Common Causes of Toilet Clogs
Common Causes of Toilet Clogs
Nobody intentionally clogs a toilet but when it does happen it is one of the more embarrassing plumbing mishaps. Clogged toilets can be tricky at times because it can be caused by a variety of reasons. The good news is that most toilet clogs can be avoided altogether by some prevention or can be cleared up within a minute or two. Here are the most common reasons why your toilet might be clogged:
You flushed the wrong stuff
You are taking a risk whenever you flush anything down the toilet that is not human waste and toilet paper. If you are flushing things like tissues, cotton balls, cotton swabs, dental floss, feminine products or diapers, it can get caught in the drain line and won’t be easy to break down and move on.
A jam in the trap
All drain pipes have something called a trap, which is a u-shaped bend in the pipe that remains filled with water. This is meant to prevent foul odors from coming up the pipes, but unfortunately this bend can be easily clogged with stuff such as too much toilet paper.
Ineffective Flapper
If you take the lid off your toilet tank, you should see a round rubber gasket at the bottom. This opens during a flush, which allows the water to run into the bowl. If this flapper does not open fully then you will get a weak flush, making it more difficult for waste to go down the drain.