What's the best way to unclog a toilet? How to unclog a toilet at home. We use chemicals

In houses and apartments, problems periodically arise with the sewer system. It becomes clogged. There are plenty of reasons for this phenomenon. But to eliminate possible consequences, you need to know how to quickly clear the blockage. There are recommendations and advice from experts, without which you cannot cope with stagnation.

Signs

How to clean a toilet? If you do not correct the problem in time, a breakdown may occur. Everyone has the right to call a specialist, but he does not always arrive promptly, and it’s quite possible to handle it with his own hands. There are basic tips that will help you understand that there is a blockage in your plumbing:

Any sign indicates that there is stagnation and it should be removed urgently.

Why is this happening?

It is believed that over time, any toilet can become clogged. And in order to avoid serious problems, it is worth paying attention to this periodically. How to clean a toilet at home? Actions will only be effective if you know why the traffic jam occurred. The reasons may be as follows:

• Violations during installation work. Not everyone may know how to create a drainage system, so you need to remember this at the installation level. If the angle of inclination is small, then rinsing is poor. Waste begins to be fixed in some place, creating a dense traffic jam.
• Unsuitable waste. Residents often use the toilet to flush leftover food. This includes a lot - potatoes, cereals, peelings of fruits and vegetables, etc. As a result, stagnation is formed, which accumulates in the system.
• Garbage. This is not uncommon. They wash away a lot of things - glass, paper, bags, etc. The toilet is not a garbage can, and you shouldn't do it that way.
• When there are animals in the house, the owners do not make life difficult for themselves and flush the used litter down the toilet. And it contains a special clay that can retain moisture inside. When the lumps find themselves in a humid space, they swell and stick together. As a result, a dense plug is formed.

These are common causes of clogs. But how to clean a toilet at home? After determining the cause, the cleaning process itself begins.

Method of removing a traffic jam

There are plenty of ways to clean a toilet. The method is selected taking into account the occurrence of the problem. For an apartment or house, you can choose any option - mechanical or chemical. When the plug is too big, the chemistry will be powerless. Small stagnations are removed without the use of mechanical force. Having assessed the current situation, having studied the scale of the traffic jam and the reason that created it, they choose a work method. Anyone can handle this on their own if you follow the basic rules.

Mechanical method

This option is common because it is the most effective. You don't have to call a plumber to do this. With plenty of time and tools, you can remove the blockage in a short time. You just need to have a device in your apartment. There are several of them:

These are two simple methods that do not require large investments and are not difficult to implement. Even a person without experience can clean a drainage structure. Sometimes it happens that even such methods do not help achieve the desired effect. In this case, you will have to call the experts, although they can use similar things. What else will help remove the blockage?

Chemicals

Here's how you can also unclog a toilet. There are many different products available on the market. Once they get into the pipe, they struggle with the problem. They are available in different states - liquid and bulk. No need to worry - the drainage system does not deteriorate even with prolonged contact. Below we will consider which means are effective.

Vinegar and soda

These components are available in the kitchen of any apartment or house. They will be great at helping you solve the problem. If such funds are not available, you can purchase them at any store. You need to buy one pack of soda and a bottle of vinegar (70%). How to clear a clogged toilet at home using these products? You need to remove the water if there is too much of it. Afterwards, soda is poured in and pushed with a stick as deep as possible. Then 200 grams of vinegar essence is poured. To make the reaction go faster, hot water is used. According to people, this remedy helps in 20 minutes. But you should be careful not to burn the skin.

Chemicals for pipe cleaning

The basis is chemical elements that can destroy fat, salts and other components. There are both domestic and foreign manufacturers on store shelves. But first you need to read the instructions and understand for which pipes this or that product can be used. In addition to the blockage, the unpleasant odor is also removed. How does this method work? According to the instructions, the product is selected and the required amount is poured into the pipe. Next - hot water in the required proportion. After such manipulations, you should not use the toilet for at least one hour. When time passes, the toilet is flushed with hot water or from a drain barrel.

The process of fixing the problem itself is not difficult. Everyone knows that it is easier to prevent a clog than to remove it. It is worth monitoring the drainage system in a house or apartment, otherwise a serious emergency may occur one day.

Preventive measures

How's the toilet? In order not to look for an answer to this question, you should follow the basic rules for using the drainage system. This won't be difficult:

• The toilet should not become a trash can. After all, any waste - food or household - will sooner or later create a strong plug.
• Sometimes (once a week) it is worth using chemicals to avoid serious blockages.
• To avoid such problems, you need to periodically flush the system with a bucket of hot water.
• It happens that there is a presence in the room. Its work will be effective if it is in constant working order. If the riser does not work, a blockage may form.

Basic manipulations help clear a blockage in a sewer pipe quickly, without involving a technician. But there is no need to make mistakes - you should be in complete control of the work.

It is difficult to imagine a modern apartment building without properly working plumbing fixtures, especially a toilet. However, even the best quality plumbing fixtures can clog sooner or later. And this happens at the most inopportune moment. So, your toilet is clogged, what should you do? This article will tell you how to clear clogs at home.

How are sewer systems arranged in apartment buildings?

Sewerage in apartments is necessary to eliminate liquid waste and sewage. Therefore, the places where this waste is collected - the kitchen sink, toilet, bathtub - are equipped with an outlet line through which they enter the sewer riser. All apartments located above each other are connected to it.

Typically the diameter of the riser does not exceed 100 mm. The pipe for it is usually made of plastic. Plastic pipes are less susceptible to blockages. The surface of their walls is smooth and, unlike cast iron pipes, is free of burrs and various types of defects. Thanks to this, “overgrowing” of the riser section is practically eliminated.

Sewage system design

To make it easier to clean pipes in the risers of high-rise buildings, each floor is equipped with additional holes, and the standard configuration of all plumbing is as follows:

• drain hole;
• pipe with inlet to the riser;
• riser.

Any of these areas can become clogged. There are several reasons for this.

Causes and location of blockage

Attention! Before choosing a method for cleaning the toilet, you first need to determine the cause, extent and location of the blockage.

Among the main causes of blockages, the following can be noted: improper operation, “growth” of plaque on cast iron or metal pipes, and incorrect installation of the toilet.

In most cases, a clogged toilet can be caused by household items that do not fall under the category of liquid waste. For example, garbage from renovation, cat litter, floor rags. A diaper thrown into the toilet causes great harm to the sewer system. The sorbent from which it consists gets wet and swells in water, completely clogging the pipe.

Often the cause of clogged drains is household waste that is not intended for disposal through the sewer system.

Possible reasons for frequent drain clogging include the wrong choice of toilet. Modern models that fit well into the design of the bathroom are not always suitable for the sewer systems of old apartment buildings. Therefore, when purchasing a modernized toilet you like, take an interest in its technical characteristics.

Important! It is not always your fault that the water does not drain from the toilet or drain in your apartment. A clogged drain can be caused by your upstairs or downstairs neighbors.

In case of minor blockage, water flows out in a slow stream. But it happens that the pipe is completely clogged and prevents even the slightest exit. You can determine the degree of blockage by pouring 1 liter of water into the toilet. After 30 minutes, see if it comes out. If the water comes out, you can remove the blockage yourself. Under no circumstances use a tank to check, since if it is completely clogged, all the water flowing from it can pour onto the floor without going into the sewer.

To avoid flooding the bathroom, do not drain the water from the tank if it is clogged.

This is followed by checking the locality of the blockage. Turn on the water in the kitchen and bathroom. See if it goes well. If water comes out as usual, then most likely the toilet pipe is clogged. The weak outflow of water in the bathroom and kitchen characterizes the problem with common pipes. As a rule, such blockages require more serious measures.

Ways to clear a clogged toilet

Three proven methods will help in the fight against simple blockages: mechanical, chemical or cleaning with a plunger.

• scoop out all excess water from the toilet;
• add ½ pack of soda, pour in 200 ml of technical (9%) vinegar;
• wait 20 minutes;
• pour 2 liters of hot water into the toilet (do not use boiling water).

If all of the above methods did not help, then you are dealing with a complex, most likely coked blockage. To eliminate it, you will need a special device - a plumbing cable. Its design is quite simple - it is a long piece of steel wire equipped with a handle at one end and a tip at the other. The principle of operation of the cable is as follows: the tip penetrates into the clogged area in the pipe and, having broken through it, clears the way for drain water.

You can use regular baking soda as a cleaning agent.

It is preferable to work with the cable together: one person rotates the handle, while the other pushes the tip into the line, making rotational and translational movements with it. For greater maneuverability in the sewer pipe, make circular movements with the cable. As a result, the cause of the blockage can be removed or pushed into the riser. You can check the result by draining all the water from the barrel. Before working with the cable, be sure to cover the floor near the toilet with an unnecessary rag so as not to smear it with sewage dirt.

When you need to urgently call a plumber

In most cases, a blockage that occurs before the riser is relatively harmless. You can deal with it on your own using the above methods. An urgent call to a plumber is necessary in a situation where the water level in the toilet gradually rises on its own. This can only mean one thing - the blockage occurred in the common riser pipe in the apartments below or above your floor. With this blockage, working on the principle of communicating vessels, sewage quickly reaches and overflows over the edges of the toilet. This problem cannot be solved by improvised methods. A called plumber will insert a long cable into the inspection hatches and clean the riser from accumulated dirt.

If you cannot clear the blockage yourself, call a specialist immediately

Preventing toilet blockages

Regular preventive measures and following simple rules for using the toilet and sewerage system will help you avoid problems with the toilet in the future:

• do not use the toilet as a garbage disposal (do not throw food or household waste into it);
• once every two to three months, prevent salt deposits using chemicals;
• even the slightest blockage must be completely eliminated to prevent more global blockages;

Don't throw trash in the toilet

• do not throw diapers into the toilet;
• keep foreign small objects away from the toilet;
• Explain general rules for using the toilet clearly and frequently to children;
• Drain using plenty of running water.

It is a pity that few people adhere to these rules. After all, other residents of the house can clog the riser, but you can get hurt.

How to unclog a toilet: video

Removing a clogged toilet: photo

The toilet is clogged - what to do at home and how to clean it? A clogged toilet is like a natural disaster - it occurs suddenly, requires immediate action and turns the life of household members into a real nightmare. The vast majority of people immediately begin frantically digging through the phone book in search of the treasured telephone number of the housing office emergency service. But hopes for brave and fast plumbers begin to fade over time - utility services are not in a great hurry to help. In this regard, you have to think about independent measures to remove the blockage and resume your usual way of life, without going to your neighbors “out of need.”

First, you need to figure out why such a blockage occurred, what could block the normal passage of sewage through the pipes, and what to expect from this situation.

Why do blockages occur?

• The most common cause is the toilet becoming clogged with too much toilet paper and feminine hygiene products, or completely unexpected objects such as rags, toys, etc. falling into the toilet.
• Incorrectly installed toilet. During installation, a certain angle of inclination of the toilet to the riser must be maintained, as well as the optimal distance from the riser to the toilet.
• Lack of valves that equalize the pressure in the pipe when draining.
• Poor toilet design. It even happens, because now handicraft industries are a dime a dozen. Non-professionals may not know the intricacies of making a properly functioning toilet.

The most common methods of cleaning a toilet

Hot water

If there are no special products at home, the toilet is clogged - you don’t know what to do, you can try the option with hot water. You will need to bring about a bucket of water to a boil and immediately pour it into the toilet. It is necessary to pour strictly at right angles and quickly to create pressure. If you see that the water is gradually starting to go away, you can add another bucket of water to enhance the effect. Small blockages can be cleaned very well using this method.

Cleaning the toilet with hot water is the easiest way to deal with a clog.

Important: Even with such fairly simple manipulations, extreme caution should be exercised so as not to get burned.

Soda

Every housewife has soda and it helps us out in many situations. It will come in handy here too. You just need to pour half of the standard pack directly into the toilet. The clog will gradually dissolve under the influence of alkali.

Chemical cleaning

People have long been accustomed to using ready-made solutions in all areas of their lives, and manufacturers are successfully using this. Household chemicals stores offer a fairly wide selection of specialized products for cleaning pipes and toilets. They are available in the form of liquids, gels, powders and granules. There may be disposable packaging and large containers designed for several times. These tools cope excellently with the problem, while also performing a number of other functions:

• Disinfect the sanitary equipment to be cleaned.
• Eliminates unpleasant odors from sewer pipes.
• Keep pipes clean.
• Have a preventive effect.

The most common brands:

• Tiret.
• Mole.
• Domestos.
• Tofix.
• Domol.
• Mister Muscle.

Important: When using chemicals, you must strictly follow all the rules specified in the instructions so as not to accidentally get burned or damage your plumbing. Rubber gloves are a must.

People who are closely familiar with chemistry as a science know how to clean a toilet at home using various acids: acetic, hydrochloric, formic or sulfuric. However, such aggressive solutions can damage old pipes in the house.

Mechanical cleaning methods

How to unclog a toilet without using chemicals? Mechanical cleaning methods, which require the presence of certain devices, are suitable for this.

plunger

This device is recommended for everyone who has a toilet. Its design is simple: a rubber hemisphere is attached to a wooden or plastic handle. The plunger copes with simple and shallow blockages with a bang. It happens this way:

• The toilet bowl should be filled with water until it covers the rubber bowl of the plunger.
• The plunger is positioned so that the hemisphere completely covers the drain hole.
• With a confident and strong movement, the plunger is pressed inward and returns to its original position.
• These movements should be performed until the result is achieved.

The plunger seems to suck out parts of the clog from the depths of the toilet until it is completely removed.

Corrugation cleaning

If the toilet is attached to the riser using a corrugated pipe, then you can try to solve the question of what to do and how to remove the blockage in the toilet by simply cleaning it. The pipe can be easily removed and, if there is a kind of plug in it, debris can be removed. After cleaning, the corrugated pipe is put back in place.

Rubber hose

It works like this:

• One end of the hose is attached to a hot water tap.
• The other end is lowered into the toilet as low as possible.
• Hot water is released with strong pressure.

This method is also good in combination with chemical cleaning.

Plastic bottle

When a clog suddenly appears in the toilet, not everyone knows what to do and how to remove it, especially if they lack the necessary experience. If the farm does not have special devices, you can use the recommendations of folk craftsmen. Take a regular plastic bottle with a volume of 1.5-2 liters. Cut off the bottom and screw the neck tightly. Insert the bottle into the drain hole with the cut side down and perform the same movements as when working with a plunger.

Plumbing cable

Such a device is a rare guest in ordinary apartments, because it is considered a professional tool for plumbers. But if, fortunately, one is still present, then you need to attach a sharp nozzle or a piece of thick wire to one end of it (if necessary). This structure is immersed in the toilet until it stops and the handle is turned clockwise. The cable can reach even a very distant blockage, after which it is recommended to clean the system with one of the special products or use hot water for this.

When you need to call a plumber

If you know perfectly well how to remove a blockage in the toilet yourself, but all the methods have already been tested, but the result has not been achieved, then you will still have to wait for a plumber.

There is a situation in which you need to call a plumber immediately. This is when water continues to flow in the toilet despite attempts to remove the blockage. This means that the riser is clogged below the level of your floor. When neighbors upstairs continue to drain water, the sewage will overflow the edges of the toilet and end up in your apartment. This problem can only be solved by specialists; they know how to clear a blockage in the toilet and riser.

If you are interested, we have an article on this topic on our website.

Water pressure standards in the water supply system are given in the material.

You will find a review of water filters at this address. Nowadays they are becoming more and more necessary.

Prevention and precautions

Having figured out what to do if the toilet is clogged at home, you need to talk about what rules should be followed when handling plumbing in order to prevent unpleasant situations with a clogged toilet.

• Never throw foreign objects into the toilet. If by chance you or a child drops something there, you must try to remove the item immediately.
• You should not throw food scraps, even liquid ones, down the toilet. Fats from food gradually accumulate on the inner bend of the toilet bowl and at one “wonderful” moment they can form a dense plug.
• Children should be taught the rules of using the toilet from infancy and should not be allowed to throw toys into the toilet.
• If the toilet is being renovated, it is advisable to carefully cover the toilet so that construction debris does not get into it.
• To prevent blockages, you can periodically use products specially designed for this purpose. They will keep the pipes clean. When working, you must strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions.
• Old, rusty pipes will be a constant cause of blockages, because debris quickly accumulates on their loose inner surface. To protect your apartment from sudden outflow of sewage, you need to change the pipes to newer polymer ones.

Those people who have already experienced the horrors of a clogged toilet once, as a rule, take precautions more seriously and use the toilet strictly for its intended purpose.



A clogged sink, bathtub or toilet, although unpleasant, is quite common. Bathtubs suffer from blockages relatively rarely, but with toilets and sinks this happens all the time if the owner and her family members are not attentive enough. How to unclog a toilet at home and is it possible to do this without involving a plumber? There are several ways, which are discussed in this article.

Causes of blockages

Actually, there is only one reason for any blockage. Something got into the toilet, the water won’t flow out, and you can’t use it. What can get into the toilet? Most often this is:

• sponges;
• rags;
• plastic bottles;
• children's toys;
• too much food waste;
• personal hygiene items that are not intended to be disposed of down the drain.

Important! It also happens that nothing seems to have gotten into the toilet, but the water still lingers and does not completely go away. This can happen if the pipes are overgrown with lime deposits, rust, or if global backwater occurs throughout the riser. You can deal with overgrown pipes yourself, but to eliminate the backwater you will have to call the utility service that services your home.

The toilet is clogged - how to clean it yourself?

Before you start cleaning the toilet, it is very useful to determine the size of the problem. The blockage happens:

• local, when the water still leaves, but slowly;
• general - water is not only in the toilet, but also in the sink and bathtub;
• support throughout the entire entrance or even the house.

First, determine what exactly is clogged:

1. Check the sink and bathtub - turn on the water, see if it drains as usual or slower.
2. If the water does not drain well from the toilet, try to determine the place where the object that blocked the pipe got into it. This will make the process much easier.
3. If the blockage is serious, it is very useful to interview the neighbors in the apartment below and above yours. If they also have blockages for no apparent reason, you cannot do without a plumber.

What to clean with?

There are several ways to clear blockages:

• chemical;
• mechanical.

Mechanical methods are used in the following cases:

• if you know for sure that an object that is not too deep has fallen into the toilet;
• if the water still leaves, but very slowly;
• if the pipes are heavily overgrown.

In all other cases, it is best to clean the toilet chemically, that is, using various active substances.

Simple blockage

If an object falls into the toilet, you will get rid of the problem very quickly - you just need to get out what fell through.

Option 1

Sometimes you can free the toilet from objects that have fallen into it simply with your hands.

You need:

• rubber gloves;
• respirator or gauze bandage.

Important! It’s clear why gloves are needed: it’s hardly worth climbing into the toilet with your bare hands. A gauze bandage is advisable because you may find the smell unpleasant, especially if the item has been sitting in the toilet long enough.

Option 2

A plunger works great for simple blockages. There are two types of plungers on sale:

• suction cup with long handle;
• corrugated plastic cylinder without handle.

The first one is more suitable for the toilet. The procedure is very simple:

1. Scoop out the water from the toilet.
2. Place the suction cup of the plunger on the hole where you want the water to go.
3. Press the handle firmly several times and pull it firmly towards you.
4. Try flushing the water - if it drains slower than it should, repeat the procedure.
5. Clean the toilet with plumbing detergent.

If the pipes are clogged

But it happens that nothing fell into the toilet, and the water suddenly stopped flowing. How to unclog a toilet at home in this case? — Try one of the chemical methods. They will help you out:

• baking soda;
• sewer pipe cleaner.

Option 1

Baking soda perfectly dissolves fat deposits. This is the cheapest way to clean pipes, although in case of serious blockages it may not be effective enough. You will need:

• 1 pack of soda;
• basin or bucket;
• ladle;
• detergent for plumbing.

Before adding baking soda, the toilet bowl must be emptied. Therefore, the procedure will be as follows:

1. Scoop out the water – preferably all of it.
2. Pour baking soda into the hole and push it as deep as possible.
3. Wait an hour.
4. Release the water - one should go.

The toilet is clogged - how to clean it at home with chemicals?

In hardware stores you can find special products for cleaning sewer pipes. The most popular and cheapest is “Mole”. It is applied this way:

1. Empty the toilet from water.
2. Pour “Mole” into the hole.
3. Wait a couple of hours.
4. Drain the water.
5. If the water drains normally, clean the toilet.

Important! “Mole,” as well as other sewage products, is a very caustic substance. It is necessary to work with gloves and make sure that the product does not get into your eyes or skin.

How to unclog a toilet at home using a cable?

A plumbing cable is a very useful thing in the household. You can buy one at a construction or hardware store. It is a long wire with a handle-collar. Before working with this simple device, it is, of course, better to empty the toilet bowl of water, but in emergency situations you don’t have to do this. In order to unclog a toilet at home using a cable, you will also need:

• large rag;
• rags;
• gloves.

Important! Spread a rag on the floor - you will place the cable on it, because after work it will not be the cleanest object in the house.

1. Insert the cable into the hole in the toilet.
2. Turn the knob and push the wire as deep as possible.
3. Turn the gate in the opposite direction until it comes out.
4. Place the cable on a rag and then clean it with a rag.
5. Try draining the water - if it doesn’t go away as quickly as you would like, repeat the procedure.
6. Clean the cable after work.

Important! If there is no cable, you can simply use a long, rigid steel wire - this is, of course, less convenient, but quite doable.

If you live in a private house

Unfortunately, toilets sometimes become clogged not only in city apartments, but also in private homes. And here there may be options:

• the house is connected to a public sewer;
• the house has a local sewer system;
• the house does not have a sewer system; feces go into a cesspool next to the house.

Option 1

The simplest case is when the house does not have a sewer system, and the toilet is installed above the cesspool. To eliminate backwater, you need to clean the cesspool and then wash the toilet with special detergents for plumbing.

Option 2

If the house has a local sewer system, any means can be used - both chemical and mechanical. However, it may turn out that neither a plunger, nor a cable, nor a “Mole” will help. Then you need to understand the system itself, and this is unlikely to be within your power. You will need a plumber - preferably one who has already serviced your home.

Option 3

In a private house connected to the city sewer network, the same rules apply as in an apartment building. That is, small blockages are eliminated chemically or mechanically, with the exception of using a cable. It is better to call a plumber to clean the sewer pipes, otherwise you may have troubles with the service company, and with your neighbors too.

Preventing blockages

Like any disaster, a clogged toilet is easier to prevent than to later deal with caustic substances and dirty wires. There are several rules to avoid trouble:

1. Do not flush large objects down the toilet.
2. Keep an eye on your children - toys often end up in the toilet.
3. You can flush toilet paper down the toilet, but newspaper paper cannot.
4. Personal care products usually come on packages that indicate whether they can be flushed down the toilet or not, so be sure to read the instructions.
5. Avoid the habit of throwing solid food waste such as bones, cartilage, etc. into the toilet.
6. For cleaning the toilet, a brush with a long handle is much more suitable than a rag or sponge - it definitely won’t fall through.
7. Do not wait until the blockage becomes global - if the water begins to drain more slowly, clean the pipes.

Cleaning the toilet surface

The surface of the toilet should always be clean. Dirt on the toilet and cistern, of course, does not directly affect blockages, but it can greatly affect the health of the inhabitants of your home. In addition, detergents, although they do not dissolve objects that have fallen into the toilet, do prevent the formation of deposits on the pipes. To clean the toilet you need:

• brush with a long handle;
• special detergent for plumbing;
• sponge;
• rags.

It is better to wash in this order:

• tank;
• toilet base;
• cover;
• inner part;
• sitting

What and how to use:

1. The base, tank, seat and lid can be washed with a moderately hard sponge, for example, the hard part of a dishwashing sponge.
2. After washing, these parts must be wiped with a rag.
3. Steel wool is not very suitable as it can damage the surface.
4. A long-handled brush is ideal for cleaning the inside of the toilet. It is better to store it somewhere nearby in a special container with a solution in order to promptly remove minor contaminations.
5. It is better to use special detergents, where the labeling indicates that they are intended for washing sanitary ware. Some home remedies, like baking soda, can work.
6. But what is absolutely unsuitable are various acids - they not only harm the surface, but can also damage metal pipes. Plastic pipes are usually more resistant to such influences, but it’s still not worth the risk.
7. It is also not recommended to pour boiling water over the toilet - this will not bring any benefit, but the plastic connections may leak.

Video material

Now you know not only the answer to the question of how to unclog a toilet at home, but also how to prevent it, as well as how to properly care for your plumbing so that it lasts longer. By adhering to these simple rules and recommendations, you will have problems with blockages much less frequently, which means your home will always be more comfortable and it will be much easier to achieve coziness.

Clogged drains in an apartment are an unpleasant problem, but when the toilet becomes clogged, it is doubly inconvenient, since the problem requires an immediate solution. Often the cause of difficulty draining water in the toilet is the deposition of salts in the pipes. This happens due to hard water, urea or other types of sediment that settle on the walls of the pipes and narrow their internal diameter.

Salt deposits in the pipe. The “aesthetics of the frame” is accompanied by a corresponding smell

Advice! To find out the location of the blockage, open the taps in the bathroom and kitchen (water sources for the common drain). If water goes down the drain here freely, then the reason is in the toilet. If its drainage is slowed down everywhere, then the problem is in the common pipe. In this case, call a plumber - it will be difficult to deal with the problem yourself.

Attention! If you find a blockage in the toilet, do not drain the water from the tank, since its minimum volume is 3 liters. To be safe, you can turn off the water supply tap so that it does not flow onto the floor if the drain is clogged. Use a bucket and pour no more than 1 liter of liquid into the toilet to check.

Cleaning drains, especially in old houses, is a job for professionals

Important. Prevention of salt formations allows you to avoid wasting further effort on cleaning pipes. It is enough to fill all the drains in the apartment with a special cleaning liquid once every 3 months at night.

However, the main cause of blockages in toilets is the residents themselves, who use the plumbing fixture as a garbage disposal. And if a meat bone that accidentally gets into the toilet is not difficult to remove, then a rag or paper clog will require some effort.

Tips for clearing clogs:

• When replacing sewer pipes, install new ones of the same diameter, no less.
• When making repairs in the toilet room, close the toilet so that construction debris does not fall into it.
• Do not be lazy to throw away garbage (pads, newspapers, cat litter, etc.) in the designated areas. This way you will save your time, and you will not blush in front of the plumber.

How to clear a clogged toilet yourself

There are several ways to clear toilet clogs. Their effectiveness depends on the complexity of the plug: material, volume, period of occurrence.

Advice! Before you begin unclogging the clog, remove the water from the toilet to the flush level. A rag, sponge or rubber bulb (enema) is suitable for this.

Mechanical methods for clearing a clogged toilet

Important. The diameter of the plunger tip must be larger than the diameter of the toilet flush. This is the only way to create conditions for water hammer to occur.

This simple plumbing tool will help remove a small clog in the toilet.

If the apartment does not have a plunger, you can use plastic bottle, the bottom of which is cut off and the lid is screwed tightly:

• the resulting device is gradually inserted into the toilet hole until the air in the bottle begins to push it back out;
• With a sharp movement, the bottle is pressed all the way into the drain and immediately pulled out.

The pressure created is powerful enough to break through the garbage plug with two or three manipulations.

Plastic bottle + laws of hydraulics = homemade plunger

If the above methods do not help eliminate the problem, then you can use household chemicals.

Chemicals for removing blockages

Attention! If the connecting corrugation between the toilet and the pipe is made of thin plastic, then under the influence of boiling water it may burst. In this case, you need to use warm water.

Attention! Before you decide to act radically by pouring a solution of formic, hydrochloric or sulfuric acid into the toilet, think about whether the product will also corrode the old pipes.

Professional plumbing cable

This is a special plumbing tool, which is a cable with a handle at one end and a nozzle at the other. There are many types of cables (cable, spring, rigging, tension, etc.) with a diameter of 6 to 16 mm and a length of up to 60 meters.

For residential needs, a five-meter Ø9 mm cable is sufficient. The nozzle at its end can be in the form of a weight (for breaking through) or a spiral (for removing blockages)