How To Unblock A Toilet

To avoid any major issues or expensive call outs on Christmas Day here is a look at unblocking toilets without calling in the professionals. Plumbers can be quite costly and are not always necessary, sometimes it is worth carrying out these steps before making that dreaded call for backup. If you are having a go yourself then always remember to wear rubber gloves.

Firstly you need to empty as much water as you can from the pan, find a small bucket or plastic container, this will allow you clear access to the blockage. Using a piece of wire, a coat hanger or plunger, the obstruction can hopefully be loosened and removed. A toilet plunger is a good way of getting the water moving in the pan which will also help to dislodge the blockage.

Failing that, second point of call is to find the drain closest to the blocked toilet and check to see if the blockage is visible here or if this area has filled up with water which means the blockage is further down the soil pipe. If this is the case then it is slightly trickier than simply unblocking the toilet as you will have to reach a lot further, which will require a longer and stronger piece of wire.

If this doesn’t seem possible, or you do not have anything long enough to insert in the pipework you may decide that now is the time to call in the experts.

It is important to point out that you should be aiming to fish out the blocked object rather than pushing it deeper into the soil pipe as this may result in further problems and blocked drains. Toilets are only designed to take toilet paper and even then this should be in small quantities as large amounts can lead to blockages in the pipework.