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.
Is it okay to leave a clogged toilet overnight? In most cases, you can leave a clogged toilet overnight. However, calling an emergency plumber near you might be warranted if water starts leaking from the pipes. A simple clog likely won't cause this, but an inexperienced homeowner messing with the plumbing could.
The water level will go down after 15 minutes, so pour more hot water into the bowl to restart the lubrication process. After another 15 minutes of waiting, you can flush the toilet and the clog will be gone!
Make your own drain cleaner by pouring one cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar into the toilet and adding a half gallon of hot water. Dish soap can also help loosen some obstructions. When using either method, allow the solution to sit overnight and then flush the toilet to see if the obstruction has cleared.
Check water level in toilet bowl
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.
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.
First, shut off the water supply to the toilet. To do so, find the valve mounted on the wall behind the toilet. Turn it until the water flow stops. If you can't find the water shut-off valve, lift the top of the tank and lift the float ball high enough to stop the flow.
We recommend you add a cup of baking soda to your blocked toilet and wait for some minutes. Next, pour two cups of vinegar slowly into the toilet. Vinegar and baking soda will typically react to form bubbles, so ensure you pour carefully and slowly to prevent the toilet water from overflowing or splashing.
Using a plunger is one of the most effective methods used for unblocking a toilet as it can unclog a wide variety of waste pipes.
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.)
You should never flush a clogged toilet more than once. Instead, take the lid off the back of the toilet and close the flapper. This will prevent any more water from running into the toilet bowl while you're working.
When you see the symptoms of a nasty clog, the best option you have is to pour hot water into your toilet bowl. You can use the hottest setting from your faucet first. If you need to heat some in the microwave or the stovetop, you don't want it to reach boiling temperatures.
Increase Your Odds with Hot Water
While it is okay to pour boiling water down sink drains, you should never use boiling water in your toilet, as the heat can cause the porcelain to crack. Instead, run your tub until the water is hot and fill a good-sized stockpot or bucket with it.
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.
If the clog still seems to be intact, start over at step 1 and repeat the process a couple of times. For extra-stubborn clogs, you can let the fizz mixture sit overnight or combine this method with plunging.
Pour one cup of baking soda into the clogged toilet, and then chase it with the hot water/vinegar mixture. Leave the volcano mix to do its job, checking in about 30 minutes. In most cases the clog will have come apart, and a simple flush with send it all down the drain. Plus your toilet bowl will be cleaner!
Bleach is an effective way to deal with blocked toilet drains as it is a dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite and also contains a high chlorine concentration. Using bleach by itself or mixing it with boiling water are effective ways to unclog a toilet.
When you are using a baking soda and vinegar solution to clean out your drain, you are actually causing the rubber and plastic that are used for the drain's pipes to be eaten away by the mixture. Over time, this rubber and plastic will break down, causing the drain to become even more blocked.
Fill a bucket with hot water. Carefully pour the hot water into the toilet to dissolve the liquid, bar soap or baking soda. The soap or baking soda and vinegar combination should quickly begin to unclog the clogged toilet drain by helping the clogged object start sliding down the pipes.
Structural Damage – if your clog is not immediately addressed, the pipes can burst and cause other structural damage to your home. In addition, your toilet might back up and flood your bathroom floor.
How to Tell if Your Toilet is Clogged. Signs that your toilet (or sewer line) is blocked include: The water does not flush properly, stays in the bowl for long periods or ends up overflowing over the top of the bowl. When the toilet is flushed, water starts to gurgle up in your shower or bathtub drain.
If, after flushing the toilet, the bowl remains almost empty, this means that there is a problem of air circulation in the waste pipe. If the water level in the toilet bowl rises towards the brim and does not fall again, this means that there is a complete blockage that prevents water from passing.
If you flush the toilet, but your toilet bowl is still filled, you can be sure that something has blocked your toilet. You may see floating items, and you may be tempted to try and flush your toilet again, but you should not attempt to do so. Trying to flush a clogged toilet bowl may result in overflowing.