Whether you’re in your own home or a friend’s house, you may eventually find yourself with a clogged toilet and without a plunger. This can be an awkward and messy situation if handled improperly. Instead of panicking, there are some simple solutions you can use to unclog a toilet without a plunger.
If you have a serious clog, our toilet repair team can handle it. We service homes in Lakeland, Plant City, Winter Haven, and the surrounding areas.
Before calling our professional plumbing company, check out the following ways to unclog a toilet without a plunger.
Your toilet’s clog may be caused by a weak flush.
Some clogs are simply caused by weak flushes. If you didn’t hold the flush handle all the way down, the water level may appear higher than normal. Try flushing your toilet again and push the handle all the way down. This added pressure will allow your toilet’s flapper to stay open and cause the toilet’s contents to flush away properly. If weak flushes are a pattern rather than a one-off, the flapper or fill valve is worn, which is also why a toilet makes noises between flushes.
Use a bucket of water to fix a clogged toilet.
If flushing your toilet again didn’t work, fill a large bucket with warm water. Stand close to your toilet bowl and raise the bucket of water high above your toilet. The pressure of the falling water may displace what’s stuck in your toilet. If you notice your toilet filling up with water rapidly, stop attempting this method midway through. Failure to stop will leave you with a clogged toilet filled to the brim, which will complicate the unclogging process.
Try adding dish-washing detergent, as it will serve as a lubricant. Together, warm water and dish-washing detergent may dissolve the clog and allow you to flush away stubborn waste.
Use warm water, but ensure that it is not boiling, because boiling water can crack your toilet’s porcelain. Do not keep flushing to test it either. When the bowl fills up instead of emptying another flush is what turns a clog into a floor full of water, and what to do if your toilet overflows covers that moment.
Create a vinegar and baking soda solution to fix a clogged toilet.
This method is a little more hands-off, so it’s a great way to avoid directly touching the mess. Pour out a half cup of baking soda and two cups of vinegar into your clogged toilet bowl. Allow it to settle for two to three hours before you flush. This works on organic clogs, which is most of them. What it will not touch is a wipe or a paper towel, and are flushable wipes harming your plumbing explains why. Do not follow it with a bottled drain cleaner, for the reasons in why store bought drain cleaners are a bad idea.
Use a wire hanger to dislodge trapped objects.
Though it may sound old-fashioned, using a wire hanger to dislodge trapped objects can be incredibly effective. We recommend covering the wire with a rag and securing it with duct tape so you don’t damage your toilet bowl. With the wire covered in tape, bend it into your desired shape. Then, push the hanger into your toilet’s hole. Move it around to free stuck objects. Do not flush until you have noticed the water level go down. A hanger only reaches the trap. If a toy or a toothbrush has gone past it, stop, because pushing it further is what turns a drain cleaning call into pulling the toilet off the floor. Keeping objects out in the first place is the point of the things you should never flush.
When all else fails, get in touch with our team to get your toilet unclogged.
When you cannot get your toilet unclogged by yourself, our professional plumbing company is on standby. If every toilet and tub in the house is backing up at once, the toilet is not the problem and the main line is, which calls for sewer backup repair. Overflowing wastewater at midnight goes to our 24 hour emergency plumbing team. Get in touch with our professional plumbers by calling (863) 667-6364 today. We offer our comprehensive plumbing services to central Florida homes located in and around Lakeland, Plant City, and Winter Haven, FL.
