Overflowing or Clogged Toilet
Why Does a Toilet Clog?
What goes down it, inadvertently or on purpose, will impact the function of a toilet. Human waste is good as is a minimal amount of low-ply toilet tissue. Everything else is a problem waiting to happen.
Common Signs of a Blocked Toilet
- Water starts to build up in the bowl.
- The toilet bowl contents do not flush when the lever is pressed down.
First Steps
Shut the water off at the toilet and do not use it. If it does not have a shut off at the fixture, turn off the water where it enters the house and
call Plumbtech Plumbing Inc. at (877) 705-7209. The Barrie-based plumbing company maintains a 24-hour emergency service and serves an area from Barrie to Simcoe County, Muskoka, and Parry Sound.
Blocked Toilets
Blockages could be anywhere from the toilet to the main drain. If it is at the toilet, the substance that is creating the block will need to be removed. It could be caught in the trap. Unlike a sink, where the trap is located in the pipe beneath and is easily accessed, in a toilet, the trap is part of the fixture.
Removal
A plumber may take several different approaches to solve the problem. A plunger could be used first, or a toilet auger for more serious clogs. A toilet auger is a metal snake designed to go through the trap to the base of the toilet. If the blockage is not in the toilet, it could be further down the drain line, before it meets up with the main drain line or in the main drain line itself. If the clog occurs in the main drain line, it will likely impact drains from other fixtures. It could also be in the sewer line which is located outside the house.
Main Drain Clogs
To ascertain where the blockage is located, Plumbtech will send a mini camera through the drain. It has a light, attached to a cable, and can send a picture back to a screen where a plumber can monitor its progress through the drain line. The plumber can then determine the source of the problem within the pipe, where it is located, and, if it is outside, buried underground, it can also reveal the depth of the blockage.
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Plumbers See it All
Toilet blockers can range from sets of teeth to car keys, syringes, children’s toys, and dog toys – dogs like to wander about with a favourite toy in their mouth and will drop the toy in the toilet bowl to take a drink, and leave the toy behind.
The Biggest and Most Common Offenders
Baby wipes, sanitized wipes, including hand sanitizer wipes, disinfecting wipes and antibacterial hand sanitizing wipes, tissues, napkins, diapers. Why? Because they don’t break down.
Other non-flushable oddities
- Dental floss
- Cat litter
- Hygiene products
- Hair
- Grease may be liquid at warmer temperatures but can solidify when cooled and block the toilet and/or drain pipe.
Calcium
Naturally found in water, calcium can build up in the toilet bowl, along the rim, after each flush. Buildup occurs when the water moves from the tank to the holes along the rim as it fills the bowl. It can also build up in the plumbing lines.
Replacing a toilet
If the worst should occur and the toilet needs to be replaced, make sure, it is a CSA-approved toilet or a brand-name toilet. The name of the manufacturer will be stamped on the toilet.
Call for Help
Call Plumbtech Plumbing at the first sign of trouble whether it is water filling the toilet bowl, problems with flushing, if the toilet bowl does not empty when the lever is pressed down, or if water starts backing up in other fixtures. It could be the sign of a clog or blockage somewhere in the plumbing system. Call (877) 705-7209.
