Clogged Toilet

[mjarrels]

I have a down stairs clogged toilet that I have plunged for five days with no results. The first few days, the liquid would drain over night but not anymore. Its getting nasty now and my wife hates me useing her bathroom and I hate using hers. Is there anything on the market to break up this clog without hurting the pipes or septic tank? Again I plung every day Im blue in the face.

mark

 

[teg]

Usually it's my wife that clogs the toilet.... are you sure there is not a hard object obstruction down there? vs. soft obstruction? Are you missing a toothbrush? I would think running a snake down the line is in order....

 

[joeyd]

I'd say it's time for an auger. They have a short (3') toilet auger for plugs in the trap or a 50' hand auger if that doesn't clear it up. Last try would be a HF power auger.

 

[hawkeye08]

My son in law had a downstairs toilet that was plugged up. He got a tampon out and thought that was it, but alas, still plugged. The electric snake would not go down very far, so he ended up pulling the toilet. He found an apple in the toilet, it came out in pieces. A stern lecture to teenage female users of that bathroom and all is well.

 

[cat fever]

My first question would be, does anyone else use this toilet? Are you sure the clog is brown in nature? If so, plunging should work. If you are not sure use a toilet auger. If that doesn't work pull the toilet and run a garden hose through it back words. Sooner or later you'll get the toy, Q-tips, tampon keys or whatever else is missing.

 

[TomSeller]

You say downstairs. Is this toilet gravity drain to the septic tank or pumped to it?

 

[RNeumann]

I have a down stairs clogged toilet that I have plunged for five days with no results. The first few days, the liquid would drain over night but not anymore. Its getting nasty now and my wife hates me useing her bathroom and I hate using hers. Is there anything on the market to break up this clog without hurting the pipes or septic tank? Again I plung every day Im blue in the face.

mark

RIDGID 59802 K-6 DH Toilet Auger, 6-Foot Toilet Auger Snake with Drop Head to Clear Clogged Toilets with Hard Angles Amazon.com: RIDGID 5982 K-6 DH Toilet Auger, 6-Foot Toilet Auger Snake with Drop Head to Clear Clogged Toilets with Hard Angles: Home Improvement

The 6' is worth the extra money. The other concern would be if you don't have a shower downstairs. If that's the case the toilet is the lowest point and the main line or septic tank could be plugged or full.....hopefully it's just the toilet and a closet auger will do the trick.

 

[beowulf]

It is possible that the clog is far down the drain pipe. If you have a clean-out and the clog is stubborn you can use a drain balloon. I have had had luck with this a couple of times where the clog was stubborn and a hose alone would not clear the clog - a drain balloon will stop any back flow and send all the water down line toward the septic.

If you don't have a clean-out, try the auger option. If that is not feasible, or if the clog is far down the line as mine was, you can take the toilet off and go into the now available opening with the drain balloon. A lot of work to take the toilet out and reinstall, but sometimes that is what has to be done.

When we moved here there were no cleanouts so I put two clean-outs both accessible from outside the house. We have a septic tank with a rather long run from the farthest toilet. It clogged 2-3 times a year so the clean-outs have been a real help.

 

[TractorGuy]

X2 on checking the septic tank clean out. See if the tank is backing up. If not go ahead and pull the toilet and see if you find the clog. Two nuts and a water line is all you have to disconnect. First turn the water off and flush it then let the water drain down if you can. You will need to go to the store and purchase a new wax ring to put it back on.

If the tank is backed up you probably have a drain field problem. The first thing to do in that case is have the tank pumped and see if they can determine if the drain field is toast.

The first time I ever had to pull a toilet was when my daughter dropped a plastic toy in the toilet and flushed it. I was plunging and plunging and she walked in the bathroom, looked into the toilet, and said Oscar! Yep Oscar the grouch was stuck deep inside and had to be pulled out the bottom.

 

[the old grind]

I second the closet auger as a starting point and/or alternate to pulling the stool. Years ago I had a 'rough' 90 underground, where a septic line had been re-routed to city sewer. 4" CI was connected to same with 3 30* of 6" clay tile, providing a second weir that caught and clogged on paper.

Built over crawl vs basement there was no cleanout anywhere in the soil pipe. I was able to snake the clog from the roof as alternate. Eventually I replace the o'sized tile with PVC 45s and attached with 'Ferncos'.

Point is, if you have a trouble spot it won't go away. Now that I'm associated with Plumbers/contractors I learn that it's considered a small detail to jackhammer a concrete floor to repair or replace U'G traps or backflows and re-pour. If your stool pumps up to septic, your ejector pump may be clogged or struggling somehow and you may need to open the 'crock' and see what's up.

btw, Whatever 'yuck' gets on you will wash off as easily as from a plumber, so wgo in with no fear or expect iffy results. t o g

 

[teejk]

Remember that the "trap" for a toilet is built into the fixture itself (unlike other plumbing). And unlike other fixtures it has a 3 or 4" pipe once it exits. My guess is that something foreign (like a towel or a stuffed animal or a piece of clothing) got in the fixture. Get a new wax ring and proceed to remove the toilet, then use your specialized toilet snake from the bottom. My guess is that you should not see much water in the piping but if you do then you know you have a problem "downstream" (you should hope not because then the attempts to remove it will only push the problem further). Btw, those big sponges are great for removing as much water as you can before you start.

 

[Thomas]

The best clog remover I've and doesn't hurt pipes nor septic.

Granular Drain Cleaner Crystal Swift by Utility Mfg

Safe for use on porcelain Quickly and efficiently restores flow in small drains and grease traps When mixed with hot water, it dissolves grease, hair and other organic waste A non-acid, odorless formulation which contains coated crystals for extra punchBrand: Utility Mfg.

 

[TomSeller]

The best clog remover I've and doesn't hurt pipes nor septic.

Granular Drain Cleaner Crystal Swift by Utility Mfg

Safe for use on porcelain Quickly and efficiently restores flow in small drains and grease traps When mixed with hot water, it dissolves grease, hair and other organic waste A non-acid, odorless formulation which contains coated crystals for extra punchBrand: Utility Mfg.

Is that safe for a septic tank? Did nit see that on the website. Found fir it. Some drain cleaners wipe out the bacteria in the tank.

 

[kenmac]

Remove the two bolts holding the toilet to the flange. Turn toilet upside down and remove what ever is stuck in the S trap of the toilet. Replace wax ring bolt toilet back to the flange . Problem solved

 

[Firemanbuck82]

And, once you clear the clog, put more roughage in your diet:laughing::laughing:

 

[ultrarunner]

Being in property management I have found all manor of things in toilets..

Sometimes the only solution was to pull and take the toilet outside, lay on side and flush with hose...

Kids toys, tooth brushes, keys, cell phones... all in addition to feminine hygiene products...

The worst offenders lately are anything labeled flushable!!!!

Be sure to check the floor flange (Toilet Bend) that it free flows when the toilet is off...

 

[Gary Fowler]

The worst clog I ever had was from my mother in law pouring hot candle wax into it and flushing it. I had one heck of a time getting all that clog out. Almost all the wax was hung up in the toilet internals. I only found this after removing the toilet a couple times, snaking the line then using a water hose and everything was draining fine. The toilet would flush ok with water but as soon as toilet paper was added to the mix, it would stop up again due to all the toilet tissue hanging up on the hard wax.
About 3 wax rings later and lots of hosing and probing the toilet P trap, all was well. I did give mother in law a good lashing about what to put down the toilet.

 

[beowulf]

And, once you clear the clog, put more roughage in your diet:laughing::laughing:

Your post reminded me of this: While researching garbage disposals for my daughter on Amazon, I read the questions posted there to see what all I might learn. I came across (and saved) the following - an actual, verbatim copy of a question and answer posted on Amazon pertaining to a garbage disposal.

Question:
Would it make sense to attach one of these to a toilet or would soggy paper be likely to clog it up?
Answer:
If you require a disposal attached to your toilet, perhaps the best thing to do is change your diet.

 

[EddieWalker]

It's one of two things. Something is caught inside the toilet itself, or it's your septic tank.

Is there a clean out anywhere between the toilet and the tank? Can you access and open up your tank? I would check the tank first and make sure it's not backing up all the way to your toilet.

If the tank is fine, remove the toilet and figure out what's in the trap in the toilet. I've found hot-wheels, army men, plastic dinosaurs, small dolls, legos and most commonly, candy sticks like the ones used on suckers, or Popsicle sticks to be the problem.

To remove the toilet, I like to position a furniture dolly right in front of it. Then after undoing the two nuts holding it in place, I just lift it up high enough to get it on the dolly. No mess, and no water sloshing out of the toilet. If the the drain pipe is clear, roll the toilet to where you can work on it, and start searching for what's inside of it.

 

[teejk]

It's one of two things. Something is caught inside the toilet itself, or it's your septic tank.

Is there a clean out anywhere between the toilet and the tank? Can you access and open up your tank? I would check the tank first and make sure it's not backing up all the way to your toilet.

If the tank is fine, remove the toilet and figure out what's in the trap in the toilet. I've found hot-wheels, army men, plastic dinosaurs, small dolls, legos and most commonly, candy sticks like the ones used on suckers, or Popsicle sticks to be the problem.

To remove the toilet, I like to position a furniture dolly right in front of it. Then after undoing the two nuts holding it in place, I just lift it up high enough to get it on the dolly. No mess, and no water sloshing out of the toilet. If the the drain pipe is clear, roll the toilet to where you can work on it, and start searching for what's inside of it.

I think OP mentioned that his wife's toilet is ok.