What do I need to unclog a toilet?
Two tools do nearly all of the work, and a bucket and old towels make the job less miserable.
- A flange plunger. This is the plunger with a soft rubber sleeve folded up inside the cup. The sleeve pushes out into the drain opening at the bottom of the bowl. The flat cup plunger under your kitchen sink is built for a flat surface and will not seal in a toilet.
- A closet auger. Also sold as a toilet snake. It is a short rigid tube holding a cable, with a hand crank on top and a rubber or vinyl sleeve on the bent end so it does not scratch the porcelain.
- Rubber gloves, a bucket and towels. Lay towels around the base before you start. Water will move.
How do I unclog a toilet with a plunger?
1. Do not flush again. Another flush sends the rest of the tank into a bowl that cannot take it.
2. Check the water level. The plunger cup needs to be covered. If the bowl is low, add a bucket of warm water poured in from waist height. If it is too high, see the next section.
3. Warm the rubber. Run hot tap water over the plunger head. Soft rubber seals better than cold, stiff rubber.
4. Seat it. Tip the plunger so the cup fills with water instead of air, then set the sleeve down into the opening at the bottom of the bowl.
5. Push gently once. A hard first shove blows the trapped air back out and splashes you. Press slowly to push the air out.
6. Pump with the seal held. Work the handle up and down for fifteen or twenty strokes. The pull on the upstroke does as much as the push. You will feel the difference between a seal (it pulls back at you) and a splash (it does not).
7. Break the seal and watch. Pull the plunger off. If the water drains down with a gurgle, you are through. Pour in a bucket of water to confirm before you flush.
If the water does not move after two or three rounds, more plunging will not change the result. Move to the auger.
How do I unclog a toilet when the water is high?
Leave the handle alone, because another flush will push more water over the rim. Scoop water out of the bowl with a cup into a bucket until the level sits just above the plunger cup when it is seated, with room to spare below the rim. Then plunge as above. Plunging with the bowl brimming makes water slop over the sides on every stroke, and taking a little out costs nothing.
How do I unclog a toilet that is full of poop?
The method is the same as for paper, and the waste itself is soft, so it usually gives way to a plunger or an auger like any other soft clog. Wear gloves, do not flush, and give a squirt of dish soap a few minutes in the bowl to help it slide. The part people dread is the splash, and a slow first push on the plunger does more to prevent that than anything else. If it still sits there after two rounds, go to the auger.
How do I use a toilet auger?
An auger works where a plunger cannot, because it goes into the trap itself and breaks up or hooks what is sitting there.
1. Pull the cable back so the bent end sits inside the tube, and set the tube into the bowl with the sleeve resting in the opening.
2. Push the handle in slowly while turning the crank clockwise. The cable feeds through the curve of the trap.
3. When you feel resistance, keep cranking and push gently. A soft clog like paper breaks up and the water drops. A hard object may snag the tip. Draw the cable back out slowly with the crank still turning, because that is how a snagged object comes with it.
4. Flush once to test only after the water has fallen on its own.
Do not force it. A cable that will not turn is jammed on something. If you push through it with muscle you can scratch the bowl or shove an object further along, and what was a toilet problem becomes a pipe problem.
What is the difference between a toilet auger and a drain snake?
A toilet auger is built for the bend inside a toilet: a rigid tube guides a short cable around the curve, and a sleeve on the end of the tube protects the porcelain. A drain snake, the kind on a spool, is a longer, bare cable meant for sink, tub and floor drains. It has no guide tube and no sleeve, and it carries far more loose cable than a toilet trap can steer. For a toilet, use the auger and leave the spool snake for the pipes it was made for.
How do I unclog a toilet without a plunger?
Some home remedies help a soft clog and none of them move a solid object. In rough order of how much they do:
Does dish soap unclog a toilet?
It can help a soft clog. About half a cup of dish soap into the bowl, ten to fifteen minutes of waiting, and then a bucket of hot water gives the blockage some lubrication to slide along. It is a nudge, so expect it to work on paper and not on a toy.
Does hot water unclog a toilet?
Hot tap water poured from about waist height can loosen soft material, and the stream adds some force, much like a gentle plunge. Use hot, not boiling. Boiling water can crack the porcelain, and a cracked bowl is a far bigger problem than a clog.
Will baking soda and vinegar unclog a toilet?
A cup of baking soda followed by two cups of vinegar makes a fizz of carbon dioxide gas that you leave for about half an hour. It is gentle, it will not shift a stubborn clog, and the foam does not push anything along. If you try it, never add it to a bowl that already holds a chemical drain opener. For the pipe version of this idea, see baking soda and vinegar as a drain cleaner.
Does the plastic wrap trick work?
Stretching plastic wrap across the bowl and pressing down on it is an improvised plunger. It needs a complete seal across the rim, it is messy, and it can only move the same soft clogs a plunger would. If you have a plunger, use that.
Can I use a wire coat hanger?
Only as a last resort. A straightened hanger with a tight loop bent into the end can hook a soft clog, but bare metal can scratch the porcelain and it does not follow the trap's curve the way an auger does. Wear gloves and go slowly.
What if I have no plunger and no snake?
Wait it out and use the soap and hot water first. A bucket of water poured fast into the bowl from waist height can also act as a rough plunge. If the water does not move, the answer is to borrow or buy the right tool, or call, and not to escalate to chemicals.
Will a clogged toilet unclog itself?
A clog made only of paper and waste can eventually break down on its own as paper softens in standing water, but it can take a while. Do not flush while you wait. A toilet that is still full the next morning has a solid obstruction or a problem further down the line.
Where this goes wrong
- Chemical openers in a toilet. Some drain opener labels say outright not to use the product in a toilet, so read the label before you pour. If you already did, wear eye protection and gloves, never plunge or snake a bowl that holds chemical drain opener without them, and never mix one product with another.
- Plunging a toilet that is cracked or loose. If water leaks from the base while you work, stop. That points to the seal under the toilet, not the clog.
- Pushing an object further in. A toy or a brush pushed past the bend does not disappear. It lands in the pipe below the toilet where an auger cannot reach.
- Flushing "flushable" wipes. Wipes do not break down the way toilet paper does. They hold together, snag at the trap, and trap everything behind them.
When should I stop and call a plumber?
Stop and call if you see any of these:
- The plunger and auger both fail, or the auger goes in full length and the water still will not drain.
- A second toilet, a tub or a sink also drains slowly or gurgles when you flush.
- Water or sewage comes up in a tub, shower or floor drain. That is a main-line problem. Stop using all water in the house and call.
- The toilet clears but clogs again within days. See why a toilet keeps clogging.
- You know something solid went down, like a toy, and the auger cannot hook it.
- You cannot tell what is down there and do not want to guess.
For a toilet that will not clear, see our clogged toilet page, or read what to try when a plunger is not working. If more than one fixture is involved, the sewer line backing up page explains what that points to.
What it costs to have us do it
We do not publish a number for a clogged toilet, because the honest answer depends on what is wrong. What moves it: whether the clog is at the fixture or out in the line, whether the toilet has to come off the floor, whether a usable cleanout exists or has to be created, how far out the blockage sits, cable versus jetting, and city sewer versus septic. Our drain cleaning special is $59 and a 1,000-gallon septic pump-out is a flat $395. Everything else is quoted on site, in writing, after we look. Estimates are free.
What should I do if the toilet water is high and still not draining?
Do not flush. Scoop some water out into a bucket so the bowl is not brimming, then plunge with a flange plunger. If the level will not fall after two or three rounds, try a closet auger.
Will a clogged toilet clear on its own?
A soft clog of paper and waste can eventually break down in standing water. Do not flush while you wait. A bowl that is still full the next morning has a harder blockage.
Why does a wire coat hanger make a toilet worse?
Bare wire can scratch porcelain, and it does not follow the curve of the trap the way an auger does. A closet auger has a protective sleeve for this reason.
How do I know the clog is not in the toilet?
If a tub or sink also drains slowly or gurgles when you flush, or the auger runs full length without meeting anything and the bowl still will not drain, the blockage is further down the line.
Where we work
American Rooter & Drain was established in Caldwell, Idaho in 1945 and has worked the greater Treasure Valley since 1945. We clear toilets and drains in Boise, Nampa, Caldwell, Meridian, Kuna, Eagle, Star, Middleton, Garden City, Emmett and the rest of the valley, plus Ontario, Nyssa and Vale in Oregon. See what we do in Boise, Nampa, Caldwell and Meridian. Call (208) 366-5771, days, nights, weekends and holidays.
