Give a few good up and down strokes with the plunger and flush the toilet. If the water clears from the toilet, then you've successfully unclogged it. If the toilet starts overflowing again, just close the flapper to stop water from entering the bowl. Repeat the plunge and flush sequence until your clog is gone.
Once the plunger has created a good seal, push down and pull up a few times without breaking the seal. Then, flush. If the water does not go down, open the tank again and make sure the flapper is closed, so the water does not overflow.
Stop Flushing!
The clog will prevent the water from going down the drain, meaning it will overflow the toilet and get all over the floor. This can create a much bigger (and must smellier) mess. You should never flush a clogged toilet more than once.
After plunging for thirty seconds, quickly break the seal and remove the plunger. Listen for a gurgling sound from the drain (a good sign) and check the water level in the toilet bowl. If nearly all the water drained from the bowl, then you've probably cleared the clog.
Ideally, no more than five or 10 minutes. One plumber told us that if plunging goes on any longer, it's time to try a toilet snake or call an expert.
Plunging down too hard
And a really hard thrust could even crack the bowl. The proper toilet plunging technique: Place the plunger in the toilet bowl so that water is covering the lips of the plunger. Push down gently to get all the air out of the plunger and to get a good seal.
Maintain a seal and plunge up and down rapidly, keeping the plunger under the water level and lifting it only an inch or so on every upstroke. Be patient, as it may take multiple plunge cycles, of a dozen plunges per cycle, to loosen the clog. Flush to see if the clog has cleared. If not, repeat.
Caustic soda is a nasty chemical that can burn, but it's very effective for unclogging toilets. To use this chemical, you need to get some rubber gloves and eye protection. You can pick the chemical from the local hardware or grocery stores. Pour a ¾ gallon of cold water into a bucket, and add 3 cups of caustic soda.
You may just be using it incorrectly. Do this: Next time you have a clog, use your plunger like this: Ensure the flange lip is unfolded. Get a good seal on the toilet drain (that is, make sure you're covering the entire drain or you won't have enough pressure to loosen the clog.)
Pump the plunger over the hole.
It may take 15 to 20 cycles before the toilet unclogs. Be patient. As long as you don't have a hard object (like a kid's toy) stuck in there, plunging alone often suffices. It might not work immediately but will often work after a few dozen plunge cycles.
In general, a single flush 1.6 gpf or 1.28 gpf toilet tank will take around half minute (30 seconds) to one minute (60 seconds) to fill. Here are few steps to verify if your toilet tank takes longer than one minute to fill: Verify if the water supply valve is fully open.
Baking Soda And Hot Water
Pour about half of a cup of baking soda down the drain and then follow up with a pot of boiling water. Let it sit for an hour or two before you try flushing again. It might take several attempts, but this method has been known to work really well in unclogging slow draining toilets.
Lift the plunger and pour the water inside the plunging end. Put it back in the toilet water and swish. Allow it to sit for five minutes to soak off any particles. Move the plunger off the toilet drain.
Attempting to force a clog through a toilet with a plunger can often make the problem worse. Instead, create a seal and slowly push down on the plunger before pulling it back sharply. The suction can help pull the clog back up toward the bowl, breaking the blockage and allowing gravity to take over.
Will a toilet eventually unclog itself? It sure would be nice, but it's fairly rare for a toilet's clog to clear up after a few hours. It can happen, but only in select circumstances.
A manual drain snake, also known as a plumber's snake or a drain auger, is a small boring tool that rotates slowly as it's physically pushed through a stubborn clog. The terminal end of the device is a corkscrew-shaped hook that is fed into a clogged drain or toilet.
It can hurt the toilet and soften/dissolve pipes— Drano uses caustic or oxidizing chemicals to create heat to unclog a drain. If Drano does not clear the toilet, this heat can crack the porcelain, soften PVC pipes and dissolve old, corroded pipes.
The easiest and first thing to try when attempting to unclog toilets without a plunger is hot water. The addition of hot water might be enough to loosen the clog and dislodge the blockage. Fill a bucket with about a gallon of hot water from the sink or bathtub. Then pour the hot water into the toilet bowl.
Start slow and add force as needed. Several gentle pumps will usually work better than a couple of hard pushes. If your blockage is going to come out, it should happen in less than 10 minutes.
Plunge Correctly
Give a few good up and down strokes with the plunger and flush the toilet. If the water clears from the toilet, then you've successfully unclogged it. If the toilet starts overflowing again, just close the flapper to stop water from entering the bowl.
But a larger clog or one that's deep into your home's plumbing system may not respond to the pressure of a plunger. Never use excessive force to plunge a clog. If the drain won't open with normal plunging pressure, you need a professional's help. Forceful plunging can damage the drain line and cause leaks.
DON'T use excessive force when plunging a clog. Too much pressure can damage the drain line connection and ruin the trap. DO use a plumber's snake if plunging didn't work.
It's not exactly a cleaning tool, but your plunger definitely needs the proper attention considering the messes it gets itself into—you want to clean it thoroughly every time it's used. You can start off by flushing the toilet and using the running water to give the plunger a first rinse. Then, do a bleach soak.