Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. That moment when you have tons of guests over and your toilet seems like it just forgot how to operate. One of the most common issues we face when it comes to our residential plumbing system is a toilet that just won’t flush.
The truth is there’s no such thing as a random toilet clog. Every clog has a culprit and it’s important to know what they are so you can avoid them in the future. Swick Home Services is here to provide quality clogged toilet repair services as well as toilet installations, so no matter what your toilet issue is, our knowledgeable plumbers can fix it!
Looking for a complete bathroom remodel? Be sure to ask our staff how we can help make your dream bathroom a reality!
What Causes Toilets to Clog
As stated above, the most effective method of protecting your toilet against clogs and blockages is to know what causes them in the first place. Some of the most common causes we see in our clients’ homes include:
- Low Flush Toilet - If you have a low flow toilet, chances are you’ve experienced a clogged toilet before. Although these models are a great option for those looking to be more efficient, these toilets are more susceptible to blockages since the water pressure often isn’t enough to clear out waste.
- Too Much Toilet Paper - Oftentimes, we bombard our toilets with much more than they can handle. Whether it be excessive amounts of toilet paper or too much waste, our toilets can become blocked and have a hard time clearing themselves out.
- Hair - Most of us don’t even think of toilets and hair in the same sentence but hair is a major culprit behind clogged drains everywhere. Pieces of stray hair tend to clump together and if they accidentally enter our drains, water has a hard time flushing through, leaving behind a toilet that fails to flush.
- Baby Wipes/Feminine Products - Our toilets can only process human waste, toilet paper, and not much else. Flushing these items down the toilet is a sure way to wreak havoc on your drainage system.
How to Prevent Toilet Blockages
We never know when our toilet is going to stop flushing until it is too late. Water is already rising up to the top and before you know it, your bathroom floor is covered in toilet water. Luckily, there are a number of precautionary measures you can take to prevent this headache from happening to you!
- Knowing What’s Flushable: As stated above, toilets are only made to flush waste and toilet paper. That means no baby wipes, no feminine products, no oils or grease, no paper towels, and no tiny toys from a curious but determined tot.
- Flushing Appropriately: In order to prevent clogs, you should only flush as much toilet paper as necessary. Wads of toilet paper can wreak havoc on our plumbing and cause major blockages.
- Addressing Weak Drains: Oftentimes, a weak flush is an indicator that a blockage is forming in the toilet drain. Don’t wait until water fails to go down, plunge as soon as a slow flush occurs.
By knowing a little bit more about what causes these blockages, you can your family can be more proactive about preventing blockages. While some issues can be prevented, when you’re dealing with a serious clog, it’s better to ditch the DIY fix and call our plumbing pros instead.
Want to get more aggressive with your clogged toilet prevention? Be sure to ask our plumbers whether ongoing drain cleaning is right for your home.
Why Hire a Professional?
Most of us have at least a plunger on standby in the case of a plumbing emergency. However, sometimes the plumbing issue is a lot deeper than a plunger can reach and when this happens, many people opt for store-bought solutions such as chemical drain cleaners. The only problem is, a lot of store-bought solutions actually cause more damage than the initial problem, sometimes even harming your pipes in the process.
That’s why we strongly advise our professional clogged toilet repair services to ensure that the problem is taken care of on the first try. We know how frustrating a malfunctioning toilet can be, so we offer 24-hour emergency plumbing services to customers all over the greater Marquette area.
