Stop the overflow
If the bowl is full, do not flush again. Remove the tank lid and push the flapper closed, or close the stop valve behind the toilet.
Plunge properly
- Use a flange plunger with an extended rubber sleeve.
- The rubber cup has to sit under water to work.
- Insert the flange into the drain opening and push down gently to expel air.
- Push and pull firmly, keeping the seal, ten to fifteen strokes.
- Lift away and see if water drains.
Other methods
A squirt of dish soap and warm, not boiling, water can help lubricate a soft clog. A closet auger reaches further than a plunger and is designed not to scratch porcelain. Never use boiling water; it can crack the bowl.
Avoid chemical openers. They can damage pipes and splash during later plunging.
Call us when
Call if other drains are slow, the floor drain backs up, or you have dropped something solid. See toilet unclogging.
Using a closet auger
Insert the curved end into the bowl outlet with the handle up. Turn the handle while pushing gently to feed the cable. When you feel resistance, keep turning to break up or snag the clog. Pull back slowly. Flush once to test, with your hand ready on the flapper.
When to put the tools down
Some of this is homeowner work and some is not. Stop and phone us if you see any of these:
- Tank hisses and tops itself up between flushes
- Water at the base after a flush
- Bowl shifts under your weight
- Flush swirls weakly and leaves a ring
- Anything involving the gas line, the venting or cutting into a wall
Quick answers
Why not use a sink plunger?
A cup plunger cannot seal in the curved toilet outlet, so most of the force escapes into the bowl.