Almost everyone has experienced accidentally flushing something down the toilet, whether it slipped out of a pocket, fell from a counter, or was thrown in by a child. But don’t worry – no matter how it ended up in there, there’s usually a way to retrieve it.

Turn off the water supply: Before attempting to remove the object, turn off the water supply to the toilet to prevent it from flushing and causing further damage or complications.

Use rubber gloves: Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from any germs or bacteria, and have a plastic bag or container ready to place the object in once it is retrieved.

Try a plunger: If the object is visible and close to the surface, you can try using a plunger to dislodge it. Create a seal with the plunger over the hole in the toilet bowl, and then push and pull the plunger in a steady motion. Be careful not to push the object further down the pipe.

Use a toilet snake: If the object is not visible or close to the surface, a toilet snake can be used to retrieve it. Insert the snake into the toilet bowl and maneuver it down the pipe until it reaches the object. Use the snake to gently pull the object back up and out of the toilet.

Call a professional plumber: If the object cannot be easily retrieved or if the above methods do not work, it’s best to call a professional plumber. They have the experience and specialized equipment to safely and effectively remove the object without causing damage to the toilet or plumbing system.

Remember, prevention is always better than cure, so be mindful of what you flush down the toilet to avoid any future mishaps.

Last resort tactics

Use a toilet auger: A toilet auger, also known as a closet auger, is a tool specifically designed for unclogging toilets. It can be inserted into the toilet bowl and maneuvered down the pipe to break up and remove any stubborn clogs.

Pour hot water and dish soap: Boil a pot of water and add a few squirts of dish soap to it. Pour the hot water and soap mixture into the toilet bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. The heat and soap may help break up the clog and allow it to be flushed away.

Use a wet/dry vacuum: If you have a wet/dry vacuum, you can try using it to suction out the clog. Be sure to set the vacuum to the wet setting and create a seal around the toilet bowl with a towel to prevent any air leaks.

Call a professional plumber: If none of these methods work, it’s best to call a professional plumber. They have the experience and specialized equipment to safely and effectively remove the clog without causing damage to the toilet or plumbing system.

It’s important to note that you should never use chemical drain cleaners as a last resort, as they can be harmful to both your plumbing system and the environment.

It would be time to call a plumber when you are experiencing plumbing issues that you cannot resolve on your own or that require specialized equipment or expertise. Some examples of plumbing issues that may require a plumber include:

A complete lack of water or low water pressure: If you are experiencing a lack of water or low water pressure in your home, it may be a sign of a larger issue with your plumbing system. A plumber can assess the problem and identify the root cause of the issue.

Clogged drains: If you have a clogged drain that cannot be resolved with a plunger or other DIY methods, it’s time to call a plumber. They can use specialized equipment, such as a drain snake, to safely and effectively remove the clog.

Leaks or burst pipes: If you notice a leak or burst pipe in your home, it’s important to call a plumber right away. They can identify the source of the leak and repair the pipe to prevent further damage to your home.

Sewer line issues: If you are experiencing issues with your sewer line, such as slow draining or sewage backups, it’s important to call a plumber. Sewer line issues can be dangerous and require specialized equipment to diagnose and repair.

In general, if you are experiencing any plumbing issues that you cannot resolve on your own or that require specialized equipment or expertise, it’s best to call a plumber. They have the experience and knowledge to diagnose and repair plumbing issues safely and effectively.

home / blog / 5 Rea...

Hi guys Discount Plumbers here and today we’re going to ask ourselves:

Why does my toilet keep clogging?

And the number one reason that i’ve seen in my experience with toilets clogging is somebody in your household is flushing. The wrong thing could be. It could be your kids could be anybody in the house. Flushable wipes are real popular.

Paper toys, feminine hygiene, wipes...

A lot of people use too much paper toys if you have small kids, feminine hygiene products, another big deal, so these are all things you don’t want to put in the toilet. So the easiest thing for you to do is let everybody in your house know what they can and can’t flush and kind of monitor what’s going on, and then you can see why it’s happening and if it continues then there’s other things that you can look at.

The Flapper

All right, so the second thing that we see in this industry a lot is the flapper is incorrect for the toilet or it’s old, and it’s just not working like it’s supposed to toilets, especially now have a million different flappers.

The flapper (see Image) is very important. That’s what tells it how much water needs to go from here in the tank to the bowl. So that’s a really important part of the toilet, and, if that’s not working correctly, it will never flush correctly.

Old Pipes

So the third problem that we see in this industry is probably old: piping houses. A lot of them had cast iron piping, which is known to build scale and crack and get brittle over time and deteriorate quite a bit. Here in Minneapolis, we deal with frozen pipes in the winter as well.

Even newer homes with pvc can have issues with the house settling and the plumbing settling, so there’s ways to find out. If that’s your problem, we have a bunch of cool high tech cameras that we can look through the pipes with we just did a job. Last week, where they had cast iron pipes from the 40s that we had to cut the floor and replace the entire plumbing system, so there’s ways to do it less evasive ways than cutting the floor, but cutting the floors the most practical way.

The trap

So the fourth thing that we see a lot of is something stuck in the trap way, which is the section of of curved area between the bowl and the floor of the toilet.

And what happens? Is things get stuck in there and you think they’re clear and you flush and it backs up again and then you you plunge it or whatever and it’s clear and then you flush a few times later and it clogs up again normally there’s something stuck in your trap way, when that happens, it’s there, you get stuff past it, and then it comes back. So that’s a normally a clear indication that something stuck in there. It’s not supposed to be there and the really.

The only way to get that out is to pull the toilet and try to shake it out or break the toilet to get it out. It’s not that much fun.

Even Toilets get old

So the fifth thing that we see is the toilet’s just old they’re wore out they’re tired, and you say how does it wear out? It’s porcelain.

Well, there’s ports inside that move, water and the water is hard in states like Florida and it it clogs things up. So the ports get clogged up over time with mineral deposits and different things, so your toilet’s not flowing correctly. The tank is not flowing water to the bowl, exactly like it’s supposed to so it slows things down.

So one way to test to see if it’s your toilet or your plumbing system is to take a bucket of water about a half a bucket of water and pour directly into the toilet bowl. If the toilet seems to flush good. When you do that, then it’s not your plumbing system, it’s more related just to your toilet, so that’s a good place to start and then you can kind of go through the steps from there. But these are the five most common things we see in the industry and if you have looked at this article and you’re trying to take care of this yourself, if you continue to have problems, it may be time to call a plumber.

That’s going to be number six, so if you need a plumber in Minnesota, you can always call Discount Plumbers at 612-503-4560