Common Foreign Objects That Clog Toilets
When your toilet won’t flush properly, it may be because you have a foreign object stuck in the drain. Before considering the list of common foreign objects, it is worth noting several other common causes of clogged toilet drains. You can start by checking if there is water in the water tank. Lift up the top and take a look. If the water is low, you can at least dump bucket water into the tank. This will provide one good flush so you can at least work around a clean bowl. Your problem might be caused by a broken toilet lever. You can test this by pushing down on the lever, and observing the action. A cracked diaphragm or siphon in the toilet water tank is another common cause of inability to flush the toilet. The siphon normally lifts up the water, at the start of the flush, initiating the flush action. If the siphon is cracked, the toilet won’t flush properly. Finally, inability to flush the toilet may be the result of low water pressure in the house. It could be that the pressure is insufficient to push enough water up to the water inflow valve.
With all that said, a clogged toilet is frequently the result of a foreign object in the drain. The numbers of foreign objects that can block a toilet drain are myriad. Some of the more common items include lady sanitary napkins and baby wipes. Whole rolls of toilets, frequently dumped in by mischievous kids can block toilets from flushing properly. Other items that kids toss into toilets include toys, a child’s comb or hairbrush. Just about any small item in a young child’s possession can end up in the toilet bowl. A 2 year old once tossed the splash shield from his potty chair down the toilet and this caused a serious blockage.
Kids are not to blame for all or most foreign objects. Adults will not infrequently place objects on the lid of the toilet water tank, or even on the toilet seat, and then accidentally knock the object down the drain. An example of one such foreign object was the powder makeup compact case that a lady had knocked down the toilet with her elbow. Finally, too much human waster can also cause toilets to clog; as one man sheepishly put it: “I completely blocked up my toilet after eating my burrito from Applebee’s.”
If your toilet is clogged, and you think it might be due to a foreign object, there are a couple of procedures you can try before calling the plumber. You can use a plunger to try and dislodge the foreign body with pressure, or you can insert a carefully straightened out coat hanger, to see if this will dislodge the foreign object.
Most foreign objects take up residence behind the ubend in the toilet drain pipe, and frequently require more extensive procedures to be dislodged.
Thanks to A-1 Plumbing of Baltimore for sponsoring this article. If you are having problems with a clogged toilet and were unable to fix the problem yourself, then call a plumber. If you live in the Greater Baltimore Area, or surrounding communities, as far south as DC, give us a call, and we will send out a radio dispatched plumber to tend to your problem.
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