Why a Toilet Bowl Gets Clogged

Keep foreign objects out of your toilet if you want it to drain well.

A clogged toilet bowl results in slow drainage or a complete halt of drainage, where the water only rises higher. Depending on the cause, you may experience only one clog or clogs may become a recurring issue.

Common Causes

Human waste and toilet paper can clog a toilet. Like any other drain, when debris fills the pipe entirely, it leads to a blockage of the water. Toilets may also become clogged if someone attempts to flush something inappropriate, such as paper towels or facial tissues. Although facial tissues resemble toilet paper, they are not made to dissolve in water. Dissolving cleaners that are dropped into the toilet may also leave behind sediment that can cause a clog.

Uncommon Causes

Some less common causes of clogs include tree roots that have invaded the sewage pipe and mineral deposits that collect around the siphon jet opening near the bottom of the toilet. Similarly, the ports that allow water in near the rim of the toilet bowl may also be clogged, reducing the force of the water and its ability to remove the clog.

Solution

In many cases, simply plunging the toilet bowl with a plunger creates enough suction to clear the clog. A solution of hot water and dish soap can loosen a clog. If a clog is stubborn, use a plumber's snake, which is a device with a long metallic cord that can be threaded down the drain, where it will spear and remove the clog or cut it up enough to allow it to drain away.

Warning

Though there are many drain cleaners that are meant specifically for toilet bowls, do not use them. They are corrosive, and while they will dissolve the clog, they will also dissolve the pipes around them.

References

• Ask the Builder: Clogged Toilet
• Master Plumber.net: Bad Flushing Toilet