The idea of unclogging a toilet yourself is not particularly appealing. However, the other alternative is to call a plumber, and we all know how expensive that can be. On a positive note, unclogging a toilet is not that difficult, and with some handy tools you should be well on your way to having your normal toilet back. Unclogging a toilet does not require specialist skill, unlike some other plumbing tasks which do. As long as you have some tools handy, you should be able to solve your annoying problem.
Before you do anything else, the first thing you should do is to identify what is actually causing the clog. You should do this with any other clogs that you get around the house too. There are many items that end up causing clogs in toilets, as many people try to dispose items which are not suitable for the toilet. For instance, this is the case with face wipes or cotton wool. In these cases it will be necessary to use the plunger. An important tip to remember is that toilet paper is made in a way that it breaks away easily whilst being flushed. The same cannot be said for some other items.
If on the other hand, you hear bubbling in the tub, then chances are that your sewer line is clogged. You should try turning on the bathroom sink if you hear bubbling. If this makes matters worse, then it is very likely that you will need to call a plumber, as plunging alone will not suffice.
Before you start plunging, you first need to make sure that there is enough water in the toilet. This is important as it will work in pushing the clog all the way out of the drain. The method is to plunge up and down quite a few times so the plunger fills with water. Your problem may not be resolved in the initial hurdle so you may have to repeat this process quite a few times to solve the blockage problem.
You should be a little aggressive in the plunging. This will work to force the water in the plunger through the waste outlet of the toilet, dislodging the blockage in the process. You may end up splashing a little water outside of the bowl. This is normal if you fill up the bowl with too much water, however if you wish to avoid getting a bit messy try not to fill it up too much.
Despite numerous frustrating attempts at plunging you may still find yourself at a loose end. All is not lost as there is another technique you can try. For this you will need to pull out the snake (or sometimes referred to as the auger). The snake is relatively easy to use. You just need to expand the handle all the way out, insert the functional end into the outlet of the toilet bowl, and crank it down into the bowl, making sure the cable goes into the drain.
Once the bowl has been drained, you should then flush the toilet pulling the cable up at the same time. This is so that the cable can be cleaned. It is strongly advised that you flush the toilet a good number of times before you put the snake away.
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