Best way to unclog a toilet?

[Lostitute]

My toilet's backed up. :(

Believe it or not, this is the first time this has ever happened to me.

What's the best/fastest/most efficient way of handlin' this?

[RoseArienh]

'Tute, I would go at it with a plunger, cry, and call my brother. It's always worked before.

[Lostitute]

I don't cry, Rose.

And my brother's in Vegas. :(

I don't mind tryin' the plunger. But I'm gonna have to buy one, since I don't own one.

I was curious whether the plunger or the chemical works better.

[RoseArienh]

Do you have a plunger? I think that you need to create suction, thus causing the stoppage to go.

Are you on a community sewer system, or do your have your own septic system with tank? If community, it's not all that likely that the stoppage is in the pipes, but it can happen with a septic tank.

ETA: Here's a good article (http://www.ehow.com/how_117376_fix-stopped-toilet.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art).

[Lostitute]

Community sewer system.

And thanks for the link! :)

[jamiept]

Plunger!!

[strandediniowa]

Vigorous plunging - (sorry) - but dealing with a house full of large men - this is an issue that we deal with all too often. If that doesn't work, then call a plumber and he make need to snake the drain. I say all of this in seriousness, although reading back it has made me giggle just a bit. Good luck!

[John Charles]

A bucket of water. If the bowl is full, you obviously don't want to try this. Otherwise, sometimes dumping a bucket of water can force the clog out, and it also triggers the flushing mechanism. Hopefully, you don't have to go buy a bucket too.

[Houkou]

Poop an even bigger log to dislodge the first one.

[The Swan]

Rubber glove, hand down U-bend.

[Lostitute]

A bucket of water. If the bowl is full, you obviously don't want to try this. Otherwise, sometimes dumping a bucket of water can force the clog out, and it also triggers the flushing mechanism. Hopefully, you don't have to go buy a bucket too.

I own a bucket, NP (gotta mop the floors sometimes). I'm just hopin' I don't have to use it as a makeshift toilet if I don't get this thing taken care of tonight. My landlord is notorious for takin' her time gettin' repairs done.

I've already tried addin' water to the toilet. No harm, but still foul. :(

Poop an even bigger log to dislodge the first one.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[ILoveEko]

Poop an even bigger log to dislodge the first one.
Um, ew.

ETA: Srsly Tute, just plunge it. Unless you tried flushing a football, it really should work. Plus, they're like what, $2.50 at a hardware store?

[brdmom]

Get the plunger - it's not that difficult to use, and having a plunger is very handy. You don't need big men in your house - I've had to plunge after my then-three-year-old pooped!!

Now, if your sink, bathroom or tub drain is clogged, try pouring boiling water down - that can help, but that won't help with the toilet.

[Lostitute]

I'm sure, ILE.

Still, with all the expenses I've had in the past week, I really didn't know if I would be wastin' my money buyin' Liquid Plumr instead of a plunger, or vice-versa.

Just tryin' to be cost-conscious, really. My last trip to pick up "a few things" at the store (this Saturday) set me back $100.

[Lostitute]

Get the plunger - it's not that difficult to use, and having a plunger is very handy. You don't need big men in your house - I've had to plunge after my then-three-year-old pooped!!

Now, if your sink, bathroom or tub drain is clogged, try pouring boiling water down - that can help, but that won't help with the toilet.

Thanks, GM!

Oh, I'm sure I can use a plunger. With some luck, I won't throw my back out when I try to use it (yours truly can pull his back simply by gettin' outta bed).

I'll make a note about the sink, though. Thanks! :)

[wickedsweet]

Rose and I are on the same page here, have someone else do it

[Lostitute]

I'm a man, WS. I do things myself, unless I absolutely have to have someone else do it.

That is, unless Mattie just wants to do it.

On second thought, maybe not. Mattie will put on a one-man re-enactment of Slumdog Millionaire during the unclogging. ;) :D

[Dew]

I use hot bucket of water and pour it in the commode all at once to create some force. 2nd choice is a plunger and my 3rd choice is an auger. If they all fail I go to the hardware store and ask them for a bottle of stuff that unclogs toilets. You pour it in, let it sit 30 minutes then flush and it usually gone. I have never needed to call a plumber. Good luck 'Tute. :)

btw Every now and then I used to pour water mixed with bleach to clean out the pipes. Now with septic here that is a big no no. So is tissue with color. ;)

[Randy Nations]

I use hot bucket of water and pour it in the commode all at once to create some force.

This is what I do too. But I add a TON of liquid soap to it. I feel like that makes it a little more slippery. And, as long as the water in the toilet keeps going back down again, I will do the bucket trick several times. Eventually, it all goes down.

[Dew]

Yeppers. It is an old trick. I learned it from nana. :)

[Warthawg1]

What the hell have you people been eating?

My solution for a clogged toilet is just to never go back to that Waffle House.

[Randy Nations]

Yeppers. It is an old trick. I learned it from nana. :)

I learned it from my dad.:)

[Dew]

Must be a NJ thing. ;)

[Randy Nations]

Must be...:highfive3:

[wickedsweet]

I'm a man, WS. I do things myself, unless I absolutely have to have someone else do it.

That is, unless Mattie just wants to do it.

On second thought, maybe not. Mattie will put on a one-man re-enactment of Slumdog Millionaire during the unclogging. ;) :D

All the more reaosn to ask Mattie

I'm a woman, which means I COULD do it myself, by I understand that doesn't mean that i HAVE to:nanabobo:

[catnap]

Does anyone else really believe Tute has never unclogged a toilet before? Have you been on a liquid diet all these years?

[wickedsweet]

LOL, good point

[Warthawg1]

I've never had to unclog a toilet since I became a home owner.

That's a by-product of always doing your business at work, and/or the local
Waffle House. (Yeah the WH objects a bit, but if you buy a cup of coffee to
go they usually don't say much)

...and if I am not going to do that in my own home...

... I'm certainly not going to let anyone else.

[Lostitute]

Went to buy a plunger, ended up spendin' $45 on valentines and my nephew's birthday. :rolleyez:

I never would have believed that Target the store carried only "designer" style plungers instead of the good ol'-fashioned ones with a wood handle. Now, I'm the proud owner of a small, sleek and oh-so-discreet plunger with a Lucite handle. The long, slender handle has a strange grip that looks like three small clear ping-pong balls stacked on top of one another. I'm sure it was intended to be purchased by women, or men who didn't go to Home Depot on their lunch hour 'cause HD doesn't sell valentines or birthday gifts for children.

I've never had to unclog a toilet since I became a home owner.

That's a by-product of always doing your business at work, and/or the local
Waffle House. (Yeah the WH objects a bit, but if you buy a cup of coffee to
go they usually don't say much)

...and if I am not going to do that in my own home...

... I'm certainly not going to let anyone else.

Yeah. It's also the reason why toilet paper is rarely on my shoppin' list. Livin' alone, coupled with the fact I'm able to do my business on my employer's time, I maybe buy one 6-roll pack every 1 1/2 years.

[Dew]

:faintthud

[Warthawg1]

Yeah. It's also the reason why toilet paper is rarely on my shoppin' list. Livin' alone, coupled with the fact I'm able to do my business on my employer's time, I maybe buy one 6-roll pack every 1 1/2 years.

I've got my entire eating and life schedule set up so that I feel the need during office hours, or precisely at the moment I am about to drive by
a Waffle House.

It took a couple of weeks to get the kinks worked out and train my body, but it's been well worth the effort.

[RoseArienh]

Rose and I are on the same page here, have someone else do it

I'm a man, WS. I do things myself, unless I absolutely have to have someone else do it.


Just for the record, I only call a man when doing it myself doesn't work. And I was the one that was home alone (sick) and had to go outside and freaking dig down to the septic system when unspeakable things came flowing back into the house. And thank goodness that I hit the right spot and that the clog was right there. Because I REALLY needed a shower, and not even water would flow unless it was unclogged.

At that point, the only good thing about living in the country was the fact that I could run a few feet to the woods and toss my cookies every so often. I never forgot the monthly Rid-Ex again. Never.

And Scott tissue. Always use Scott tissue, as the guy with the kaka sucker told me. And even though I've moved, that superstition holds to this day.

[Lostitute]

News flash: My toilet is operational again!

Thanks for all the helpful hints, folks. The pouring of a bucket of hot water into the bowl, combined with a very vigorous plunging, resulted in a successful unclogging.

Houkou...this vid's for you. :)

fRn1No2MTlM&feature=related

I've got my entire eating and life schedule set up so that I feel the need during office hours, or precisely at the moment I am about to drive by a Waffle House.

It took a couple of weeks to get the kinks worked out and train my body, but it's been well worth the effort.

Warty, I admire your ability to adjust your bodily functions in relation to your physical proximity to a Waffle House. But I gotta ask ya: what happens if company drops in and, during the course of the evenin', needs to answer nature's call? Do you refer the party to Waffle House? Or, bein' a gracious host, do you point said party in the direction of someplace a bit nicer, say Denny's or IHOP?

Just for the record, I only call a man when doing it myself doesn't work. And I was the one that was home alone (sick) and had to go outside and freaking dig down to the septic system when unspeakable things came flowing back into the house. And thank goodness that I hit the right spot and that the clog was right there. Because I REALLY needed a shower, and not even water would flow unless it was unclogged.

At that point, the only good thing about living in the country was the fact that I could run a few feet to the woods and toss my cookies every so often. I never forgot the monthly Rid-Ex again. Never.

And Scott tissue. Always use Scott tissue, as the guy with the kaka sucker told me. And even though I've moved, that superstition holds to this day.

Seein' that I'm down to just one roll of Cottonelle toilet tissue, I'll probably start usin' Scott tissue myself, just in case.

And Rid-Ex? As long as it keeps my former BFs from comin' back into my life, I'll add that to my shoppin' list.

[RoseArienh]

'Tute, you don't need the Rid-Ex if you're on a community sewer system. It's just for people with septic tanks. But more than one person that works with plumbing has sworn to me that Scott is the best for the pipes.

[wickedsweet]

Just for the record, I only call a man when doing it myself doesn't work. And I was the one that was home alone (sick) and had to go outside and freaking dig down to the septic system when unspeakable things came flowing back into the house. And thank goodness that I hit the right spot and that the clog was right there. Because I REALLY needed a shower, and not even water would flow unless it was unclogged.

At that point, the only good thing about living in the country was the fact that I could run a few feet to the woods and toss my cookies every so often. I never forgot the monthly Rid-Ex again. Never.

And Scott tissue. Always use Scott tissue, as the guy with the kaka sucker told me. And even though I've moved, that superstition holds to this day.

I pretty much do it myself, I fix my own computers/tvs/dvd players/put on my own windshield wiper blades, ect..but I'm not dealing with clogged anything...there's nothing good cloggin any pipe/drain/toilet and that's all i need to know:D

[Dew]

**Uses nothing but Scott tissue. Very best for septics.**

[RoseArienh]

I pretty much do it myself, I fix my own computers/tvs/dvd players/put on my own windshield wiper blades, ect..but I'm not dealing with clogged anything...there's nothing good cloggin any pipe/drain/toilet and that's all i need to know:D
WS, stuff splashed on me when I was facing the toilet. Stuff that came unexpectedly. When I turned on the shower, stuff came up from the drain. :eek:

There was NO WAY I was waiting hours to take a hot shower. I hosed myself off outside, but yecchhhhhhh. So I dug. I did use rubber gloves and tools, though, I couldn't bear getting too close. But that I fixed that bad boy, by gum. :D

[wickedsweet]

I'd have a heart attack. Keep in mind I can't even deal with touching at raw meat, globs of wet unattached hair make me queasy to see, I'd hurl if I had to touch one, and a toilet and the stuff that goes on there? I can't even deal with typing about it let alone actually dealing with!

[Houkou]

Houkou...this vid's for you. :)

I suppose the guy in that video could have helped, yes :P

The thought is appreciated ;)

[catnap]

wouldn't pouring a bucket of water in a clogged toilet make things worse? Like result in an overflow?

[Lostitute]

I had wondered that too, Cat.

However, there was very little water in the bowl when I added water to it.

[yung23]

I get my daughter to use her little hands..

[yung23]

JK.

[Lostitute]

I knew there was a reason I should've fathered a child. ;) :D

[ISLANDLEA]

wouldn't pouring a bucket of water in a clogged toilet make things worse? Like result in an overflow?

hi, most often > YES ! :mad: ...lea

[Darkshines]

I have never had the pleasure of unblocking a toilet, but at work when the sink blocks, we have to empty everything we can, water and blockage, then plunger the rest of it out. Its usually straws down there.

[Thiara]

Next time you go, do your business and then flush. and then use toilet roll in what i like to call another ''round'' of toilet flushing. Otherwise if it blocks it's not a mess with soggy toilet tissue everywhere.
Lol.

[SpinachSandwich]

wouldn't pouring a bucket of water in a clogged toilet make things worse? Like result in an overflow?

No, you can stop pouring more water in before it overflows.