How to Repair a Stopped-Up Toilet

Clearing a blocked toilet is easier than you think.

Fixing a stopped-up toilet may seem like a daunting task, but it's actually a straightforward procedure nearly anyone can perform with just a plunger and a couple household items. Knowing the correct procedure will help you solve this common household problem quickly, neatly and effectively, sparing you the expense of a plumber and the use of caustic drain cleaners.

Things You'll Need

• Toilet plunger with foldout skirt
• Bucket
• Old towels

Instructions

1. Place old towels around the base of the toilet and remove nearby objects to a safe, dry location. Plunging the toilet may result in some splashing, and the towels will soak up the water.

2. Fold the rubber skirt out of the inside of the plunger. The skirt helps make a good seal with the opening at the bottom of the toilet bowl.

3. Push the plunger into the bottom of the toilet with the skirt fitted inside the opening at the bottom of the bowl. Pump the plunger five or six times, then pause. Pump it another five or six times. Repeat this procedure, pumping then pausing another 10 or 15 times.

4. Open the lid of the toilet tank. If you have forced out enough water so you are no longer creating suction when you pump the plunger, lift the flush handle slightly. Let in only enough water to cover the plunger, then release the handle. Continue plunging.

5. Lift the flush handle again to create a controlled flush after you have completed 10 or 15 cycles of plunging. Keep your hand on the handle, and if the toilet bowl fills up again, quickly release it to stop the flush. Repeat the plunging process again.

6. Pour an additional five gallons of water into the bowl with the bucket once you have finished plunging and the toilet appears to drain normally. This additional water will help rinse away residual debris in the drainpipe.

Tips & Warnings

• Plungers without a foldout skirt (also called a force cup) are meant for plunging sinks, tubs and showers and are not effective tools for plunging toilets.

• Do not pour caustic drain cleaning solutions into a clogged toilet. When the toilet is plunged, the drain cleaner can splash back out of the toilet and potentially cause injury.

References

• "Complete Guide to Plumbing;" by Editors of Creative Publishing; 2008.