to keep drains running or to open slow but not plugged drains (running a shit-load of hot water does great for slow drains, too). For plugged drains use plunger, or snake, or real hot water or maybe even the compressed air stuff in a can that looks a lot like drain cleaner :dubious: . Not lye/caustics or worse, acids. *Never. *

7

Another great username/OP combo.

I second (third?) the other plunger design. Also, make sure your plunger technique is good. I’m not saying it isn’t – indeed, you may be a master plunger — but I’ve also never seen an unplungeable toilet clog. (I’ve had friends come out of bathrooms saying, “The toilet’s clogged, and the plunger won’t work” only to discover that they were not using the plunger optimally at all. A single proper plunge was all it took.) So: line up with the hole to make the best seal you can, and push as fast and as forcefully as you can. It takes more conscious effort to do that than one thinks because we are so used to avoiding toilet water at all costs. We fear the splash. If it didn’t unclog but you didn’t get wet, you didn’t thrust hard enough. (Again, no offense intended if you already do all this.)

But the other plunger design should definitely work.

8

[QUOTE=Plan B]
So we have a rule that we only use this one for peeing. But the kids have friends over and all that.
[/QUOTE]

Your kids’ friends crap at friends’ houses?

OMG, when I was a kid vising a friend, I’d hold #2 until I got home.

9

Unbend a wire coat hanger, stick it down the toilet and move it back and forth. If what is clogging the toilet is too large for the pipe, this will break it up.

10

I have a power plunger. It is a tube about 3" in diameter and about 2 ft long. with the normal rubber at the end. It has a handle that you pull up and force down which puts a blast of air into the toilet. I usually pull up and push down forcefully about 3 times and the poop is gone. Works better than any normal plunger I have ever used.

11

When the plunger doesn’t work, next step is to either try a closet auger or take the toilet off, and snake from the bottom end.

I can tell you form personal experience that this is the only way to get a one of those “tall, skinny and square” (as opposed to the usual thin and flat) boxes of dental floss out of the trap.

In the OP’s case, I would not be surprised if they dismounted the toilet, poked/snaked from below and found a box of floss, a toothbrush, or some small toy.

I just noticed that it’s relatively new - has it ever worked right? If not, the problem is more likely to be much harder to fix - bad venting, or bad pitch in the drain, perhaps.

12

[QUOTE=Plan B]
One of our toilets is stopped up. I’m not sure what caused it. FWIW this toilet seems to clog up a bit easier than the others. So we have a rule that we only use this one for peeing. But the kids have friends over and all that.

Anyway I tried using the plunger for several minutes, something that had always worked before. This time there’s no sign of improvement.

I’m wondering if buying a new plunger might help. This one doesn’t bounce back into its natural shape after each plunge, so I think that might keep it from doing its best.

What about trying something like Liquid Plummr?

And what about waiting it out? We got by for years without this toilet. We only installed it a couple of years ago.
[/QUOTE]

Your decision tree should depend on the age of your pipes, what might be blocking them, and whether or not there is a drain cleanout downstream you can get to.
If they are newer pipes (20 years or less, e.g.) all the way to the sewer connection and some kid didn’t toss a toy truck in there, you can get rid of poopie waste and toilet paper blocks yourself with plungers. Talk to a hardware store about the various types. You are essentially trying to push a soft mass until it reaches a larger waste pipe.
If the pipes are old (30 years or more, e.g.) then this is a good time to rod them out properly. You can do a reasonable halfassed job yourself with a rented rodder but the older the pipe, the more I’d lean to coughing up for a professional job. Old pipes accumulate a lot of debris that plugs up the walls and leaves narrow openings; the problem will recur until they get cleaned out.
If the problem could be tree roots then you got a biggie and that definitely needs a pro.

If you have a cleanout plug anywhere along the way, scope out the situation from there and see how far downstream the problem is. Be prepared for the fact that unscrewing a cleanout puts a (temporary) hole in the waste line, so if the blockage is distal to the cleanout, you gonna get poopie water comin’ out that hole cuz it’ll be backed out above that.

It’s fine to try drano, etc. Use the gel type. But if the pipes are old, a blockage can be a sign there is a chronic narrowing that needs rodding and not drano.

If the blockage is something non-flushable and not just Donnie’s Big Dump, then you need a pro unless it’s something like a brittle plastic toy that the rodder will easily bust up.

ETA: If you never use this toilet, consider whether something fell into the waste pipe at construction–that has happened to me. My lovely framers left a 2x4 block that I didn’t find until it overflowed 4 years after they had gone, cuz we never used that basement toilet.

13

[QUOTE=Plan B]
FWIW this toilet seems to clog up a bit easier than the others. … We only installed it a couple of years ago.
[/QUOTE]

Is it a low water use one? Was it a less expensive model?

Change it out. I installed one that clogged up all the time. Tried everything. Finally, a plumber told me that type was known for clogging, and recommended a different (low water) model. It worked fine after that.

I had a tennent that flushed scoopable kitty litter down the drain once. That was fun.

14

[QUOTE=Plan B]
FWIW this toilet seems to clog up a bit easier than the others. So we have a rule that we only use this one for peeing.
[/QUOTE]

We had one like that once. When we finally replaced it, we saw what the problem was - the old wax “doughnut” seal was protruding partway into the path of drainage. A new (properly) applied seal solved the problem.

15

We had one clogging intermittently. Plunging and snaking met with no resistance, yet the toilet continued to clog. My plumber grandfather helped us get the toiled outside on the lawn, flipped it upside down, and flushed it out in reverse with the garden hose. Out popped a c-shaped children’s toy. It was hollow enough to allow the snake though, but not significant toilet matters.

We’ve got one of the low flow toilets I believe are mentioned by others as prone to clogging. My 4yr old clogs it weekly (she’s got issues). Plunging always works so far. I will be replacing it when the new bathroom goes in.

16

Chief Pedant gives good advice. I’m an expert on this subject. :frowning: One thing to check is to see if the shower or bath that is near the toilet is draining more slowly. If so, the problem is probably down stream. We have a drain cleanout, so we rented a power snake and fixed the problem. (A tree root mostly.)

If you are a bit handy, and snakes don’t work, take the toilet off the gasket and check it out from both sides. You’ll need a new gasket (a couple of bucks.) I did this, and found that my wife had somehow flushed the car keys down it. ("Oh so that’s where they went.) Now, some toilet parts break if you touch them, and I wound up replacing the flexible pipe from the water pipe and most of the innards. It still leaked. The reason was that somehow moving it caused a leak around the screws at the bottom of the tank. Some marine caulking fixed that.

You’ll curse the first few times you fix a toilet, but you should never need a plumber after that.

17

Success! And thanks for the help.

I already had a plunger like the OXO plunger recommended by Xema. And I tried it a few times last night without success. But I read Pasta’s advice on correct technique and that’s what did it. On the fourth try it worked and the water just drained out in a few seconds.

Who woulda thought that technique is so important in plumbing? I’ll never be able to look at a professional plumber the same way again.

Thanks for all the helpful advice. Mercifully I didn’t have to use most of it. I’m also struck by how polite everyone on this thread has been. Maybe I’ll start hanging around this board more or go into home repair for my next career.