How to clean a clogged toilet at home. Causes and location of blockage. Mechanical cleaning methods

One of the questions that may arise during the operation of old houses is how to clear a blockage in the toilet. Oddly enough, it is he who most often occurs among others and therefore requires a detailed study.

The formation of various problems with sewerage is unfamiliar only to residents of new buildings. All the rest of the people whose housing was built decades ago, sooner or later have to face similar problems. Some of them are related to the gradual functional deterioration of the system. Others arise as a result of falling into the drain of some thing that clogs it. Both types of sewage problems are quite common.

The most effective methods

Residents of private houses built more than 10-15 years ago, and happy owners of apartments in Khrushchev, sooner or later face a problem that is sometimes extremely difficult to solve. It consists in the formation of a blockage in the toilet. What can we say, such a turmoil can completely disrupt the rhythm of life of the whole family. Wherein biggest problems occur when the toilet and other plumbing fixtures are connected to a common sewer network.

Everyone at least once in their life faced with the solution of the problem of how to clean the blockage in the toilet.

It is important to assess the situation before you begin active disaster relief efforts.

If contaminated water is overflowing and threatening to flood your home, call the emergency services and management company immediately.

Even in the middle of the night, on a day off, and you are not a permanent resident, all this no longer matters.

The emergency must be dealt with by the emergency services.

It is also necessary to block the sewer riser, notify other residents.

All this should be done by utilities while you perform emergency actions while waiting for an emergency.

But if the situation is unpleasant, but not critical, the toilet is clogged, water accumulates and passes very slowly, when the water is drained, the drains rise in the bathroom sewer hole, a bad smell, you can look for a place of blockage and try to find out how to clear a blockage in the toilet yourself.

It is necessary to eliminate the cause of clogged pipes, since improper sewage operation threatens the sanitary condition of the room.

Blockages usually occur at bends, transitions, pipe joints.

On a straight and smooth section of a new pipe, obstruction of the pipe is unlikely. In old cast-iron pipes, overgrown with various deposits from the inside, everything is possible, but then it is urgent to completely change the sewer risers.

What can cause a clogged pipe?

Thick paper, newspapers, unshredded food waste, rags, sponges, congealed grease, any items accidentally dropped into the sewer, hairballs, plastic bags, used hygiene products.

Recently clumping chemical cat litters have been added to the usual causes of pollution.

Such funds literally cement the sewer, creating a complete obstruction. In this case, only professionals can clean the pipes with the help of special tools.

In order to avoid obstruction of the sewerage, it is highly advisable to place a convenient bucket with a lid for paper waste in the toilet. If all neighbors in the riser do the same, the likelihood of traffic jams in the sewer will be minimized.

What cleaning products are available?

Remedies and methods for clogging the toilet can be divided into the following groups:

1. Chemicals and flushing.
2. Mechanical means without examining the pipe
3. Deep mechanical means(sanitary cables)
4. Technical. Analysis of the corrugation, pipe section, complete or partial replacement of the pipeline. In such cases, it is better to call the emergency services.

The common task of all methods is to clear the clogged section of the pipe and remove contamination.

Chemical pipe cleaning methods

Hot water

If you are confident in the quality of your plumbing, try clearing the clogged toilet by pouring a bucket into the toilet hot water. Be careful, the water should be hot, but not boiling water.. It is necessary to fill the toilet bowl by 80% and wait a couple of minutes, then try to break through the blockage with a plunger or just flush the water.

By the way, this method works great if you clog the toilet with cat litter.

An easy way - a bucket of hot water with soda

A bucket of water will take about half a pack of soda.

This is a rather aggressive composition, but it will not be able to damage the pipes.

Soda effectively dissolves various organic contaminants and fats.

By the way, soda washes burnt fat no less effectively than vaunted branded gels.

Another thing is that soda can simply clean off the Teflon surface due to a slight abrasive effect.

If the cork is soluble, then a hot soda solution will cope with it.

Mole and its modifications

Acid-based products do not dissolve blockages, but they can really damage pipes.

For cleaning the toilet "Mole" is practically not suitable due to the presence of a water lock.

into the pipe, i.e. workplace"Mole" will hit only in a very diluted form, absolutely incapable of dissolving the blockage, but completely damaging the pipe.

Why are acid products not effective? The answer to this question lies in the course of chemistry of the 8th-9th grade of high school and in the selective action of various acids. Acids that dissolve organic matter do not dissolve polyethylene, and plastic bags are the cause of half of the blockages.

Acids that dissolve polyethylene do not dissolve organics, but easily dissolve plastic patches pipes and part of metal structures.

The use of "Mole", effective in the past decades, before the significant spread of plastic packaging, was very effective.

Currently, "Mole" can be successfully used to dissolve organic blockages in the sewers of private houses.

Tricks with Fae

It is better to really pour half a bottle of "fairy" into the toilet. If the blockage is fatty, the "fairy" will dissolve it without difficulty. But greasy blockages, often found in the kitchen, are quite rare in the fecal sewer.

Shampoos and regular foaming detergents it is highly undesirable to lower it into the sewer.

Folk remedies "Pepsi and Cola"

Effectively remove yellow plaque and darkening from plumbing. This is true. On this, the benefits of these drinks are exhausted.

Of the remedies presented, the most effective is a solution of soda in hot water..

We will not consider options with a solution of bleach and pouring bottles of "whiteness" into the sewer.

Chlorine solutions effectively prevent blockages with regular use.

Several decades ago, disinfection of sanitary facilities with chlorine was a mandatory procedure in all public places.

In clinics, hospitals, first-aid posts, state institutions. This procedure was abandoned due to the harmful effects of toxic chlorine vapor on the body. Modern disinfectants have a viscous structure and are more long term action compared to liquid solutions and less harmful fumes.

Usage disinfectants V cistern or in the toilet bowl reduces the risk of blockages.

Mechanical cleaning methods

Mechanical methods pipe cleanings are generally different more efficient compared with chemical methods. Exist household methods elimination of obstructions, such as a plunger and more technologically advanced ones, to eliminate blockages deep inside pipes, using plumbing cables.

Using a plunger

Plunger is essential tool for effective removal of small blockages.

The plunger creates hydraulic stress in the pipe, destroying and pushing most of the contaminants forward.

How to use a plunger?

Take the plunger by the handle, place the suction cup over the drain and perform 5-10 sharp and strong pushing movements. Unstick the plunger, if necessary, repeat the procedure.

Usually, several approaches and about 10 minutes are enough to eliminate contamination. After removing the pollution, for preventive purposes it is good to pour one or two buckets into the toilet warm water with soda.

The plunger must be kept clean and placed in a disinfectant liquid. after use or rinse thoroughly.

Plastic bottle

In case of emergency, a plastic bottle can replace the plunger.

How to use a pipe cleaning bottle?

The bottom is cut off from the plastic bottle, the lid is screwed tightly and with the resulting device you can try to create a hydraulic wave, like a plunger.

After use, the contaminated bottle should be immediately disposed of in the trash.

Using a plumbing cable

There are several modifications.

From household, no more than 5 meters long, to professional devices, which can easily break through a blockage in a toilet bowl or pipeline.

A conventional plumbing cable is a metal elastic springy cable with a handle.

The cable is gently inserted into the plumbing fixture and rotates, pushing through and destroying the cause of blockages. A metal brush is often made at the end of the cable, with which you can get the object that caused the obstruction.

If the cause of the blockage of the pipe could not be eliminated, contact the plumbers serving your home. Eliminating the cause of a blocked tube may take long time and require specialized knowledge and skills.

In order not to take on unnecessary responsibility for flooding neighbors with fecal masses as a result of unprofessional actions, it is better to seek help from specialists.

Possible causes of traffic jams

Before you begin to fix the problem, you need to understand what caused it.

Clogging often occurs for one of the following reasons:

installation of a plumbing fixture made with obvious violations;
improper operation and neglect of the household appliance;
a thick layer of deposits, formed due to hard water and insufficient preventive measures, covering the inner walls of the sewer pipe.

Salt deposits on the walls of the sewer pipe.

Another common cause of clogged plumbing is household waste that cannot be disposed of through the sewer. For example, you can easily create a plug in the toilet drain system with one discarded diaper. Inside it is an absorbent pad, which in the water will begin to swell strongly and increase, as a result, the pipe hole will be completely clogged. Similarly, pipes can become clogged when the contents are flushed down the drain. cat litter. In such situations, it is necessary to start cleaning the pipes as soon as possible, until the sewer system “stands up”.

Remember! To prevent clogging of the sewer, do not flush food and household waste down the toilet. It is best to use the urn.

TO possible reasons frequent blockages can also be attributed to errors made in the manufacture of plumbing by manufacturers. Often they focus on the design of models and equipping them with various devices, not caring about the performance of the entire structure. In this case, you should think about replacing plumbing.

Checking the localization of the blockage will allow you to find out what and where could become clogged. First you need to check whether the water is draining well from the bath and kitchen sink. If the drainage of water in these places is normal, there is no doubt that it was the toilet that was clogged. Now that the cause of the formation and the location of the traffic jam have been determined, you can think about how to solve this problem.

To check the degree of clogging of the toilet, do not use the drain of the water from the barrel, as there may be enough water for all the contents to spill out. It is enough to pour in just a liter of water to understand whether this is a “deaf” blockage or still the water flows a little inside.

Ways to remove blockages

There are three ways to clean a clogged toilet:

manual;
mechanical;
Chemical.

If the design of the toilet allows, then first you can try to manually get rid of the blockage by wearing a rubber glove. If rubber gloves were not at hand, it will do. plastic bag dressed on hand. This method makes sense if you know exactly what caused the blockage.

Mechanical cleaning is performed using various devices:

plunger

This simple but efficient fixture many housewives use it in the kitchen to clean the drain hole of the sink. It is also indispensable in the toilet when removing blockages located shallow. A plumbing plunger consists of a bowl-shaped rubber suction cup worn on an elongated, usually wooden handle. Under the influence of hydraulic pressure created by water and air when pumping the tip of the plunger, it collapses and is pushed forward most of pollution.
When using a plunger, the following actions are performed:

water is poured into the toilet bowl;
bring the suction cup of the plunger to the drain hole, closing it as tightly as possible;
make 5-10 pumps, sharply pressing the plunger handle;
after pumping, the suction cup is peeled off.

Sometimes it is not possible to eliminate the blockage with a plunger immediately, but after several attempts.

Important! To create sufficient hydraulic pressure, the tip of the plunger should be slightly larger than the drain hole.

Varieties of plungers: 1. For cleaning the blockage in the sink 2. For cleaning the toilet bowl.

If you did not have time to get a plunger, and your toilet bowl is already clogged, what to do at home - do not despair, you can replace it with a plastic one and a half liter bottle. First, the empty bottle is tightly closed with a lid, and the bottom is cut off. Then, the bottle, holding the neck with your hand, is inserted into the drain hole until the water begins to resist. After that, they begin to press on the sides of the bottle so that the water pushed out of it presses on the blockage and pushes it forward.

After cleaning, for the purpose of prevention, it is good to additionally rinse the drain with two buckets warm water with soda.

Plumbing cable

This device is usually used by plumbers, but it is so simple that anyone can handle it. The cable is made of wire that is tightly twisted into a hollow flexible tube. On the one hand, the cable ends with an L-shaped handle. On the other hand, the wire is twisted in a spiral in a small section, this end of the cable is used as a punch. Technical cables used by plumbers can be up to 50 meters or more in length. In the apartment, too long a punch is not required, since you can clean the toilet bowl at home with a three-meter cable.

To clean the drain with a technical cable, you must perform the following steps:

lower the end of the cable with a punch into the toilet drain and push it all the way;
then start turning the handle in one direction until the cable can pass through the cork;
when the blockage begins to move from its place, you should continue to rotate the cable to push it further along the pipe;
if the cable, passing through the blockage, could not destroy it, you can try to pull the plug out by pulling the cable towards you.

After a complete cleaning of the pipe, it is imperative to do an additional flush.

If the toilet is clogged regularly and the house is still used for sewage old cast iron pipes, then think about replacing them with more modern plastic ones. Plastic pipes have more smooth surface walls and are less prone to clogging.

Sometimes it's better to resort to strong remedies

It may happen that if a significant blockage accumulates in the pipe, mechanical cleaning will not be enough and you will need to move on to more drastic measures, such as cleaning drain system toilet bowl with strong chemicals. In stores you can find such funds, expensive and relatively cheap. When choosing chemicals remember that expensive formulations may actually be ineffective.

From the stores on the shelves effective means can be distinguished:

"Mole" is a tool related to the budget segment, but it is quite possible for them to clean a clogged toilet bowl. Action caustic soda it is enhanced by various additives. Available in two forms: gel and powder. With this tool, it is possible to dissolve fatty deposits and a number of solid bio-waste, in particular hair, which often accumulate in the drain hole. At the same time, Krot is safe for pipes.
Vortex Draft is an expensive liquid-only product. It consists of caustic soda, chlorine and surfactant components, these active substances perfectly cope with blockages and do not harm pipes.
Tiret is a product similar in composition and action to Vortex Draft.

You will be surprised, but you can make your own sewer cleaner at home. For this you need baking soda and table vinegar. Pour a pack of soda into the toilet, after pumping water out of it, and add 200 ml of vinegar. will happen chemical reaction that clears up the blockage. Wait 20-30 minutes, then flush the toilet with two liters of hot water (do not use boiling water).

If the methods listed in the article did not help, then, most likely, the common riser of the house was clogged. In this case, you need to urgently call the organization serving your home to fix the problem.

Opponents of the use of strong chemicals at home and not only they can be advised to be careful, try to prevent foreign objects from getting into the toilet bowl. Do not forget about preventive measures, then you do not have to clean the clogged toilet in emergency mode.

Advice! Prevention sewer pipes should be done at least once a quarter. For these purposes, apply industrial facilities for pipe cleaning. Just pour the liquid into the pipe and leave it overnight, and in the morning rinse with plenty of water. This procedure will remove all salt deposits and prevent the formation of stone in the pipes.

With this trouble, the tenants apartment buildings encounter at least once in a lifetime. In old houses, where the sewage system leaves much to be desired, blockages often become a real disaster. It takes time to wait for the plumber. But, if you have a desire, you can easily eliminate the blockage yourself. From this article we will learn how to clean the toilet from blockage, as well as analyze several ways to clean it.

Finding the cause of blockage

As a rule, the main causes of blockage are:

Large items falling into the drain: accidentally thrown rags, leftovers of food or garbage;

The formation of too large a layer of limescale during long-term operation of plumbing; it is formed quite quickly even in the presence of excessively hard water;

Illiterate installation of the toilet bowl and the presence of excessive convolutions and bends in the pipes located at a large angle: this is possible when moving the toilet bowl too far from the drain or installing a “steep” toilet bowl of the latest model, the drain hole (inlet) of which is absolutely incompatible with the hole installed in your apartment.

Cleaning chemicals

If the cause of the blockage is the formation of limescale, you can try to soften it with any quality formulations intended for this:

Domestos: in addition to Domestos itself, the group of these fairly inexpensive and quite effective cleaning products also includes the Cif brand, produced by the same manufacturer;

Domestos gel

Procter & Gamble: able to cope not only with plaque, but also with rust;

Cillit: highly advertised product is also quite suitable for cleaning even heavy plaque;

Jonson&Jonson: used for cleaning hard-to-reach places, has a package in the form of a “toilet duck” - tubes with a curved dispenser nozzle, which allows you to spill the composition along the rim of the toilet bowl, cleaning along the way and the accumulated plaque in this area;

Tiret: means for the elimination of lime formations and their prevention;

Sanita Gel: another quality product from a Russian manufacturer.

If you have already encountered the problem of blockage and know some other brands of products that can clean plumbing from plaque, you can certainly use them. We have listed only the most famous manufacturers whose products really work (unless, of course, you buy a fake).

Important! Before using any composition, be sure to read the instructions. Most of these cleaners are designed for use in cast iron or plastic pipes. Unfortunately, steel pipes they can hurt.

If the blockage is small, you can try a mixture of 9% vinegar and baking soda. To do this, you need about half a pack of soda and a glass of vinegar. To enhance the effect, it is better to scoop out excess water from the toilet before this.

Pour soda, then add vinegar

Mechanical cleaning of the toilet
The first step is to make sure that the toilet is clogged. Turn on the faucet, for example, located above the washbasin or the faucet above the bathtub. If the water passes without problems, then the blockage is in the toilet.

If you know for sure that a foreign object has fallen into the toilet, try to get it out. Perhaps he hasn't gone too far yet. Put on rubber gloves (if you don't have them, you can use a large, durable bag) and check the drain.

If we are unlucky and the rag or debris has gone too far for our hand to reach, try using a plunger. A tool with a small rubber valve will not work here - its diameter should be slightly larger than the drain. Place it firmly against the edges of the drain hole and begin to make sharp forward movements, pushing the water down. Under the influence of hydraulic pressure, the object that has fallen into the toilet will be pushed into a common, wider drain.

Cleaning with a plunger

Advice. The plunger can be replaced by the cut top of a 1.5-liter plastic bottle with a tightly closed cap. For the convenience of capturing water along its edges, several cuts can be made.

A plunger will only help if the item that falls into the drain is not too large

Cleaning the toilet with a cable

If you do not have this useful item in your house, be sure to purchase it. After all, plumbers use it to clean all types of pipes. With the help of a cable, even compressed and dense and hard deposits can be removed from the drain, as well as fairly large debris can be pushed through.

For use in an apartment, it is better to purchase a tool with a diameter of 9 mm and a length of 5 m. For convenience, a handle is fixed at the end of the cable, which you will rotate. At the other end is a small tip in the form of a spiral or ruff, with which you can crush the garbage or grab pieces of it.

Since when the cable is pulled back out of the toilet, dirt and drops can get on the floor and surrounding objects dirty water, cover the area around with old rags or an unnecessary bedspread. When punching, it will be better if someone helps you spin the cable (although you can handle it alone).

Lower it into the drain and gradually, without effort, try to push it as far as possible. Keep in mind that you will have to overcome several bends, so proceed slowly. As soon as the cable reaches the blockage and hits the obstacle, start turning the handle. Try pulling out the cable. You may have been able to catch some debris in the drain. If nothing happens, push the cable all the way again and start turning the handle. And so on until the end!

Rope punching

Prevention

In order to avoid blockages in the future, use the following tips:
do not throw large objects and food waste into the drain;

After washing the floors, be sure to check if there is a rag left in the bucket;

Regularly use modern chemical means to combat limescale; if the water in the house is hard, such prevention should be carried out more often;

If possible, replace old clogged and rusted sewer risers for new ones;

If you find that your toilet is not installed correctly, call plumbers or (if you have at least basic skills) change it yourself.

Video: How to clean the toilet with a plastic bottle

Time runs forward, houses began to be built using new technologies from modern building materials, and the problem of clogging pipes and drains in apartments is still relevant. Often, difficult drainage of water in the toilet can be observed due to the deposition of salts in the pipes. Hard water sediment, urea and other kinds of deposits settle on the walls of the pipes and narrow their inner diameter. What to do in this case and how to clean the blockage in the toilet?

Checking all systems

It is very important to understand whether there is only a blockage in the toilet or if the water does not drain well in other rooms where there is running water.

If the drain is slow everywhere, then most likely it is a problem in the common pipe. Then your neighbors should face the same troubles. Discuss this issue with them and decide together what to do next.

Troubleshooting should be done by your Management Company. If the liquid does not go away at all or flows down in a thin stream only in the toilet, then this means that the toilet is clogged. You can solve the problem mechanically, using chemicals or plunger.

mechanical method

It often happens that a blockage in the sewerage system is provoked by the residents themselves, who use plumbing equipment as a garbage chute, pouring the remains of liquid dishes there, sending spoiled food and hygiene products. Even an ordinary newspaper sheet can cause stagnant water in the pipes.

It must be said right away that an attempt to break through it with a large amount of plain water can turn into a flood in the toilet for you.

On the contrary, you should bail out all the water from the toilet and, armed with high rubber gloves, try to stick your hand as far as possible and pull out what caused the blockage.

If this event did not lead to anything, go to a specialized store and buy a special plumbing cable.

We assure you that it is not so expensive and will fully justify this waste, as it will come in handy more than once. Such a device can be rope, spring, rigging, tension, etc. It has a metal braid and a handle at the end, which allows you to comfortably grab it and make rotational and translational movements. At the opposite end, the cable may have a spiral - for extraction or a weight - for punching.

Rope steps:

what should be done at home if the toilet is clogged? Lower the end with a spiral or weight into the drain, and begin to rotate the handle of the tool in any direction, while pushing it forward;
it is necessary to rotate the cable so that it can overcome the bend of the pipe and move further - to the place of possible accumulation of sewage;
pushing the device as deep as possible, try to perform various movements with it: move it back and forth, move it from side to side, etc .;
after that, it remains only to hope that the cable caught the object that caused all the troubles. Pulling it out, you can be convinced of this or be disappointed.

Work with a plunger or its equivalent

When pulling the cable to the surface, you need to be prepared for the fact that dirty liquid will drip from it onto the floor surface, so you need to remove the soft rug from it in advance. Prepare a trash can to dispose of a rag, hygiene product, or anything else stuck in the pipe. Instead of a cable, you can use a flexible wire with a hooked end. And if there is neither one nor the other, the good old plunger will save.

The main thing is that the diameter of its rubber tip should be larger diameter drain hole: this will create the necessary conditions for water hammer to occur.

How else to clear a blockage in the toilet yourself? If this device was not found in your home, take a 1-1.5-liter plastic bottle, cut off the bottom of it, and screw the lid tightly. The container will act as a plunger.

That is, with the cut end, it must be inserted into the drain hole and gradually introduced inside until the air in the cavity begins to push it back.

With a sharp movement, press the bottle all the way into the drain and immediately remove it out. In some cases, the pressure created is enough to break through the blockage after two or three such operations.

Chemicals

Another life hack that will tell you what to do if the toilet is clogged. Baking soda and vinegar will help clear the blockage. The toilet must be freed from excess water and pour half a pack of soda into the drain. Now pour one glass of vinegar into it. An alkaline reaction will occur, which will corrode the salt plug and fight fat deposits. After 15–20 minutes, it is recommended to pour 3 liters of boiling water into the plumbing equipment. But here it is necessary to take into account what material the toilet bowl is made of, that is, whether it is “afraid” of boiling water.

The thin plastic from which the connecting corrugation is made can also resist such sophisticated manipulations and burst. Remember this. It is better not to risk it and pour not boiling water into the toilet, but just very hot water.

If you are afraid of such experiments, just buy special household chemicals in the store to clear toilet blockages. They are always based on some kind of acid that corrodes the components of the layers - textile fibers, hair, body fat, etc.

The most famous means include "Tiret", "Mr. Muscle", "Mole", "Tofix", "Domestos", etc.

Using them to break through a blockage at home is as easy as shelling pears: just follow the instructions printed on the container. If blockages have become a frequent occurrence in your home, remedies household chemicals must be used regularly to prevent the almost complete narrowing of the pipe clearance by salt deposits and extend the life of the laid communications.

Now you know how to clear a blockage in the toilet and what to do if an object accidentally falls into it.

A small problem can be fixed on your own, but a serious one can not do without the help of professionals. Good luck!