The Daily Ping

There were rumors of a Ping book, but those were started on the internet.

April 17th, 2001

How to Unclog a Toilet

Unclogging a toilet is not exactly the most entertaining way to spend a day, but it’s something we all have to face at one point or another in our lives. When you’re renting a place, the worst case scenerio is that you have to have maintenance come and fix your clog. But when you’re a homeowner, you definitely want to avoid having a plumber come over.

So, after several days of battling toilets in my house and searching the web for unique techniques, here are my three Ping-certified recommended steps to unclogging your toilet:

  1. Plunge… First, you obviously want to use your plunger to try and loosen any clogs. Start by making a seal over the hole-in-the-bowl with the plunger. Push down slowly and pull back quickly. Start by doing this at a slow pace and then working up speed.
  2. Use a toilet snake/augerI dislike this step because it can scrape the porcelein, but it’s necessary if the plunger doesn’t do the job. Make sure you get a toilet snake/auger, as a sink snake/auger will scrape the porcelein on your toilet. Trust me. Work the snake as far back into the hole as possible, trying to dislodge any tissue or solid matter (mmmm… tasty).
  3. Pour a bucket of water… If the snake still doesn’t let you flush the toilet successfully, this is what finally did it for me. This step can also be used before the plunger in the case of a very small clog, but works well as a last step with a stubborn clog. Get a normal sized bucket and fill it between 1/8 and 1/4 of the way full with warm water. When the water in the toilet is at its lowest point (usually with clogged toilets, very little water is left in the bottom), pour the water directly into the hole-in-the-bowl from about waist-high. The pressure of the water being poured into the bowl does a surprisingly good job at disloding the remaining clog. You may need to repeat this step once or twice.
-ram


Posted in Toilets

covertcasualtoiletclogger05 September 1, 2006, 5:40 pm

Ram u r a lifesaver!!!! Kudos to u my friend, kudos to u…

Jacs September 8, 2006, 11:42 pm

I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. My hopes go out to all these people with clogged toilets. I really feel your pain. I have lived the past twenty nine years of my life completely oblivious to what a real problem plugged toilets in fact were. I am a MTPU (Massive Toilet Paper User) and have always been very careful when flushing to make serious attempts at not only a second but sometimes a third and fourth flusher. Whenever I have been in a real bind I have found that cutting a two litre bottle in half really did the trick. You can stick your thumb or finger in the top adjusting the flow of air in and out of the bowl. Also you can just throw it out. Today however my normal trick of just shoving the toilet brush in never worked. It did not get quite as serious as some of the posters on here but for me it was a very dangerous time in my life. I almost had two complete backlashes as I didn’t take the patience and re-flushed too swiftly. Nothing was getting through. I got out the plunger and beat this thing like a rabid dog that just ate my only child. In complete frustration and fear I googled. Where did I end up? That is right my friends, here. Thank God that it did not come down to snakes and other methods although they were ready to come into full operational effect at any point. I used the gentle method while listening to some classical to calm my nerves. I gently place it into the murky while. All the while the bubbles whispered hope that the water would succeed and a fresh flow of revitalizing aqua would spew from under the rim once more. I pressed its lips gently around the dark hole against the white of the porcelain. Gentle now. Push softly. NOW QUICKLY! PULL BACK ON HER LIKE ITS THE REINS OF A HORSE ABOUT TO HURDLE YOU OFF A CLIFF TO YOUR DEATH! Again and again I slowly began to pull massive wads of toilet paper once again coming to the light only to be slammed back down again as I triumphantly hammer down on the toilet handle releasing the final blow. For this I have thanks, for showing me the way. I will continue to spread the knowledge which I have learned for the benifit of all.

Kelly September 12, 2006, 12:46 am

My toilet had a stubborn clog and I decided to use the old method of just plunging. After about an hour of wasted effort, I decided to go on the internet for some advice. What I got was to use detergent and that finally got the toilet to unclog. What you have to do is squirt a couple of teaspoons of detergent and then flush. Let it sit for ten minutes, then flush again. That should do the trick, but if it doesn’t, repeat the process while adding a few plunges here and there. Good luck!

relieved September 12, 2006, 3:13 am

Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!
While my problem was not anything as awful as some posted here. The toilet would fill out, not overflow, and slowly empty. Hours of plunging and boiling water later I googled & found you. Correcting my technique for plunging & pouring the water in when toilet water level low & from waist height, finally cleared it up. You saved me an embarrassing phone call. Thank YOU!

stacy September 13, 2006, 12:52 am

HELP. My 3 year old just flushed her best friend – a 3 inch little baby bear!

He’s smaller than some poops so I’m wondering if he’s gone forever.

The toilet was clogged before we realized he was flushed. My husband used a plunger. Now the toilet flushes fine but no bear. Is there a chance he’s hung up some place … like how sink drains have a catch?

I don’t even want to use the toilet till we know if we can retrieve him.

michelle September 17, 2006, 2:14 pm

I ‘ve been noticing a bad smell in the downstairs bedroom closet so I finally ripped up the carpet and it looks like it had, at one time been wet. So I went to look at our sump pump and it smells like a sewer. I did some troubleshooting (per internet) and the motor isn’t working. Anyway If there is sewer waste in the sump pump I’m thinking the septic lines are backing up even though our toilets aren’t overflowing, although in August the septic tank alarm went off.
My husband is in mexico scuba diving (I can already hear the jokes) and I’m wondering if I should try and snake the downstairs toilet or is their some septic sewer lines outside I should be snaking? The downstairs toilet needs the handle to be held the entire flush and there is always a blackish residue that forms around the water line. But it seems like that is the way the toilet has always functioned.
Anyway any problem solving would be appreciated, it smells like high heaven in here, ohmaybe I should go shut off our gas fireplace while I’m thinking about it.
MIchelle

xeno September 18, 2006, 9:04 am

My son flushed a controller for his brothers’ racetrack. The wires were still sticking up out, but as I pulled on them, they snapped off. I am fortunate that the oldest brother can draw, and so he drew me a sort-of scale model of the device. It’s roughly the size of a… Twinkie, I guess. Plastic. What’s my best option, tearing up the toilet to see if I can get it, or calling Roto-Rooter?

Holly September 30, 2006, 5:24 am

I just found your site and I hope this works! A friend came by earlier with her boyfriend who use my toilet….well, apparently he had been rather stopped up for some time…it’s is disgustsing but it must be stopping up my toilet.

Where is a guy you need him? I have a plunger but didn’t know how to use it. I have been plunging away as though my life depends on it…but, I’ve just been going up and down with it really fast and I take it that is not the correct method!

Oh geez! I thought it was ok and flushed and now the water has almost overflowed. I’ll wait until it subsides and hopefully it will subside! Then I guess I’ll try the hot water method….sigh 🙁
Will post back about my results….

Holly September 30, 2006, 7:12 am

Ok, I feel really stupid! Typical girl, here! I didn’t read all of the directions clearly! WAAAH!! I poured in the hot water but didn’t flush at the same time. Now what do I do? Help, someone?

Kizzi October 4, 2006, 5:23 am

I have a comb stuck in my toilet! I knocked it off the vanity while the toilet was flushing and didn’t have enough time to grab it. :-\ Will a snake or step three still work even if the object causing the clog is solid?

Sandy October 6, 2006, 12:53 pm

Its 7am and my boyfriend clogged the toilet. I’m yelling at him from bed to use “bucket of hot water trick”, my mom taught me this solution years ago, my grandfather taught her.What does he waste time doing? Grabs a wire hanger turns it into a halfass snake and starts stabbing at the toilet. I yell at him to not wave it around and splash everything with the disgusting toilet paper stuck on the end of it. Of course the wire hanger, didnt work, tried the plunger again didn’t work. In desperation he screams he really needs to use the bathroom so he’s gonna crap in the backyard grabs a roll of toilet paper opens the back door and a possum on the deck makes him run back inside. Poor City boy. His final solution! Leave me with the mess and Go to his mom’s to crap! Great today is my Friday off and he leaves me here with a toilet full of his! crap! So I get on the internet because he is so sure hot water will not work and what do I find? *The pouring of the hot water bucket waist high while flushing tried and true solution* I have not looked in the toilet so hopefully the water has gone down just a little to get a good velocity goin with the water. I’m only 5’2 so I can only pick up the bucket so high. Here it goes..

Unbelievably Bored October 7, 2006, 3:05 am

I can NOT believe I sat here and read every post on this thread. I will now proceed to flush myself down the crapper and hope I go down without getting stuck.

chrome October 9, 2006, 5:59 pm

I don’t know if mine are coke-can sized, but they are large. And I know for a fact that, for me at least, “it’s the poo, stupid” not the toilet paper.

So I know from the moment I feel the twinge that trouble is on its way. My poo and one of these common “modern” toilets is a sure-fire recipe for chaos. “Gerber 1.6gpf” reads like the foreshadowing of smelly doom.

Lately the plunger is not helping much, so I’m considering things I can do *before* the turd falls to prevent this half a day’s hellish work.

One idea: bending backward and monitoring the work, grab large turd by the head as it emerges, “deliver” poo one-handed and then let *only half* fall into toilet. Using free hand (one hand is still holding half a turd), flush toilet and hope the half in there goes down. Drop the other half and repeat.

Second idea: Any “fellow traveler” out here has probably already spotted a potential weakness with the above scheme. The modern toilet can’t necessarily handle even half of a decent sized turd. So again, place hand under butt, *catch* the problem turd – always the first! – and use fingers to squish into a fine paste that even the most water-efficient modern toilet can handle. If need be, put hand in water and repeat for any pieces that might have “slipped by” uncaught. Once you’ve successfully flushed, Use clean toilet water as your “finger bowl” to clean off poo hand.

Third idea: because the hot water seems to help, try this: Bring a large casserole into the bathroom and poo the notorious first turd there. Remaining turds are usually not the problem, so put pan to one side and enjoy your remaining bathroom time. (TIP: Prevent relaxation-killing shocking odor coming from pan by covering with some water from bathtub.) When finished, bring casserole to kitchen and heat on stovetop. Act like you’re making stew with some hamburger that needs to be broken up. Don’t heat too much as you don’t want to crack the porcelain upon return to toilet. Emulsify the end product with corn starch – DON’T SPLASH! – and spoon out about 1/4 cup at a time into the mouth of the beast and pray that that modern miracle of progress swallows.

Fourth idea: OK, this may be the best one yet: Bring a teflon cooking spoon with you and flush toilet with scalding hot water *before* pooing and continue filling with hot water until water level is normal. After poo falls, make stew, stirring with a teflon cooking spoon (must protect the porcelain). Optional enhancement: use teflon spoon to catch first poo ala tips #1 and #2 and try to maneuver it to the side to ensure easy stirring/breaking/emulsifying.

A last idea is to say, to hell with it, only use the modern toilet for pee. The nearest well-forested place is starting to look mighty appealing… Or just go to the nearest gas station with one of those real “man’s” toilets with powerful sucking action.

Will post back with results as soon as I try some of these…

Kristoff October 12, 2006, 5:48 am

I recently moved from Europe to the State. I never ever had problems with flushing the toilets back in the old continent.
But here I have to tell you that my toilet was cleaned by the maintanance guy several times in a short period of time. I felt so bad to ask him to come over late night time after time.
His only advise was not to use that many toilet paper. I never used a lot.

I was surfing on the web for some good advise and found this site. I tried the soup trick along qith the hot water one. I became skeptic after the third trial, but it worked for the forth. It seems it is better than before.

THANKS!!!

Thomas Crapper October 16, 2006, 6:04 pm

One of the best sites that I have read. If you have women in your house tell them to NOT FLUSH TAMPONS… they swell up to the size of cars in your pipes. The hot water method did not work for me. One fifty later the plumbers snake came back with strings of tampons. Disgusting. Thanks for the site, informative and hillarious…

R Goldstein October 19, 2006, 1:44 am

I hadn’t read your postings yesterday when I had a massive toilet clog. I tried using the plunger without success. After reading all the drain cleaner labels had a caustion “do not use on toilets,” I has distraught. Then I saw a box of Rid-X.

Yes. This product is made for septic systems but my problem was the same on a smaller scale. I added some to my tank and plunged it again to feel like I was actively working on the problem.

I repeated the process of adding Rid-X and plunging every 10 minutes. On the fourth or fifth attempt I was completely successful.

I will continue to use Rid-X monthly because I think it may help clean the piping between my toilets and the sewer line.

relief at last October 24, 2006, 2:02 pm

Tried the snake, now the toilet is terribly scratched and looks like someone left skidmarks – any suggestions about covering those up? Was trying the bucket of water method, and the toilet went down enthusiastically with each bucketfull of water, but wouldn’t go down when flushed. After about 40 gallons of hot water later, I got a mirror and checked the little holes under the rim of the toilet (disgusting!) and 2 of the large ones were blocked with blue paste, which must have come from the blue block of disinfectant stuff my husband had put in the toilet a few weeks ago. I scraped out what I could with a screwdriver, then poured hot water into the tank of the toilet and flushed it through a couple times with no improvement, then took the shower sprayer and sprayed very hot water into the holes under the rim until most of the blue gunk was gone. Finally the flushing returned to full strength and we can now poo at home again, and not just at work or school. Is there any kind of paint I can use on the bowl to cover up the scratches?

relief at last October 24, 2006, 3:27 pm

I forgot to add this advice – my parents had to keep a stick from the back yard resting in a coffee can behind the toilet to break up the big turds my dad left behind. Some preventative chopping before flushing prevented clogging, a lesson learned the hard way….

Kate October 24, 2006, 9:43 pm

first and foremost, i love all your comments – it’s excellent reading while i wait for my maintenence guy to drop by and unclog my demon possessed toilet AGAIN. this is not my fault – first it was my girlfriend who likes to flush “feminine paper” and this unholy round of plugged-toilet-escapades is due to my loving little brother who left a little (or in this case, mammoth sized) doo-doo in my poor little toilet before racing off to go see his girlfriend.

i’ve plunged my little heart out (using the correct method i learned on this oddly entertaining site) and think that i might have solved the problem all on my onesie, however, my fear of trying to flush the thing again is only surpassed by my fear of what the plumber might unearth from my poor poor abused toilet.

thanks again!

J October 31, 2006, 7:59 pm

After plungering for hours I tried the hot water trick but took
it 1 step further. Boiling water. Did the trick. Those augers are
worthless.

And now a word on preventative maintenance,
flush while you use your toliet so you don’t
get a clog in the first place!

Tired of Toilet Trouble November 2, 2006, 10:00 pm

A seldom used half bath toilet clogs up for no big reason. 🙂 While it is clogged, if water drains from the lavatory, the toilet gurgles. It has been plunged, augered with the five foot auger, and then they brought out the 80 or 100 foot auger. It drained, but then it ALWAYS seems to drain slowly after it has clogged. This morning I plunged, tried your buckets of warm water trick, and nothing worked – until slowly it drained. Could this be a venting problem? The sink drains fine. I can fill it full of water, pull the plug and it works great. If it is the vent, do I get on the roof and put a snake down from above?

Thanks for any help.

toilet tension November 3, 2006, 7:58 am

Wow. Our ancient plumbing is constantly a problem in the house and causes lots of tension between my housemates. That hot water trick is magical! Not only did it unclog the toilet with little to no work, my housemates are friends again! Many thanks!

minan November 6, 2006, 10:23 pm

I was cleaning the toilet with kitchen towel, since kitchen towel is stronger than any towel and absorb better. Guess what happened I drop the towel into my toilet bowl, to think that its only a towel, it flushed it (stupid, stupid …):(

I’d tried the plugger, the build up remover didn’t work out.. until i foound this blog, and tried liquid soap with boiling water, plunge it for about 25 times and it worked….. thank you guys for sharing ..

I was worried that i have to spend $100 for my clean-freak addict..
Thank GOD i don’t have to…

Pauline November 6, 2006, 11:53 pm

Home with the flu , drink plenty of fluids every says. Uh-huh and then, a clogged toilet. Do I want to call the landlord or a plumber or worse, my brothers? No Freaking Way. Imagine my surprise when I typed in clogged toilet and get this. I had been plunging, but I think operator error is in play here.

Got the bucket, filled it up a third of the way with hot water, poured it in, voila! Started to smell, which it hadn’t before, so I figured something was working. Flushed like a champ!

THIS is what the internet is all about! Okay, I have to go back to bed now, I have been up too long, but if I was better, I would KISS you!

Clog Crusader November 9, 2006, 3:42 am

I’ll be damned…I swear to the Good Lord that toilet clogs like I had today are like a festering Son of Satan! Needless to say, I had an honest, same ole, same ole, readin’ and relaxin’ trip to the throne after my day at the office…then, WAH LAH, it wasn’t so “same ole same ole” anymore! To make things worse (not sure what I’m going to do about this yet) I have a 50-yr-old home and the li’l old lady that lived here before me had a HVAC vent placed in the floor of the bathroom…and guess where part of that pee and poop went this afternoon? I’ve never grabbed towels (which are in the trash now of course) so fast in my life! I guess that’s for another day, eh?

Long, drawn out, called-the-plumber-to-be-here-tomorrow-morning-then-called-to-cancel story scaled down to short…*the hot bucket of water trick* indeed works (okay, it took 3 tries and a steaming hot almost 1 gallon 3rd bucket of water..but IT WORKED!)…I’m 37 yrs old and will remember this hopefully when I’m 87. What a life and $$$ saver! Thanks for the info and I”m so very glad I googled…now to the chiro so he can unwrench my back from all ‘dat plungin’ for nuttin’.

Tired of Toilet Trouble November 9, 2006, 12:07 pm

Well, no one responded to my plea for help, so I called the plumber. $75 later, I was told that my 1.6 gallon per flush Kohler San Martine toilet wasn’t pushing enough water to unclog the probably small amount of paper which was way down the line (probably hooked on a rough pipe) – as evidenced by the first flush working, 2nd stopping up – even with nothing but water in it. If I filled the sink and let it all drain at once, there were huge bubbles coming up the toilet – which supposedly means there is a clog – but the toilet would always SLOWLY drain down. Anyway, for my $75, he said to buy a new toilet – one which could be tinkered with to allow more water than the 1.6 gallons to go down – such as a Kohler Memoirs toilet (something about making the pipe taller inside the tank). I was to install this after having the first toilet pulled, having the drain snaked out by a different company – who has a larger/longer snake than he. Well, I have had them snake this out before and it continued doing the same thing, cost a lot, plus they scraped my pretty wood cabinetry and door frames with their snake – so I tried your hot water trick again – and after 5! buckets of really hot water, my toilet now runs freely, there are no bubbles back after draining the sink – WOW!! You have saved me money, headaches, and time! Thank you so much!! Good luck to everyone else. If at first you don’t succeed …

fred November 11, 2006, 9:08 am

If you must take the toilet up, try placing it upside down in the back yard and running a chain through it. That was the only way I could get at the pill bottle my nephew flushed, about 20 years ago.

Watch out when pouring hot water – the toilet is ceramic, and full of very cold water. You don’t want to crack it with a temperature change.

jeanie November 14, 2006, 1:03 am

Thanks for the info….after having Roto Rooter here and finding nothing….they said they would have to remove the toilet and find the clog….after they put the snake down for 30 minutes, I told them that they would have to come back again. I decided to look to the internet. Your advice worked so well! I plunged, filled a bucket with HOT water and after three tries, the clog is gone!!

Thanks again!

Stephan November 21, 2006, 8:31 pm

After five, six lost battles with the plunger, I didn’t have much hope for the pour-water-from-waist-high trick, but thought I might try anyway. It worked like a charm, with only one bucket ! Thanks, this is great.

Annoyed with my landlady December 11, 2006, 1:30 am

I live in an antique apartment building with an ancient toliet and even older pipes. The landlady has been told by the plumber that she needs to repipe the whole place, but of course she refuses.

For the last year, my toliet has been stuffed up for about a week every month. By stuffed, I mean anywhere from swirling clouds of brown to simply not draining very well. Right now, it’s been draining slowly for a week, and my landlady apparently thinks my not having a toliet is my own responsibility. She told me tenants have to fix their own clogs, and then she intimated not once, not twice, but three times, that the problem must be my own nuclear-sized dumps. That’s not it.

I’m thinking it has to be the pipes, just becoming more and more clogged as the years go by. I’ve been plunging like a madwoman all week, and nothing’s moving. Right now, I’m scared, as I, in a fit of pique towards said useless bitch of a landlady, poured Drano down the bowl. I hope the toliet’s not destroyed by the time I get home, as that’s the rumor that’s splashed all over the internet.

I pray your advice works for me, especially the hot water, as I intend to try it when I get home. Please, God! I’m sick of plunging!!

Annoyed with my landlady December 11, 2006, 7:58 pm

Hmmm. I tried the hot water method all last night, and nothing’s happening. Depressing. I guess I’ll go to Home Depot today and get something to try and blast it out of there.

Annoyed by plumbers December 12, 2006, 12:15 am

We recently just moved into a house thats almost 3 years old. And we’re already having problems with our plumbing! When we wash clothes (the washer is upstairs) we hear a gurgling noise in the kitchen sink downstairs and then sometimes our downstairs bathroom starts to overflow. We then decided to have our septic tank pumped thinking this was the cause of the problem. However, over $300 later we are still experiencing the same thing! After calling them back, they told me that it would cost an additional $300 to run a snake through and to add a camera to the end of the snake would be an additional $200 but then there would be no guarantee that it would work! The plumbers must think we’re damn fools if we’re going to pay that!

I am afraid to try the hot water trick seeing that the water in the downstairs toliet is already to the top of the brim. Currently, we opened the top of our clean out pipe outside of our house (this is the only way we got the overflow to stop occuring inside the house.) However, the overflow is now occuring outside of the house and the side of our house smells like a freakin sespool!

Anyhow, so if anyone would have any suggestions on how to alleviate our problems I would more than greatly appreciate them. Thanks!

james December 18, 2006, 7:49 pm

THE TP HANDLER POP OFF AND FELL IN THE toilet AT THE SAME TIME I FLUSED. I have tried the snake. The snake did not work. How would I remove the toilet from floor? There is on bolt on each side. However, when i loosen the bolts, that does not LOOSEN THE TOILENT AT ALL. HELP.

Vancouver December 19, 2006, 7:03 pm

Thanks, you are a genius man!!

Hank December 20, 2006, 4:43 am

I knew the clog was “natural” since I watched it go down before the water rose and then drained VERY slowly. After 6 or 8 attempts with the hot water it cleared and now drains beautifully. Make sure the water is as empty as possible or you won’t get enough force out of the pouring water.

Thanks for the excellent tip. Where do I send the check I would have given to the plumber?

slim December 23, 2006, 6:34 am

lol

my toilet isnt even clogged but i’ve been reading this thing for 20 mintues just for its comedic value.

Bruce December 27, 2006, 7:28 pm

This is a great blog…who knew that hot water would do the trick!!!

The Toilet and I December 29, 2006, 8:33 pm

Woke up today feeling rather uneasy. Obviously a mixture of all the christmas goodies and my wide variety choice of food yesterday. Went to the toilet, did my business..a rather huge business…a lot of tissue used…tried flushing and guess what happened?, yes you guessed it right, the toilet bowl jus filled up,with my business swimming around. I mean this was not the first time this happened, so i thought I knew what i was doing.Could not be bothered to do the warm water trick, so tried flushing again..yes you guessed it right again..the damn toilet overflowed. I was not happy at all. 1) I was due to have a shower 2) I had an satelite dish fitter coming 3) There was crap water overflowing everywhere(and the fact that I am on my period is not really helping increasing anger and mood).
Decided to leave the situation meanwhile to cool down, thinking hopefully the water would go down itself. Well it didnt. Was too ashamed to call a plumber. There was no hardware shop close by. So i came across this site, and after laughing my head off, and finding out I am not in he boat on my own, decided to go and try the hot water trick.
So I got myself ready, had some soda water, ate some ferrero rocher chocolates, put some good music on, got my bucket and bowl, some bags, and I was ready for action(I am telling you, for a brief moment I felt like wonder woman).
After emptying the contents of my toilet bowl into a bucket, tried the hot water trick..nothing happened, the water just rose again. Emptied the contents again, tried the water trick again..still nothing happened..by the time i got to my 3rd bucket, i decided to empty the toilet bowl out, till all i could see was the bottom of the toilet bowl itself, then flushed the toilet…and Voila!! it rose then jus got flushed away(By this time i could hear the superman song playing, i felt like an hero), But i still flushed the toilet with two more buckets of hot water just to make sure evrything got flushed away. Thanks to everyone who posted on this site..may the good lord bless you all..fromnow on i am only eating salad, and wholemeal bread(but then again, after all that hardwork, I am hungry for some proper food!!!)Lord help me!

THANK YOU THANKT YOU January 15, 2007, 6:22 am

HOLY MOLY THANKS A LOT!! IT”S CURRENTLY 1:18 Am and thanks to this website i ifinally finished unclogging that damn stubborn skinny s.o.b. of atoilet that bites more than it can swallow. I am a body builder and drop 1 litre coke bottle sized canon shells into the toilet every couple of days and thanks to this website and an hour of sweaty plunging and bucketing I unclogged it, till next time people thanks a lot!!!

Thank you so much January 18, 2007, 8:07 pm

After a full day of clogged toilet trauma, the combination of dishwashing liquid (dawn and palmolive), half a garbage pail of hot (not warm) water, and an accordion-type plunger (“master plunger 100-1”), my toilet is finally unclogged. Though, I am too scared to use it now so I’m going to do all my ‘serious’ business at work for a while..

I am so grateful to the original poster and all who have commented.. It was so great knowing that I’m not alone in my embarrassing trauma!

mike January 19, 2007, 3:07 am

Go to Lowes or Home Depot. Ask one of the clerks in the plumbing isle for a hose attachment that will unclog drains. The apparatus comes in two sizes: small and large. These contraptions, when attached to a garden hose, will (usually) unclog a plugged sink or toilet. The way it works is this:

Joe’s toilet is backed up. You purchased the apparatus mentioned above. Do the following:

1) Ask for a helper. If you can’t find anyone, you can still do this yourself.
Attach it to a garden hose.
2) Bring in the garden hose. Make sure not to mar up your walls with a dirty hose, unless you don’t really care.
3) Shove the end of the hose into the bottom of the toilet. You may have to fish around and remove any fecal matter or toilet paper that may be logged inside. (I probably just turned a bunch of you off, sorry). Make sure you WASH your dang hands!
4) Hold the garden hose in place.
5) Yell out to your helper to slowly crank on the valve.
6) The apparatus will start to fill with water. Then you will hear a hum. This is normal!

What is happening? The apparatus has now swelled to the same size of the toilet’s mouth. It is kind like a catheter that nurses put up a person’s privates. Once the water fills the apparatus, water vibrates through it like a jet. The combination of the jet action and the pressure from the swelling of the apparatus will usually put the blockage out and through your system.

What if you’re by yourself?

I don’t recommend you run to the toilet and hold the hose! By the time you get there you’ll find water (and a mixture of other unspeakable things) all over the walls and floor! Don’t do it! What do you do? Simply unwind enough hose to make it too your toilet. Kink the hose about two feet above the apparatus, unless you really like getting your hands inside the toilet (gag). If it is one of those unkinkable hoses, you might have to kink it two or three times. Turn the water on, walk it to your toilet, then insert it into the mouth of the toilet. Now let the kinks go and the apparatus will do its stuff.

I usually let the contraption go for about 5 minutes. Then I turn off the water.

If you want, you can kink the hose again to stop the apparatus. Or, you can turn off the valve, then run like a bat out of heck to the toilet before slips out onto the floor. The apparatus will take a few seconds to loose its…swell…so you should have enough time to turn it off.

I promise you this will save you money.

The small apparatus is used for small holes like sinks.
The large one is for toilets or clean outs (if you know what that is).

Hope this information will help some of you!

Don’t call that plumber! Unless you are hopeless and not willing to fix it yourself.

mike January 19, 2007, 3:24 am

I am amused over the blogs here.

1) Never, never, never flush tampons down the drain. Go to Target and get a small trash can and label it ‘Dispose of feminine products here please’ (for your guests). Unless you want your system to back up and become unusable! Try explaining to your plumber about the tampon when he comes over! haha!

2) The Boiling Water…I keep reading about this…I wonder…toilets use a wax ring that acts as a gasket between the toilet and the flange (that holds your toilet to the floor and also keep water and other artifacts from leaving the drain pipe). I would think that putting too much boiling water down the toilet might break that seal around the flange, which would result in a break in the seal. If the wax ring goes bad, you’ll have to remove the toilet and replace the wax ring yourself. I would guess a house call for that would cost about $100.00. The part actually costs about $5.00. Oh, and before I forget, don’t just get a wax ring by itself. They sell kits that include both a wax ring and new bolts.

3) See me previous blog about the ‘apparatus’ if you want to unclog your toilet.

4) The scratches? The only thing that MIGHT work is an appliance touch up kit. You can get this from Lowes or Home Depot. it costs about $8.00 or so. It is a liquid that you put on white appliances. It is supposed to fill in any nicks that may have occurred from anyone who is clumsy and not watching what they are doing.

As far as it lasting…you probably will have to turn off the water supply line, flush the toilet, then scoop out any remaining water. Get a towel and dry up the area that is to be treated with the touch up. Then apply the stuff. You may have to rough up the gouge marks first…depending on how long the marks have been there. I probably would use a green pad and rub it until it is clean and a little rough. Then apply the touch up kit. I wouldn’t go overboard. Just put enough in there and let it dry! I probably would give it a day or two.

When you clean your toilet, you probably will have to take it easy on the area you treated.

I don’t anticipate anyone marring it up…unless they have hard fecal matter!

Good luck to all of you.

Mike

David January 21, 2007, 9:15 pm

Yeah, these new toilets they’re putting in new houses really can’t handle much more than angel-hair pasta type of “stuff”. Thanks for the tips, bucket works nicely 🙂

Wendy January 22, 2007, 8:46 am

Now, let me just say I am an independant woman…I refuse to give in or ask for help unless it’s a last resort. I also have a bit of an ego and can usually fix anything. I think I actually own more tools then my husband and his boys combined…but I digress.
Yes, I clogged the toilet with too much paper. It’s a sunday. Let’s be honest though, even if it was a monday, I still wouldn’t call the plumber unless even blowing up the toilet didn’t kill the clog.
I tried everything but that, until I found your site.
It is now, after it’s third warm bath, slightly draining, which means success over the water sucking porcelain evil thing is imminent.
Thank you for the water suggestion! I graduated up from warm to hot water, just to be sure I wouldn’t crack the bowl, and it seems to be draining…slowly, but draining.
Perhaps the sound you hear in heaven will be 10,000 grateful flushes, or perhaps 10,000 angry plumbers. Either way, much thanks

ripley January 22, 2007, 5:39 pm

I can’t thank all of you out there for all the posts about unclogging toilets. First, it made me see that my problem (3 days without even a gurgle from my toilet) was actually minor in comparison with some I read about. Even so, I never realized how quickly we can descend to frustration,terror, total chaos and barbarism when our toilets won’t FLUSH!!!!! I myself was reduced to using a trashcan liner and a small wastebasket (guys, it’s not as easy for we of the female persuasion when it’s late at night and it’s snowing,and we gotta PEE! We can’t just use a milk jug.)
Anyway, I tried lots of plunging; then I tried bailing the water out of the toilet with a plastic cottage cheese container, and pouring in a gallon of bleach and leaving it over nite. NO ACTION NOTED the next morning.Then I tried pouring hot water from a great height (after bailing out most of the bleach) …not a ripple. Then I read the post about trying dish detergent. I threw in the rest of the bleach and several squirts of Dawn and some hot water for good measure. Then I left for work. When I got home…TA DA!!!! water was gone from the bowl. I flushed and it started backing up so I applied several vigorous plunges and …VOILA… my toilet works again. And the bowl is sparkley white thanks to the bleach and DAWN.
I tripple bagged the trashcan liner and it went right in the dumpster.
I know I would have given up sooner and gone to my landlord in total humiliation, if I hadn’t read how others of you just kept on trying.

bryan bergmann January 30, 2007, 11:15 pm

I will go on the record as saying hot water is the bomb to the wrong that was clogging my toilet.

frustrated February 4, 2007, 12:06 am

Been trying to unblock my friends toilet for 2.5 hours. Have tried a plunger, a mop, a long green fluffy duster/tickling stick, a bendy curtain rail. In the process of doing the hot water method…heres hoping, really need to go!!!!!

Cindi February 13, 2007, 8:48 pm

LOL… after wasting money..even buying crap NOT for the toilet, I tried #3, the Bucket of Water…AND IT WORKED!!!! 4 frickin hours and two trips to the store, and one simple bucket of water worked..geesh!

Thanks!

Anne February 17, 2007, 3:19 pm

Thank you so much!!! I used the snake, the bucket…everything imaginable, but it was the bucket that worked. I wish that i looked at your advice an hour ago:)

AB March 6, 2007, 6:08 am

Buckets of water worked for us! It only took about 20 to unclog my husbands log jam that was on top of an earlier one from me. Damn. Anyway, dish soap, plunging, and tons of water held as high as I could manage and sweet relief. 🙂

Kim March 8, 2007, 10:06 pm

Thanks soo much! I just moved into a new house and don’t have the budget for a plumber! That hot water trick clears it right up. Thanks!!!

Q March 9, 2007, 6:40 am

I’m desperate. My Toilet has been cugged up for about4 hrs now and it 1:30 and I called a plumber and they say they charge double for working at night ($420.00) I don’t think so and dont want to.
I tried everything but the wire hanger or what not and nothing.
I think my problem is a little complicated. I was done taking a shower and all of a sudden i see my toilet leaking poop water from the 2 caps located on the bottom of the toilet in bathroom A . Then i go to the other bathroom (B) and i see poop coming out of the same place the other toilet has the poop coming out of. And that’s not all, I see poop coming out of the other shower (bathroom B) the only place i dont see poop coming out of is the shower i was taking a shower in (thank God) What do I do, please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you
Q

cujo March 20, 2007, 8:58 am

used the toilet snake and now i can’t pull the snake out. it doesn’t feel like the snake has anything hanging on it. i really don’t want to take the toilet apart. is there any type of trict to pulling the snake out.

cayenna March 25, 2007, 7:04 pm

I have an (interesting) situation. I left the house and when I got where I was going, no cell phone, now I know that I had it that morning,it was in my pocket. When I got home and was looking for it, my wonderful hubby “blew it up” as he puts it. Flush and no joy: did not go down. Now that is not uncommon 🙂 I plunged and plunged, no luck. I cannot find my cell phone and when I call it it is not on… as far as i can tell it is down the toilet. Problably fell out of my pocket as I stood up. Now I have a toilet full of shit water, my hubby left, (he deployed that night) and we only have one toilet. This Sucks.. I am going to bail it out and try plunging and the hot water agian, but if it is my cell, I don’t think I am going to have much luck..any ideas? I dont want to call any of our friends to help, it is rather ebarassing!!

Becca March 27, 2007, 4:27 pm

I clogged my toilet for the first time and my roomate told me to use the snake, but it really scratched the inside of my toilet…what can i do to get rid of the scratches?!

Dagny March 30, 2007, 9:50 am

My drain’s been clogging with alarming regularity ever since I switched to Charmin’ toilet rolls. Thankfully, so far I’ve managed to solve most blockages with a generous dose of Mr.Muscle drain unblocker and haven’t had to resort to any of the above mentioned tactics. Though it says 15 mins on the bottle, give it a good 8 hours to properly work its magic.

Arianna April 1, 2007, 3:29 am

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH, the water bucket idea worked after a long half hour of not succeeding.

Carolyn April 7, 2007, 5:19 pm

I’m freaking out big time. My husband will know that I’ve been cheating. You see, I’ve had a colostomy bag for years, so I don’t have well-formed turds like most people. But my bf spent the night last night while hubby was out of town, and he took a (normal) dump this a.m. and left. The toilet’s clogged, and turds are floating. I tried plunging and snaking–no help. The bucket thing didn’t work, either. Bf is at work and I can’t get him. Hubby will be home tonight, and if he sees what’s there, he’ll know I had somebody here. Please help–I could be dead tonight.

Cold in Winnipeg April 8, 2007, 5:16 am

The hot water trick definitely works.

Also, I find attacking the toilet with the plunger, and aggressively forcing the plunger into it (getting myself soaked in the process) works too.

Today the girl here (don’t want to be specific you know) plugged the toilet with one of those burrito-sized turds (AGAIN!!!) and instead of reaching for the plunger, I decided on a 5 gallon bucket of HOT water. Worked like a charm, first time down.

Jack April 9, 2007, 10:11 pm

My toilet had been on a go slow strike for a rather long time. Water takes forever to go down. There was some obstruction since a renovation 3 years ago, so strictly no poo-ing allowed. We thought it to be rags or small plaster stones that will disappear over time. It did’nt. Draino and acids went in but was a waste of money. I used a snake but it stopped at 1.5 metres and no further. So I tried the method many folks here talked happily about. I filled a bucket with a kettle of boiling water and the same amount in cold water. I poured it in, and as expected, it filled the bowl to the brim. I took a plunger and pushed it quickly into the gasping hole. Yay and presto! The water gurgled a sound I had not heard in years. The toilet now flushes like new. I figure that the hot water had created compressed air in the empty space between the bowl and the obstruction. The plunger and the water helped to form a seal at one end so the obstruction gets blown off and out like a champagne cork. I suppose it is useful to reason it this way to help me remember how it really works.

Ounce of Prevention April 10, 2007, 12:53 am

I came to your site looking for ideas for prevention — specifically, what tools and methods people use to break up big turds BEFORE flushing them! From reading the messages here, it sure seems like a lot of people besides me regularly shit stuff that their toilets can’t accommodate. Over the years, many of my turds have been huge, and also so tough it’s like my body has transformed my food into hard clay.

I’ve clogged a lot of toilets. It’s bad enough when it happens at home. It’s incredibly embarrassing when the toilet overflows onto the floor and maybe the beautiful color-coordinated rug of the bathroom where you work, or where you’re interviewing for a job, or at a client’s house, or a new boyfriend’s parents’ elegant house during a holiday dinner, or somewhere where you’re not supposed to be anyway — and despite a thorough search of the bathroom there’s no plunger, snake, bucket, paper towels, rags, or anything whatsoever with which to clear the clog or clean up the mess. Well, maybe there are the elegant, brand new, obviously just-for-show, obviously very expensive, color-coordinated-with-the-now-smelly-rug, crushed velvet towels hanging from the brass towel holders, but you know you’d be double-dead if you sopped up the shitty, pissy, floor with those! So, now that you’re sweating bullets and probably stinking from shear terror, you really do HAVE to out yourself as the big shit(ter) who made this disgusting mess.

So from experience I’ve learned to look before flushing. And to break big things up into little pieces before waving my final farewell. Hide the evidence. An ounce of prevention, etc.! (Actually, I usually look even before wiping, because as others writers here know, sometimes your natural contribution without even a little TP is enough to guarantee a clog.)

I liked the suggestion from “relief at last” of keeping a long stick in an empty coffee can in your bathroom. But what if you know your poo’s going to pack the porcelain tight, and there’s no stick available to stick into the toilet?

Beware, this part might gross you out. Sometimes I’ve just had to stick my bare hand into the water and tear the turd apart. I know. Everything you’ve learned to become a civilized creature screams “NO!” But you can usually tell by looking at it whether it’s going to go down or not. And if it’s not, what’s the choice? If you don’t break it up, you’re going to have a mess. So you just do it. Then your clean hand kindly hands some TP to your dirty hand, your clean hand flushes, and as the water swirls everything easily and gratefully away, as though it had only been a light pee break, your dirty hand uses the TP and the swirling water to clean itself as best as possible. With a bit more TP, your dirty hand then dries itself as best as possible. Then you wipe yourself. Then you flush away all the TP, being careful of quantity of TP per flush. Then you beeline to the sink, use your clean hand to turn on the faucets, wait for water as hot as you can stand, use your clean hand to acquire soap — hopefully an antibacterial soap, which is hopefully housed in a pump bottle, and scrub your hand. Or hands, if your clean hand has had to get seriously involved.

That’s the worse-case scenario.

Here are a few easier ways for the less squeamish:

Keep on hand (pun intended) a box of disposable latex gloves, or sturdy plastic bags that will act as gloves, or a pair of good rubber gloves that you can later disinfect and reuse. Make sure the gloves or bags are long enough to cover the length of your forearm as far as you might have to reach into the far-depths of the toilet. If your shit is really heavy and there’s a lot of it, the early-release part may have already been pushed far along into the drain tunnel, and you might have to reach far in to pull it back up and thoroughly break it apart. (Yes, I’m serious.) So think “elbow length.”

After you’ve successfully flushed away the broken bits, you carefully remove the soiled glove and put it into a non-leakable, tightly closeable, smallish, disposable container — a ready-supply of which you’ll also keep on hand. For this you can use zip-lock bags; or clean, empty, plastic deli containers with lids – something that you would have thrown away anyway. If you want an extra layer of privacy than these transparent containers, put the whole thing into yet another bag, such as a plastic grocery bag or something else that no one would think strange to find in a bathroom wastebasket (if you’re leaving it all in the bathroom) or to see you carry out of the bathroom (if you’re taking it out right away).

You can also keep a couple full sets of these products with you in your purse, briefcase, backpack, lunchbox, glove compartment, desk, etc.; so you can still safely and privately prevent toilet clogs when you’ve gotta go on the go.

Quick-fix alternative: A plastic, disposable eating utensil; and a small, zip-lock bag to safely discard it in. If you think it’s weird to use an eating utensil for this, remember that you’re just cutting up stuff that used to BE the food that you liked enough to eat.

Ounce of Prevention 2 April 12, 2007, 10:33 pm

Here’s my solution for the “floaters” (which I’ve also had), those light, fluffy turds that keep merrily dancing on the surface of the water despite the most powerful sucking flush of industrial strength toilets with entirely clog-free drainage. This will also help with frothy vomit, soap suds, leftover milkshakes (as mentioned above by “snaily” on July 7 2005), confetti (which shouldn’t have gone into the toilet anyway!), glitter (ditto the after-confetti comment), and other non-sinkable materials.

Drape toilet paper over the surface, in lengths that allow three or four inches to go down into the water on BOTH sides of the floating stuff. Use enough strips, side by side, to cover the entire surface of what you want to flush. Basically, you want to create a little bonnet-like trap. (Don’t use too much TP, though, or you’ll create a TP clog.)

When you flush, the sucking action will grab the ends of TP that are hanging down the sides of the bowl, and these will pull down everything that they’re covering.

Voila.

Low Flush Hater April 19, 2007, 2:00 am

Problem: 5 year old son flushed 28 butt wipes following a “big one” (I don’t know why he counted them). I have never had such a nightmare clog. Cheap plunger was useless. Went to Lowe’s today and bought a Plung-it air powered plunger. Turned out to be useless. The plunger end is now attached to handle of my cheap plunger (made me feel like I got something out of the Plung-it). Solution: Used the warm water trick which worked after another hour and some serious plunging. I have this horrible fear that the beast that was released from our toilet will do something major to our water treatment plant.

Stick with it, don’t pay a plumber.

Amanda May 1, 2007, 1:49 am

I was about to call a plumber. Then I remembered all of those times that Google has been there for me. It lead me here. And the bucket of hot water and then plunging worked! THANK YOU! BTW this page is very entertaining to read.

wally48159 May 1, 2007, 2:45 am

If your toilet is plugged terribly bad, try this even though it sounds crazy. Get a large bottle of Dawn dishsoap, a few gallons of boiling water, and a plunger. Pour half a bottle of Dawn into the toilet bowl and wait 30 minutes. While waiting, get the water boiling. Now pour the boiling water into the bowl from about waist high, so it pushes down the drain. Now plunge FURIOUSLY. The foam will almost overflow. It may take two attempts if it’s bad. But you wouldn’t believe how well this works. I guess it makes the pipes kinda like a Slip N Slide.

This just worked for me, after spending 10 hours and $100 on snakes, plungers, and pipes. $4 worth of dishsoap made me feel like an idiot after tons of frustration and mess.

Edinburgh May 5, 2007, 7:55 pm

The hot water bucket method definately worked! That toilet is finally usable again! (BUT be careful when pouring the water in, the dislodging makes the whole room REALLY smelly!)

Kathy May 6, 2007, 12:03 pm

I accidentally flushed those Scotch Brite “Disposable” toilet scrubbers down my toilet on Friday. I was in a hurry cleaning for company and didn’t read the box – it said “disposable” I just thought it meant in the bowl not the trash. I thought it would breakdown. Anyway – I put one down all three bowls in our house. Saturday morning after a night out at a Mexican restaurant my husband was panicked to realize that his throne was not flushing. He came to the downstairs bathroom thinking it was fine, did his business and then tried to flush to no avail. Luckily that toilet has an overflow protection on it so it can’t go on the floor, but he was in there for 20 panicked minutes trying to get it to go down before he called me in. He wasn’t plunging right, so I did it a few times and got the water to go back down. After realizing my error, we discovered that two out of the three bowls were clogged. We got the first one unclogged eventually using the toilet auger and “knock on wood” it is still flushing today. However the other one is still clogged, this is the most important toilet because it actually worked the best and my hubby considers it his sanctuary and me and my daughters don’t want him fouling up the rest of our bathrooms with his stench. Anyway, the problem is that it is a toilet that has a flush o matic enclosed tank inside that makes for “power” flushes, and the neck of the tank is not like your regular generic bowl, it goes up instead of straight back, so I think the item is lodged in there real bad and it is difficult to even get in there with the auger. In fact using the auger seemed to make it worse. The hot water got it to a good point, then we tried the auger. We also used the shop vac on reverse blowing air into the bowl line. We drained the tank and hubby used towels to create a seal around the hose and stuffed it in the hole. That seemed to work too.

I know some other people on here said they flushed those Scotch Brite things too, and I was wondering did they ever get them unclogged and what did the trick.

the husband May 13, 2007, 4:00 pm

so my wife dropped the deoderant down the crapper, I need help

chuck June 12, 2007, 7:16 pm

I have read through this entire toilet clog blog. There is a great deal of funny yet helpful ideas to be found, however, there is one especially disturbing entry. Ounce of prevention, aka ‘poopie girl’; you squish up your poop with your bare hands…right?…and its not an emergency situation, just some preventative fun . . . *GOOD LORD!*
They could make a special edition of Fear Factor for you with you running around squishing up everybodies poop!
Joe Rogan would probably hurl.
(side note to readers – if you start dating someone and you notice they carry little gloves and plastic baggies with them; just walk away … they probably squish their own poop)

I do actually have toilet trouble. I believe there is a toy causing a partial blockage (therefore there has been no overflow or poop to deal with unlike many unfortunate souls encountered here).

The kicker is my toilet appears to be seriously glued, grouted, or welded to the floor disqualifying the option of pulling the toilet. (Unless I tear up my tile, the floor, and most likely the toilet itself)

I have augered, plunged, and hot water bucketed it to death. In desperation I augered with enough reckless abandon to have pulled out an inch plug of wax (presumably from the wax seal) and a piece of black rubber (probably from under wax seal). I was not aware that was humanly possible. There has not been any leakage, thank goodness, but I am still left with a nonfunctioning potty.

If anybody has any suggestions or knows any cutting edge methods on toy retrieval, that would be super. My bathroom was remolded one year ago (cost between 7,000 to 8,000) and so I am not to keen on destroying my tile floor.

In an odd way it is comforting to read about other peoples’ victories and defeats with their potties. I guess you could say its like “chicken poop for the soul” or “poop soup for the soul” (from the now legendary “steamy bowl of poop soup”)

Good luck to everyone

Andrew June 16, 2007, 3:36 am

To the GENIUS who wrote this: You have saved me!! After 2 trips to hardware store, pumping furiously with 2 different plungers (including once labelled “Best plunger in the world”), in desperation I searched the net – found the ping. THE BUCKET TRICK WORKED!! YOU ARE A GENUIS! Pity didn’t read your blog first, would have saved $22 Australian dollars….

THANK YOU!

chuck June 16, 2007, 11:32 pm

I have come to the conclusion that if your toilet blockage is caused by some foreign object (not like chop sticks, but toys or some other non-organic material)and the auger is unsuccessful, then you must pull the toilet. Just be careful. My toilet had copius amounts of silicon fixing it to the floor and in the act of pulling up the toilet it broke in _half_ at the base. Incredibly, the toilet’s poop-shoot remained intact and so I was able to put the toilet back together and caulk around the base and cracks.

Disaster waiting to happen? Probably, but it keeps life interesting.

(Oh, the partial blockage was caused by a 3 inch x 3 inch, foam spiderman puzzle piece; presumably the work of my two year old.)

Jim S June 19, 2007, 3:12 am

The bucket of Hot Water did the trick for me!

I had house guests and someone left me with a clogged crapper. I didn’t know it was clogged until I crapped in it! It was like that for days. The snake was able to hook into the culprit. You guessed it, a Tampoon… WOMEN! However after sitting full of crap for a few days my crapper was still draining oh, so painfully slow. Just waiting for me to crap in it and be right back where I started.

The first bucket was about 3.5 gallons of hot tap water, got things moving a little faster. I did it again and let it sit a couple minutes before flushing.
Things are moving right along now.

Dan June 20, 2007, 6:37 pm

I sure hope you can help. BOTH of our upstairs toilets are backing up. This happened a couple of months ago and after a $600 plumbing bill it was cleared up, the culprit being our daughter’s tampons which had formed a dam. She swears she’s only forgotten a few times since and only flushed a few more, yet the problem has redeveloped. Will a toilet auger reach that kind of a clog, which I assume is actually right underneath the toilets? Or will something longer be required? Please tell me there’s something I can do myself, since another $600 plumbing bill would really hurt. Thanks in advance …

jenn June 23, 2007, 4:39 am

Just wanted to share with everyone here… I am puppysitting for my sisters 3 month old dog. Needless to say it is not entirely housebroken yet. This morning before work it climbed inside a box of video games and took a giant dump. I was in a hurry for work so I picked it up with a paper towel and threw it in the toilet. I am pretty sure I flushed it but when I got home from work and opened the toilet lid, it was still there. So at this point i figured i forgot to flush this morning. Well after four more flushes i realized it was stuck in there. Being the brilliant person I am, I decided to try and push it all the way down the pipe instead of trying to pull it out. This made the situation worse and water started overflowing onto my bathroom floor. Thankfully, I found this website and read about the toilet auger and the hot water idea. The water thing didnt work for me, but then again Im not entirely sure i did it correctly. I just got back from wal mart where i got a toilet auger. That thing sure did get the giant doggy poop wad out!!! holy shit the smell almost knocked me backwards though!!! thanks everyone for sharing your solutions because before today i didnt even know what a toilet auger was. Seeing as how i only have one bathroom and no money for a plumber, it was a lifesaver.

erin June 24, 2007, 12:25 pm

Well, thanks to your site, I managed to fix one toilet that had been clogged for about 2 months (1 small pot, about a quart, of boiling water) – i think it was only clogged w/ urine + wipes, but i didn’t bother trying to fix it (other than by flushing it after it drained, which just made the pissy water get lower but not disappear – i think my son just kept using it like that), until AFTER MY OTHER TOILET CLOGGED W/ SHIT, leaving no toilet for me and my 2 teenagers to use – tried plunging (turned out i didn’t know how – thanks for teaching proper method), then i went and bought liquid plumr (i tried to unclog a drain with it, it didn’t unclog the drain, so when i tried to empty the drain by taking the sitting water + LP w/ cups + dumping it into the toilet, the toilet started flushing even though it hadn’t been clogged + no one pushed the flusher, every time i poured a cup in – like the Liquid Plumr was committing suicide or something! it just wouldn’t sit!), i heard a bursting noise like a clog was breaking up, figured i’d give it some time, and when i came back to check on it, THE ENTIRE BATHROOM WAS COVERED IN WATER!!! Now, having read about the people drowning in poo-soup and sweeping nuggets out their front doors, I am relieved to tell you that this was “white water” (my friend, incidentally male, explained the difference the last time we had a toilet problem when he had to come over and do the plunging for me – when i told him i didn’t want him to get toilet water on the floor, he said ‘it’s white water – it’s clean’ and i asked how he knew that and he said ‘that’s contrasted with BROWN water; trust me, you’d know’)
So water was coming out at about a gallon per minute – not shitty water but water nonetheless; first I call my landlord (it’s midnite on saturday, i get their answering service, i’m told that maintenance will call me back in the next 10 mins, no call back 5 hrs later – apparently the lady answering the phone is having trouble getting the maintenance guy to answer HIS phone), to the internet i go: here i learned that all i had to do to get the water to stop flooding my bathroom (and at that point my hallway, bedroom, etc.) was to turn this little knob behind the toilet = IT WORKED!!!
Only then, when I realized that the recently clogged toilet was in a real state of disrepair caused by my own repair-attempts did I turn to the 2-month-clogged toilet, which might still be salvageable – RYAN, YOU ARE MY HOT WATER GOD!!! If only i had gone to this site a while ago, I might have tried hot water in the other one and would not have a huge flood on my hands!!
But, at least when the maintenance man finally comes, I won’t have to explain why BOTH of our toilets are clogged, and we now do have a working toilet (for all the parents whose kids are flushing crap down the toilets that don’t belong there, make them use the trainer potty or sit on a potty chair, even if they’re too big for it or clearly don’t need to [you can also get a sort of contraption that goes under your toilet seat and catches whatever goes in, like a bucket – this is what they use in hospitals so they can measure urine output; it’s gross but that way you’ll know nothing’s going down! also, if they’re old enough, make them empty it themselves, if you can trust them to not empty large wads of TP or toys], until they learn not to put stuff down the toilet – incidentally, those trainer potties sure come in handy if you have nothing else on hand when all your toilets are clogged; god, i would’ve killed for a backyard or even semi-private concrete a couple hours ago).
it is so nice, when you think your day sucks so bad and couldn’t be any worse, to come on this site and realize not just how much comedic value there is in all of this, but just how many people have it WAY worse (e.g. brown vs. white water). Thanks to all who’ve posted their experiences. And how bout, from now on, we all stop being embarassed for the maintenance man to come help us (for those of us who rent, assuming that he’s competent) – clearly there’s enough of us out there who’ve had problems, life involves shit, everyone does it, and it’s at least half due to the stupid low-flow toilets. so there.
DOES ANYBODY KNOW IF THE LIQUID PLUMR COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS FLOODING, HOW IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED, AND WHAT I CAN DO TO FIX IT (or how to explain it to the landlord considering the bottle says ‘do not put down toilet’ right on it, though many others here seem to have done it without a problem)

christine June 25, 2007, 4:13 am

i got tired waiting for the water to get hot enough [2 coffee pots full of hot faucet water did not do the trick] and i had already tried the dishsoap so when i poured the water in, i couldn’t see through all the bubbles! even though i threw up in my mouth at least twice, i plunged the toilet about 8-10 times and it didn’t change so i thought i would just try and flush and THANK GOD IT WORKED! i live alone in a house and only have one toilet so i thank you so so much [as does my bladder]!

uff-da June 28, 2007, 3:21 am

A few days ago I deposited poo #1, apparently it can’t exit my backside but not work it’s way through a toilet. Toilet was somewhat clogged, but it wasn’t too bad and I was in a rush so I left. Later that day I came home, and thanks to my healthy intake of fiber I dropped in poo #2. Which was not a good idea.

I don’t think it has contributed to the clog but it has served as a psychological deterrent. I’m reluctant to put the plunger in because it will be a horrific poo smashing mess. Since the plunger doesn’t completely cover the stupidly shaped hole i figured it’s not worth it.

I’ve dumped about half a bottle of dish soap down there, then a bottle of mouthwash which did break up poo #2 and added a fresh minty smell to the room. Nevertheless toilet is still clogged and I’m now dumping buckets of warm water down the the toilet. Which makes for a very unpleasant odour. Like baked poo.

Think I’ll just give up eating solid foods.

wish i were scared sh*tless June 29, 2007, 5:22 am

Thanks to everyone for bringing a smile to my face (especially Jason’s posts from November of 2002!). Ryan, I can’t thank you enough. I wish had kids to blame my toilet problems on – no such luck. I moved into a new apartment, and for some reason nothing seems to flush when it really counts. I have found myself disinfecting my entire bathroom with bleach more times than I care to think about. Well, a couple of days ago, I got the flu. My first trip to visit the porcelain god was fine. The second time… imagine Niagara Falls with thousands and thousands of idiots going down the falls in brown barrels. After laying down 5 rolls of paper towels to try and clean up the water, etc., I started plunging. NO LUCK!!! I was feeling so ill that I finally gave up, went downstairs, and drove 20 minutes to my parents’ house in my nightgown. I just came back, 2 days later, scared to death of what my apartment would smell like, knowing that my toilet is still clogged. I found this site and started reading everyone’s comments. The bowl, obviously, was filled completely to the top. I saw someone ask about a wire hanger. OK, this is not the best idea if you own your home, but for those of us who don’t give a sh*t because we rent, this is not a bad idea. I tried it – it worked just enough for a tiny bit of water to start draining off slowly. I then tried the hot water/plunger routine. After 4 buckets of hot water and a lot of plunging, I now have a completely freely-running toilet!!!! Thanks again to everyone for the advice and laughs. I’m glad to know I’m not the only unfortunate soul out there. Good luck and happy plunging!

ams July 1, 2007, 3:54 pm

These low flow toilets are a waste of money! You have to flush them 20x so how is that saving water??? And it’s annoying besides.

My toilet clogs all the time. I have a septic system. I’ve been using table salt, baking soda and vinegar to unclog it. It works well. Will the salt hurt the septic system?

TL in hell July 10, 2007, 11:05 am

This site has made me laugh for over an hour. Our toilet always flushed like a champ til recently, I think my elderly aunt with alzheimers has perhaps put paper towels in there. Ive tried plunging, the auger, the hot water.. I now have bleach in there and going to let it sit a while and try again. The toilet actually flushes if you plunge while actually flushing the toilet. When flushing the toilet itself it goes down super super slow and it takes several flushes to get rid of anything that may be floating in there 🙁 I am going to try to the dish soap next.

This toilet used to flush like a champ.. I so long to hear that whoosh sound again!!!

Thanks for this blog tho… even if the toilet doesn’t get fixed properly…you folks have made me laugh my ass off!

L July 20, 2007, 7:57 pm

If the water trick doesn’t work alone pour a little dishwashing liquid down first. Then following with the hot water and some plunging. Worked like a charm.
I had been trying to unclog my toilet all day then after doing this is took less then 5 miutes.

shaidaon August 20, 2007, 8:01 pm

the best thing to do is:

1: put several pieces of alumminum foil in the toilet + a large wad the size of the hole your shit goes down.

2: pour alot of draino and/or liquad plumber in the toilet

3: flush and run like hell

4: BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

tc August 25, 2007, 7:12 am

Thank goodness for the McDonalds across the street open 24 hours a day. And all the cars in the drive through lane, think I’m dashing in for the food and a bit more exercise than them…

Any suggestions for clearing the jet at the base of the toilet bowl? Plumber today said it’s clogged with mineral deposits and that’s why the bowl doesn’t flush fulling, every few months giving me experiences to wax poetic about.

He poked it a bit with a pick and got an opening started, but I don’t need to pay that much per hour for someone to poke with a pick. And anyway he didn’t think he’d get it much better. Anything out there that’s safe and effective – that anyone’s used?

This toilet worked fine for a long time before it had me praying feverently with each #2 that it won’t make it over the rim, pleeeeeease, before it starts to move down. Lots of water swirls and flows just fine into the bowl.

I don’t have kids, and I don’t throw my toys or my feminine products down it. But my environmental sister convinced me not to flush for the, TP without productive output, uses which probably got this started. But how many years can TP hang out in the pipes without breaking down?

Thanks for the laughter. Any ideas, greaty, appreciated.

Plunger August 31, 2007, 5:52 am

Hot water actually works! I honestly didn’t think it would but it only took 3 or 4 buckets and some plunging! THANK YOU!!

jaxnoth September 11, 2007, 3:02 am

THANK YOU!! My husband flushed pickles (spears, to be precise) down the toilet this afternoon, and he’s been regretting it ever since. Buckets of water, then plunge worked for us. Stupid pickles…

OH THANK GOD September 21, 2007, 12:21 pm

so, I had tried everything and I mean EVERYTHING! I just went to the rite aid by my house and its like 4 am, and i got everything i could find to unplug my toilet. first I did the most retarted thing ever, and i put soap in the oilet followed by a bucket of warm water, because i had read in a few places that it had worked for a bunch of people, then after reading here and on some diy sites i realized its the water NOT THE SOAP haha that clears the toilet. so i ended up with a whole shit load (pun intented) of poop bubbles all over my bathroom, and the water didnt do anything, so i went a got draino and a bucket and a new plunger and blah blah blah. i got this weird thing i saw cause they didnt have any wire hangers and i dont have any here, its called a “zip it” and it was $3.99 and it worked like a charm! whoever invented it was having the same problem we all are with our toilets and they called one of those inventor ads and got a patent, but by god the should be given the metal of honor. its the same idea as a wire hanger but its a flimsy super ling plastic “stick” with little plastic rose thorn kinda things on it. the idea is that anything stuck in there causing the plug will get stuck to the thorns and come out, unpluging whatever is pluged it took me about 2 stufs into the toilet and then i felt something stuck on it, and in about three more pulls out, the toilet DRAINED!!!!!!! yay!!!!!! I would suggets the water thing for poop, but it seems like if you have a paper problem, or a tampon problem, like i think i had (my toilet dosent need a fucking tampon but it sure was hanging on to that damn thing) this is the ticket. nothing worked not warm water not draino not a plunger, nothing, and i refused to call a plumber, so i have been using my neigbhors bathroom for the past 3 days, but i couldnt bring myself to knock at 4am, so i went to the store, used theyre bathroom, and bought the “zip it” I cant even tell you how thrilled I am, thank the toilet gods, and I promise I will throw away all my blody tampons, no matter how gross that thought is to me, even if the say i can flush em, no matter what (tampons sitting in the bathroom trash? EWWWWWW!) cross my heart, hope to die, thank you zip it, I am going to write your cretor, so he can think I am a nut to. and ladies, remember ZIP IT! p.s. think I should do a commercial for them? muh ha ha

Marie September 30, 2007, 8:22 pm

This site is the best entertainment on this internet. Discovered it because my toilet is blocked. I needed a #2 this afternoon (as you do). I have to say that this poo was the largest thing ever. It was like a biological brick. I flushed (as you do) and it did go down but water rose in the bowl.I knew this was not a good sign but I kept flushing hoping things will improve but it did not. I had to tell my room mate that it was blocked but was not going to admit it was me. It is so embarrassing!! He states he has not been for a #2 today and I claimed the same. Tried a coat hanger did not work, but inevitably I needed the loo and housemate said I couldn’t use ours, so he forced me to ask the neighbours downstairs to use their loo (embarrasment #2). The nice elderly couple were really nice and allowed me to but there were extra nice when they gave me a pink potty to use till we fixed the problem (embarrassment #3). What are a couple of elderly folks doing with a potty? Anyway I am trying the hot water trick as don’t really want to pay a plumber. Will keep you informed of progress.

glogansr October 1, 2007, 2:16 pm

My toilet flushes fine at times and then backs up at others no matter what has been flushed, (either solids or liquids). Just to be on the safe side, I must always have a plunger handy. How can I prevent future backups?

Marie October 1, 2007, 4:15 pm

You are my hero!! The hot water thing did the trick. I couldn’t believe it. It works. I added some washing up liquid like some posters suggested and with some plunging, it worked. Saved money on calling out a plumber. You rock!!!

Katie October 15, 2007, 8:17 pm

I’ve got another method for you if the plunging, snake, and hot water fail. After my 2 y/o flushed a mystery object down I tried the above methods for hours. Every once and a while I did get a gurrgle so I think they might have been helping the mystery clog along but the final blow came from our garden hose. Per my Dad’s suggestion I brought the hose in from the bathroom window, shoved as far into the toilet as I could and then packed around it with a big beach towel. (Make sure to get the bowel drained down to almost nothing first and turn off the water behind the toilet). After everything is packed turn on the hose full force and it should push everything out. Worked like a charm; although I do think that all the other suggestions on the site helped lossen whatever it was up first. This is the BEST site to help you keep your sense of humor in a VERY stinky situation.

kim October 17, 2007, 3:55 pm

Please help me with a suggestion! I was cleaning the toilet and then flushed the toilet at the same time I was changing the toilet paper on the toilet paper holder and I dropped it in the toilet as it was flushing!! It is plastic and now the toilet is not flushing right, of course. it is one of those energy flow low water toilets. Plaese what can I do??

Connie October 20, 2007, 3:32 am

I have found the best thing since slice bread to clear clogged toilet. Go to Home Depot and purchase a Kleendrain. Follow the instructions exactly and your clogged will be cleared. I just used it for the 1st time on tonight and it cleared a clog that I had been trying to clear with a plunger for 2 days. It only cost $34.22 (includes tax). I am throwing my old plunger in the trash.

Your Biggest Fan October 21, 2007, 10:20 pm

You’re the man.

dierdre October 26, 2007, 9:13 am

omg, here i am LQQKing up the “how 2 un-clogg” my filled to the rim w/….. its going on 5am, no sleep …the smell would make any mother skunk proud, needing to use my CLOGGed crapper for the last many hours,stumble on here, i start reading , laughing so hard, im about to crap myself sitting in my seat.. you have created a site that not only gives options w/results, but takes a some-what normal person,gone bride of chucky, into a laughable ordeal.. Thank you, write a bathroom reading book, call it the “CRAPPER” take the funniest stories w/ your little poop-its .. get some struggling art student to rough comic blurps,make sure when it goes to print, you demand its laminated 100% (you know why).. any gag gift funky shop , toilet supplier, little short ,cheap,bathroom reading.. please dont forget to put the warning sign on the cover, or it may resultin more PLUMBING…:o) peace to you, and may all your dreams become real..!!! Dierdre

Natasha October 27, 2007, 1:49 pm

I’m a believer! The water and soap thign works. I put in the soap and water and as I sat at my computer thingking this stuff is not going to work. I thought maybe i’ll try the hanger and it was done when i got there.

Thanks so much, I’m a believer!

RonG October 31, 2007, 6:16 pm

This is an amusing, but also informative forum. Thankfully everyone is “coming clean” on this topic. There is enough data I think to definitely indict the toilets, not the users. The following are the facts I derive:

1. Almost everyone has large/long/hard/etc. feces at least sometimes. The consistency of poop is determined by diet, hydration, fiber, medications, age,… and probably a dozen more things. The point is that these are all normal variations of human waste. The people are not ill, slobbish, careless or anything like that. The toilets are not meeting human needs.

2. Nobody wants to be identified as a clogging culprit. What starts out as a private, personal bodily function, gets broadcast to everyone around. I suppose some people even rush to the scene to see the poop and toilet paper that are still visible. Some people probably hold their bowels until another time to avoid possibly clogging someone’s toilet. This is uncomfortable and ultimately unhealthful. Others resort to reaching into the bowl to break up their feces if there is any doubt whether it will flush.

Summary (with a few parting puns): Now that the matter has been exposed, it is time for the manufacturers to do their jobs, and build us toilets that work. They can test them with ping pong balls, but we will test them with the Right Stuff!

s November 1, 2007, 5:00 am

thank you so much for the water advice. some hot water and plunging action – all fixed!

RonG November 5, 2007, 9:39 pm

No one has explicitly addressed the issue of the log that doesn’t even go down into the hole. It just straddles the bowl, even after flushing. I guess I could plunge it into the hole, where it would clog the trap, but then I could go to Page 1 above and follow the procedure there.

Me has to pee November 7, 2007, 2:18 am

Help! I put Liquid Plummer in my toilet – I thought it was safe to use in there..Well now there is this scary white film all the way up to the top of the toilet..Its just hanging out…Will it ever go down? Is it safe for the maintenence guy at my complex to submurge the snake? I’m freaked by all the chemical warnings.

grb November 11, 2007, 4:09 am

Nice site someone asked about Kohler Cimmarron models…

I recently moved into a new house and upgraded to Cimmarron toilets throughout, hoping their vaunted class-5 system and fully glazed trapwayswould prevent the bi-weekly clogs we got in old house, that had standard builders’ standard loos.

No dice — I’m disappointed with their performance ( less clogs , mind you) , but much much worse when they do get clogged, the elongated hole in the bowl prevents any plunger from making a good seal.

However, trying the water bucket trick seems to work, but sometimes it takes four or five buckets and plunging with one of those acccordian plungers from Home Depot.

If I had my choice I would have gone with a Sloan Flushmate toilet — I had one in a hotel room and for a low flow toilet it sure had the pressure. The only down side it it sounded like a F18 leaving a carrier deck when it flushed! However, I can’t see anything plugging that toilet.

Another model name that came up in Google searches was Toto Drake model that seemed to have a good rep.

Good luck….

Eszter December 4, 2007, 6:57 pm

Many thanks for the bucket idea!!!

We bought some fancy hyper super toilet paper lately in the flat share I live. We never had a problem before, using ordinary toilet paper to wipe and clean the toilet seat. But today, the fancy think paper completely clogged the toilet. What a good job for a day off to unclog the toilet!!!

Having no snake, I had the good old rubber gloves from the corner shop and remembered I still had some costume corset boning from one of my uni projects, so I used it as a snake. A few bucket of hot water after made wonders!!!

Many thanks for this site!!! Saved me sooo much hassle

Clint December 17, 2007, 2:13 am

step # 3 worked for me , yeah!!!

Jamie December 18, 2007, 10:09 pm

Interesting! My two toilets (upstairs) are major PITA’s.

This site/post comes up in Google search.. it’s dated Tuesday, April 17, 2001 and was just commented on two days ago. Did you ever imagine this post would be so alive, still?

I’m going to get my husband to attempt your method and I hope it works!

karen December 28, 2007, 2:17 pm

Okay. So both our bathrooms are clogged up. The main bath has water going from the toilet to the tub and the other bathroom is doing the same. the kitchen sinks seem to be working fine. Will this work or are we gonna have to call the dreaded plumber?

kevin December 28, 2007, 4:33 pm

i can’t stop laughing! one of the funniest sets of postings i have ever read! when i left home this a.m. the toilet from hell (clogged by my teenaged daughter need i say more) was still clogged from 2 days ago. the only thing i haven’t tried is the water trick. will do so when i get home. i sure hope to have success as others have.

Name December 31, 2007, 8:47 pm

Good site, glad I’m not the only one. My toilet clogged last night and I had an inch of poo water on my floor, and I guess it even began seeping through the side of the floor and into my neighbors bathroom below me. Uggghh. I haven’t tried the hott water yet, I will hope that works.

P.S. Last night, I used an empty ketchup bottle to suck up some of the water, and then soaked 10 towels getting the rest up. What a fun experience :)!

Nate January 1, 2008, 12:10 am

Hot water and dish soap, just as everyone said. Third bucket of water, and my POS toilet was back to doing as god intended. Thank you everyone!

Nickie January 12, 2008, 6:15 pm

Praise God for your funny situations!! I was so upset ab cleaning up turds off the floor I was in tears asking God please help!! Well, I get on here and read all your stories and God has shown me it’s not as bad as it seems! I was so mad and crying and I started reading this site and I have laughed so hard! Even tho my toilet is nasty filled to the top with dooky water and I cant get the plunger to make it do anything. To make matters worse, my plunger handle has been chewed on by my dog and so I got splinters in my hand as well! Anyway, thanks for making my day with your stories and I pray that each of us gets our toilet problems fixed and we get blessed with a toliet that flushes great and flushes everything everytime!!! God Bless!

subpump hell sam January 14, 2008, 4:06 pm

does anybody here know how to unclog a subpump??? the thing is running but it isnt pumping the water into the cesspool why does this crap have to happen to me?? nothing is clogged up but the subpump!! the land lord is gonna blame it on me as always.. the shower-tub, toilet and sink are all connected to the subpump, so i cant plunge anything to see whats caught, i dropped a tampon from on top of the tank into the toilet the other day on accident…im not sticking my hands in a toilet that i share with 4 other people and not knowing their habits! any advice for me??

miss congeniality January 24, 2008, 12:03 pm

YAY im clearly the biggest dork in the whole intire world hahaha!it took me about 12 buckets to finally flush everything through then it took me another 2 buckets to realize that it was actually going through! But thankyou so much for your internet site it is 4am in the morning and i could’nt wake anyone to fix my problem so i went to the trusty google page and found this! THANKYOU! much appreciated! And it so refreshing to know that im not the only one in the world with a water saving toilet that gets plugged every so often! geez those 14 buckets sure saved me water! :S

Jen January 30, 2008, 5:04 am

*OH MY GOD IT REALLY WORKS: POURING VERY WARM WATER RIGHT OVER THE HOLE!*

IT CLEARED RIGHT UP!!! THANK YOU!!! NOW I CAN FINALLY GO TO SLEEP! 🙂

Karen January 30, 2008, 11:41 pm

Thanks for the hot water, I have been trying all afternoon, since with taking Imodium, a hamburger decided to go thru me faster than I could eat it. Anyways, I flushed a couple of times, because my husband who uses a ton everytime he goes. After plunging and flushing I ran to the computer and found this. It has been interesing reading that I was not the only person ending the month of January in a pot of _______.It took only three buckets (small plastic trash can because the bucket I recently purchased has taken legs and ran away. The trash can worked great).

Of course I can’t end with all happy endings. I have a small bowl type plunger, how do you get the water out of it. When you lift it and look inside you see it and when you turn it over to empty it, a little drip comes out. And after a few turns upside down, I figured someone else may have a solution.

Anyone have a idea

Jennifer February 10, 2008, 4:15 pm

i cant belive i actually used the plunger and it was disappointing becuase it didnt work …………..

I will eat more fiber I will eat more fiber!!!! February 19, 2008, 5:29 am

Okay, I’m only on bucket #1 of hot water so far…I’m waiting for the water to go down again for bucket #2 (heh heh, no pun intended!) I’ve tried these methods before and they haven’t worked. The last time, about 2 months ago, I had to spend about $85 for a plumber to come out, spend 2 minutes in the bathroom with his auger thingie. That makes 3 times I’ve paid for a plumber & I can’t afford it!

I’m on pain meds, they cause constipation….if any of you ever have to take prescription pain meds, make sure you eat plenty of fiber, use Senna and stool softeners!

I’m praying to the porcelain Gods right now that the hot water will work this time around! Pleeeeeeease!!!! All of these problems have happened since my landlord (who is so cheap that he won’t pay for a plumber or help)…I live in an inlaw apartment and the big bully lives upstairs and would love to get rid of me.

I’ve tried the big old black plastic plunger before as well and that didn’t work either. I swear it’s this stupid toilet with the tiny hole and that darn narrow S curve!

Where’s my old boyfriend when I need him?! LOL

Any brilliant suggestions? I’m afraid I’m going to be calling a plumber once again. This is so frustrating! There are so many funny stories but I guess I’m not finding anything very funny right now…..who know a toilet could cause this much frustration?!

Gayle March 3, 2008, 9:31 pm

Dropped toilet paper holder in upstairs toilet as it was flushing. it was plastic and not solid. Toilets are working fine at this time. Will paper and waste get hung up on this item somewhere in the plumbing system and cause problems later on? I tried with coat hanger but got nothing from toilet. I would like to intervene before problems start. Will the warm water flush help in any way? Have 2 toilets upstairs and 1 downstairs. Will this affect the other toilets? Any advice would be appreciated.

Relieved March 13, 2008, 9:53 pm

Thank you. Seriously, thank you. Your hot water trick saved me from calling my boyfriend and admitting that I’d just tried to flush half a cage full of bunny poo and litter down the toilet because I’m too lazy to take it to the trash.

I might be covered in water and various bits of bunny poo (as is my bathroom), but the toilet flushing… makes it all worth it.

the dang 3 years old March 18, 2008, 5:37 am

Well, 1 hour before we were to leave for our holiday trip the 3 year old sneaked into the master bedroom washroom and stuffed god knows what into the toilet (some j-cloths, full toilet roll, money, etc.) and then of course proceeded to flush. I knew something fishy was going on (mother’s instinct?) because I heard the toilet flush like 4 times in a row. I was confident that my husband…sleeping in the bed just meters away, would investigate…or at least ask who was taking so many dumps…ya right. The teenage son told to watch his baby brother had apparently been abducted by Playstation. I asked my daughter to go up and check who was in the bathrooms…”No one” she said, apparently she checked the wrong one. I finally burned upstairs like I had diarrhea when my 3 year old came down and told me he wanted new cloths because his were “all wet”. I screamed some #$@% at my husband when I discovered the flooded bathroom and the completed flooded heating duct next to the toilet that leads right to our new furnace in the basement. Water all over the basement floor and down the walls.
Shut down the furnace…got out a pump to get water out of the duct…a fan…and Prayer.
Return from vacation week later…..the damn toilet is plugged…plunging, the bucket technique, dumping some acid and tons of boiling water down the toilet . Nothing worked. 4 hours later I really think the plunger is old and crappy.
Well guess what did the trick!!!! Sticking my hand down and way back into the toilet bowl up to my elbow and plunging back and forth like hell is coming to get me. 2 minutes later I hear that wonderfull draining noise down the pipes.
WARNING: This should only be attemped if all the stores are closed and you can’t go out and buy a good plunger.

Drew March 22, 2008, 6:43 pm

Okay. I admit it. I’m a true skeptic.

The background on this is simple. My wife and now my daughter are classic TP whores. I don’t mean to offend, but after countless toilet “episodes” followed by furious screaming and hollering by yours truly, I can say use that term with no remorse.

Today, a Saturday of all days, my last remaining moments of REM sleep were interupted by my wife cussing at the toilet she just backed up. I heard the plunging, the cussing, then the ..HONEY, can you please come here?

Grrrr..we have sensitive toilets, but my son and I don’t seem to clog them up. The ladies have backed up all three of our toilets of late. It has to be the excessive use of TP! Anyhow, thats neither here nor there. The toilet was backed up and after an hour of plunging I was sure I was going to have to call Mike (the Plumber). Mike’s a great guy but he ain’t cheap. So I Googled and found this forum.

As I mentioned, I’m a skeptic. I’ve plunged enough toilets to know that this one was bad. The plunging was not displacing the water. No drainage whatsoever. There would be no snakes (they damage the porcelain) but I was strongly considering the auger (I mean it looks cool).

But WTH, I tried the hot water. Bucket one in the toilet waist high. Waited about 30 minutes. Nada. I had to actually empty the basin. I tried again. As I waited, I was checking my local Sears – they had the auger. I was ready to go get it when I checked back about 15 minutes later. The water level was low. Say it isn’t so? A wave of optimism + another bucked of hot water + minor plunging and WHUUSSSHHHH. The sweet sound of SUCCESS!!!

I’m still a skeptic, but try the hot water. It worked.

Good luck,
Drew

Obie March 24, 2008, 6:38 pm

Hey we recently moved into a new house and found out it has a lethargic biff. So I tried the bucket o’ hot water like you said and it worked like a charm. However it only worked for about a month, then the same thing happened again, zippo flush power. So i tried the bucket thing again and this time it is leaking from between the toilet and floor, (just a small amount, but enough for my wife to think the floor will rot away). Any ideas. Also my wife thinks if i have to snake it the toilet has to be removed or i will push whatever is plugging the toilet down and lodge it into the pipes. Is that true?

SoThankful March 28, 2008, 10:46 pm

Our house is 100 years old, and although the toilets are only about 3 years old, there are constant issues. Today, the upstairs toilet became clogged after a normal sized event. The usual plunger process did not work, which surprised us both. It’s always worked like a charm. It’s 5:30 on a Friday night and paying a plumber would not only have been a pain, but more money than we can afford. But we didn’t have much of an option. I am disabled, and it takes me ages – and often help – to get down the stairs. Having this upstairs toilet in the master bedroom is crucial, especially in the middle of the night. I find this site, and tell my husband about the water technique. He gets the bucket, fills it with hot water and adds some bleach. He is 6’5 so waist high is up there – but darn it worked like a charm! We had to do it SIX times, and then plunge once or twice.

As some others have said, the whoooosh sound is like the voice of an angel. My husband’s hands are getting all blistered from the wooden handled plunger. The stress was so high both of us needed to pop a Xanax. The whole process took about 4 hours, with 3.5 of them spent plunging b/c we didn’t know about the water trick.

I can’t say thank you enough. I mean it. Paying a plumber would have meant we couldn’t pay our car note. My medical bills are extensive and we live to the penny each month.

We love you!!!!

Heather and Drew

PS – Um, highlighter guy? I hope you didn’t leave it around for an unassuming roommate to use. Ugh.

anne April 4, 2008, 10:58 pm

Isn’tgoogle amazing? Who would have thought! Your site was the first and only one I clicked on and three days later I’m still lol and I’m not even halfway through yet! Thanks for the laughs and the info. Being low on dish soap I used bubble bath [which I use for all ny cleaning] and on the second try it worked and sure improved the smell.

Roger April 5, 2008, 8:34 pm

Sorry. I have no idea why that posted so many times. I did not do it on purpose.

Megan April 7, 2008, 11:43 pm

Sometimes when I flush my tiolet or use the washing machine the water from the shower/bathtub comes up from the drain of the shower.I have tried Drano, and the water gets to high to use the hot water trick. Please someone help me!

mystry pooper stuck in 5 star hotel with a clog1 April 19, 2008, 10:44 pm

Thanks! i’m too embarrassed to call maintence in my 5 star hotel and um, well, the crapper is clogged. 😉 so at least i have some ideas to do it myself (the bucket of water). Hopefully I can not have to call the cutie pie maintence guy to unclog it.

MERLIN April 20, 2008, 8:59 pm

WhaddaI . Say? ~ I say *THANKS!!* . I tried my Super Plunger… No Workee! –<{8-(( .. I even tried one of my Magick Spells! - Still No Workee! -<{8-(( .. before heading out for Fred Meyer to purchase snake/auger, I gave it the old HOT WATER treatment recommended above.. No bucket, so I used a 1 Gal empty Milk container filled with *HOT! WATER..* Took 5 Gallons and a little more Super Plunger, but the combination did the trick and saved the day! I'm gonna add 5 gallons HOT WATER to the "Clear Clogged Toilet Spell" and maybe reduce the Quantity of "Eye of Newt" a little... (Those 'Eyes of Newt' are getting expensive these days!!) Anyway, *THANKS AGAIN!!* . *MERLIN . -<{8-D*

Kristen April 21, 2008, 7:48 pm

I Love You.

🙂

That’s all.

Just kidding – but really, the hot water trick worked. I wasn’t going to believe it – but it really did work. I wish we would have known about it before we had the shat fountain happen 2 months ago at 1am and had the emergency plumbers come out here. 🙂

Communicatio in Sacris April 30, 2008, 11:46 am

After trying to unclog my toilet for hours, I decided to go to the Barnes & Noble to read up on the Superstar Toilet Methods. A lady there gave me this book on alternative methods of dis-communicating toilet inertia. It seemed a Scientific Method of Toiletology. So I got the book!

I really was scared after reading this book on Drano Double-Trouble called “Communicatio in Sacris” by an industry scholar and Doctor-Dentist (Maybe from Harvard Medical School?), you can get the book here from BN.com:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Communicatio-In-Sacris/William-Detucci/e/9781435703889/?itm=1

Anyhow, I felt uncanny to know that a certain big Plummer Guilds use Drano in their mix with deluded Coca-Oil, and even some Hollywood Stars, upcoming Actors, and Personalities involved in the Scientology of Pluming such as Tom Cruise, have not clayed their hands away from this so-called “secret rite.” I got really scared that there are even secret Masonic Orders who work on these elaborate toilet systems in France, that will automatically clean the bowl, and others in Germany have developed a Count’s Bowl that sprays smells and flushing out a bell sound when complete.

In America it is radically different, e.g., I read about this Anthony Cekada who plays a pivotal pipe in waste management on his church properties. I guess he will use whatever line of poison that works for him– whether oil, grease, hair spray, anything that’s valid. He calls it “The One Pipe Order” Method or “Una Cum” Method by using all the lines together, and simply flush. Since, as he says, the material does not matter, but the form of the flush! This product has received some bad reviews though, so I would not buy it.

Then again, I was a little surprised to read about Timothy “Little Timmy” Henneberry, a Chief Router Rooter running under the BP THUC & Company Lineage & Red Flag, wherein he works out of a Miami subsidiary of a Cuban Underground C24 Piping Plant. He writes a Periodical on Ethanol Ethics and on the Moral Energy Conservation Traditionalism Crisis. Henneberry claims to follow a “strict moral” technique called “The Vaseline Spread Flagger” to release the “deep” pressure of the coral pipes by spreading the toilet around with the substance and then applying a powerful thrust with a special snake-rod called the Draco di Spadafora (which a certain crafty but little known Jay Spadafora has developed in Pompeii, Italy in his basement). Henneberry claims it is much easier then the conventional methods. However, in a late-night infomercial, I think he and his cousin (?) Gold Gym Bodybuilder named Steve Henneberry (aka Tower) was on a TV show discussing how many Calories you can burn by this “The Vaseline Spread Flagger” Method. I even saw the famous West Flagger himself, that is, Mr. Tony Little, YEA BABY!

http://www.shopgetorganized.com/images/p18304b.jpg

This “Yea Baby” Flagger Method has a lot of intensity. I admit that. But, I cannot say I know much about its efficiencies, so, I guess I leave it to the critics here to decide.

Finally, another “Alternative” is to try the Rizzo’s Kangaroo Plumb (named after John Rizzo, FSSP of Australia, also called the Wagga Wagga Wave), that is to pull the substances out with your hands, and flush manually by waving around a funnel to drain the toilet. DO NOT FLUSH! Allow a wagga wagga wave around the twisting action of pull out the waste. I do not like this one either, since I prefer staying clean in my hands.

Drano is very toxic, I cannot condemn it, but I am very careful around that substance, it could burn a hole in your socks! However, these “Alternative Methods” seem too weird for me, I guess I will take a chance and buy a plunger or just get a new toilet. However, there is plenty of “Safe” Drano available, and I may or may not got with that:

http://www.drano.com/

Cordially,
Kurt

anonymous1000 May 1, 2008, 12:48 am

My toilet clogged this morning. I have snake- cannot figure out for the life of me how to use it. I also have a plunger, dont know how to use that. Then I heard about some magical crystals that can help dissolve human feces. Dont ask me who lied to me. I went to Walmart, and came across Rid-X for septic tanks. It does say that it will unclog drains and safe in toilets. I poured the whole box into the toilet bowl which was a dumb idea. The whole box is supposed to be used for septic tanks.But I did this a little too quickly. So now I made a bigger mess. I have tried the boiling water trick twice- but the problem is, I think the Rid-X has settled to the bottom, and is now preventing the toilet from being flushed. I just dont know what to do anymore. Will this Rid-X ever dissolve?

me :) May 15, 2008, 9:08 am

the hot water works!!

i was babysitting a couple of kids who thought it might be neat to put a massive amount of TP in the toilet.

i only have one of those cheap plungers and i’m not very good at using it and i was not looking forward to calling the plumber out. i googled “clogged toilet” and learned about the hot water thing. i thought its worth a try.

it took a day and a half, plunging for several minutes every few hrs and 3 buckets of hot water but i am definitely a happy camper now. i can crap in my own toilet again!! yay!!

Amber May 15, 2008, 10:38 pm

so i was very uncertain that the hot water step would actually work. This morning i ran out of toilet paper but i found some paper towels. i didn’t think there would be a problem so i used two sheets. Well it clogged. I’m not a very muscular lady so when i grabbed the plunger i had major doubts. After several attempts and many heavy breaths and rests later, i got on the internet. i searched on google to locate something to help me unclog the toilet. i found a nice video that broadcasted the attempt. it worked for that guy but it wasn’t working for me. Then i found this site and decided to give the hot water a try. after a couple trys, i finally got the courage to flush. with bucket in one hand and plunger in other, i flushed. IT WORKED! Thank you very much. I’m moving out soon so i really need to learn the tricks of the trade. Thanks a bunch!!!

Jean May 20, 2008, 7:49 pm

thank you, thank you! it took 11 tries w/ the hot water flushing but that gurgle when the water finally got sucked up is the sweeeeetest music in the world!!

Vanessa June 2, 2008, 5:05 pm

Well my problem I didn’t find on here. Oh yes its plugged all right, the water won’t even go down , any advice besides useing the neighbors can or calling a plumber? Any help would be usefull even if its not for the Porcelain God. I’m afraid to use a snake in the head, the sink and shower is fine.

mia June 17, 2008, 9:15 pm

My problem is when I flush the toilet, the crap comes up the the shower drain into the shower. I have a septic tank system.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Donna July 5, 2008, 2:45 pm

We flushed some potatoes from a roast down our toliet and now it doesn’t want to flush. We already have the water saving tank, which doesn’t have any pressure what so ever. It will flush so very slow even paper doen’t want to go down. i have tried the plunger, wire hanger, the bucket of water trick nothing worked. I’m on a fixed budget and can’t afford to call a plumber or buy a snake what can I do? PLEASE HELP!!

Theresa July 7, 2008, 4:34 am

Well, I dumped a pan of chicken wings down the toilet cuz I didn’t want it stinking up the house in the garbage…..I throw everything in the toilet and don’t ever have a problem. I use way too much toilet paper, I always flush baby wipes, and all kinds of food. I just never though it would cause a problem because I have been doing it for so long…well now I have been plunging for days…broke mine, borrowed a neighbors, and even drove 20 min. to my parents house to borrow theirs. nothing…and after trying for the last 4 hours I am in so much pain cuz I have carpel tunnel and tendinitis and I am going to scream!!!!! I tried everything (without any $$)on this site and nothing. The landloard was suppose to come fix it today and do you think he was even kind enough to tell me he isn’t comming!! ugh and I have a 4 year old that goes to the potty often… I do not have $1 and I am writing this to say I GIVE UP!! well at least for now… and I couldn’t have laughed any harder about all the funny “shit” on here..(btw I am sorry about any spelling errors, I do not have spell check and I am falling asleep!!) *goodnight*

Master Rick September 2, 2008, 3:48 am

Talk about tough act(s) to follow!

Yesh, I have done the “fragrant urine cake hanger down the hole” routine Myself.. and when I had to tell a close friend after a concert, “Dude, piss on the side of My garage”, there was confusion, of course…

But tonight the issue is more immediate. she has a real clog and I am trying to “talk her through it”…

The suspect, Casey .. the evidence – the usual. …

And after we spent the passing hours laughing our ASSES off at real life stories … it was time to get serious… Dish soap .. in this case a discount variety….and in this case tears of laughter added to the bowl helped too… STAND BACK … Pour.. Flush..Watch .. Wait … and yes.. patience is a virtue.

Our nightmare is nearly over …. then, maybe I can eat dinner, comfortable in the knowledge that 3 young boys and their Mom, can use the plumbing as it was intended, without guilt or worry…

As a sidenote .. This shit is better than Comedy Central…and I am just now able to see through the tears of laughter and a “job well done”.

You can’t write better comedy than the stuff we’ve seen here … Ohhhhhh what’s that sound? Do you hear what I hear?

Whooooooosh… ahhhhhhhhhh Plop Plop Fizz Fizz .. Whooooosh…. How do you spell relief?

God Bless You Son,

MR

Forever grateful September 20, 2008, 2:04 am

Thank goodness for this site! IT WORKED! I’m flushing once again after being plugged for SIX (6) DAYS!! Thankfully, we do have 2 bathrooms, but a plugged toilet is a major inconvenience! I hate to get too graphic, but let’s just say I crap concrete and I plugged up the toilet. After lots and lots of plunging, several overflows, and a bottle of drain cleaner, I decided to Google “unclog a toilet” which led me here. As with all the others here, your warm water (I used HOT water) trick worked! I only had to do the hot water trick twice and I’m completely flushing now! Many many thanks! You save me the cost of a plumber and I’m a single mom and don’t have money for that! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Joanne September 28, 2008, 12:30 pm

okay this one is fun ….so somehow there was a clip to a trimmier dropped in the toliet and lets say someone in the house had a stomach thing and used the bathroom now the toliet has shit water in it and we can get it down ….i am about to get sick with the smell and i have family coming out soon, i have used the plunger half a dozen times and that does nothing. If i go get a snake would that push the trimmer clip into the pipes and evetually cause more issues with the plumbing ???? help someone PLEASE

Communicatio in Sacris October 3, 2008, 7:34 am

Wowwwwww!!!!!!!!! Swirlllllllll

That’s the job baby! Yea baby. Thanks for the tips… I got the book, that book on Tom Cruise, Tonny Little, and Hulk Hogan…all who have top tips on tough flushing methods… It’s amazing!

But Tom Cruise’s method is occultist. I dont like it, I dont like it. I warn you about this book “Communicatio in Sacris” – it exposes the bad plumbing methods – but it also gives good advise on normal methods. But, it has bathroom scandals in it, it may not be suitable for all readers. WARNING! Some of the plumbing methods – DO NOT – try at home. Only certified router rooters, like the Dimond Brothers dare try this Communicatio in Shitholes.

But be warned, it is a very dangerous job. Eating shit does not taste too good, just ask Michael Dimond or RJMI Routers Inc.

Drano can work, but sometimes it does not work. You have to be “open” to flushing down the crap in various intervals.

I am glad I got the book, because I cannot afford to make a mistake nor can I buy a new toilet. The prices are going up….sky high like Ron Paul warned, o well!

O before I forget, Master Rick – what belt are you in plumbing guilds?

I wear a purple built right now, trying to move up…

You got some advise?

Anyhow great job, bravo.

Keep plumbing!

Mario

Dukes of Hazzard October 19, 2008, 12:51 pm

TRY THE WATER TRICK! ITS A WINNER!

After weeks of avoiding using our toilet in our ensuite as no amount of plunging by my husband or use of some septic liquid stuff had helped ease the backing up when it was flushed….i had no choice but to go do number 2s in there this morning. As soon as i flushed i knew i should have lived in pain until the second toilet was free…it backed up with a vegence and i assure you after a big night on the town last night, this WAS NOT PRETTY!

I grabbed the trusty plunger and thought id give it a go… after 10 mins of nothing other than myself about to vomit, i decided to hop on the net and see what solutions others offered and along came this.

Basically after scooping as much water out so i started off with a low water level i tried the hot water thing… no go… so i plunged a bit more, scooped a bit more….. more hot water, by this stage i could hear the kids down the other end of the house complaining about the stench!!!! I plunged with all my might and decided to throw in the tiny little last of this septic clearing liquid hubby had bought, plunged away again and…….. thank bloody god! I heard the wooooosh and hey presto i have a toilet just like new! ( well it still is new i only just built this place less than a year ago lol) 2.5 hours later!

Be warned the hot water thing is almost like your boiling shit but it does work!

I am very keen to tell hubby that i was the one that solved a problem around the house that for once didnt involve the children!!!!! 🙂

kitten91 November 7, 2008, 6:22 am

OMG!!!!!
I spent 7.49 on a plunger, that didnt work, went back out and bought some super power drano after listening to my husband for an hour about how I should have got the drano, and that didnt work. Two loads of towels washed later and a floor I had to mop twice. I was dreading calling the landlord since I just moved in 10 days ago!!! Used good old google and found this sight. I am so thankful 3 kids and no toliet, use your imagingation. Of course the toliet is broke now everyone really has to go. lol 5 buckets of hot water at waist level and good to go.Thank you so much!!!

Crystal November 18, 2008, 4:13 am

Ok! So I have a three year old that is ummm a little too curious for my good …. for the past two weeks i have been having issues with our toliet and now today it is TOTALLY CLOGGED… i was in the bathroom and cursing the toliet gods for whatever was causing this and my dear daughter came in and plainly explained …. Takara flushed the rain shower…. Needless to say at first I laughed and then ran to the linen closet to see that our extra shower head is now officially gone … I guess not gone … it’s now raining showers in my toliet … just the wrong way…. WHAT CAN I DO I CAN’T AFFORD A PLUMBER …. IT’S REALLY STUCK ISN’T IT … IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO ??? GOD HELP HER IF I HAVE TO PAY A PLUMBER…. LMFAO… PLEASE HELP!!!

PS November 20, 2008, 8:15 am

Up until a year ago I believed no clog ever needed more than two plunges. But I was wrong. The first time my toilet encountered a turd of doom it was an unmitigated disaster. I managed to get a scrubber stuck in there. Not to mention ruined towels and flipflops that were only fit for a toxic disposal plant. Luckily I was able to shirk the responsibility and the cleaning ladies were there to take care of it.

Not this time. I’ve struggled with this clog for two days. Two plungers, one scrubber, a double sized bottle of Drano, a healthy dose of kitchen soap later I was ready to give up. Then I found this site. I am in tears laughing at all the comments (still not halfway through all of them). I tried the hot water trick and it just stayed there. Oh well, I’ll just go back and read the comments before I sleep. Fighting the clog can wait another day.

Ten minutes later my toilet let out a huge burp. Could it be? I ran to the bathroom and the clog was gone. I’m still not convinced the flush is entirely effective but it’s a start!

Nugget Negotiator December 6, 2008, 7:03 pm

After a night of exhausting all available options I cam to this site and tried everything to no avail. MY gf then called her father who of course came down and plunged the toilet of which my gf clogged with her enormous poop patties…how embarrassing..working all night on a problem and her dad taking a plunger and freeing the toilet..

Lennart December 9, 2008, 7:53 pm

This article saved me from epic embarassment and loss of cred with my housemates. Thanks, Ping!

t.devil January 7, 2009, 7:56 am

this was such a lifesaver! my toilet has been clogged for 3 days now. my toilet’s been giving problems as of late, so i don’t always flush if i only pee. i got up sunday with an urge so great i couldn’t flush away my previous tp leftovers before letting the load go. biggest mistake ever. i shat out a brick and the whole combo got stuck somewhere not too far down(mr. turd was keeping an eye out…)

i have back problems so bending over a bowl trying to plunge away can be quite painful extremely fast. i’m also not used to this plunger i have. *sighs* try as i might to find a regular standard one, nada. it seems store now only carry sink plungers (i guess no one takes big loads anymore…)& i get back from work too late to go to a “specialty” store aka reno depot/rona/home hardware so i’d have to wait till at least friday before goig.

i was walking past the washroom when i hear this burbling sound and without thinking i flush. oh wonders of wonders! and joys of joys! wasn’t it fun cleaning up 3 inches of poo water from my washroom floor. yay for magic clothes. very absorbant indeed!

so i’ve been trying to tough it out…i only have the 1 toilet…so only peeing and throwing the tp in the trash (ewww eww)thankfully i had to take out the trash monday night cuz as soon as i got home i had another massive attack. lemme tell you it’s no fun taking a dump in a bag…i hope no one went thru my garbage last night lol

so since then, i’ve been flushing the pee…and it looked like it was going ok. so when i had the urge again today i was like…well there’s no tp so i’ll at least try and see if the turd can go down (next garbage day isn’t for 2 more days…that’d be just too smelly). i took a chance and well the water went down…but not the poo..ewww

gotta love the plunger on that, then i found this site. i don’t have that snake thing, but it did make me remember that pouring large amounts of water into bowl will cause it to flush, so i tried it..didn’t really give, but then i tried with dishwashing liquid and more water and voilà! my toilet can now flush again yaaay!

there are still pieces needing replacement but at least i can now poo in peace of mind lol

UGH January 20, 2009, 10:08 pm

The water worked for me one time – this time, not so much. I have tried dishawashing liquid WITH the hot water – not budging.

Sweetie February 24, 2009, 4:38 pm

Having permanently screwed up my personal elimination system by waiting till I get home to go, you’ve saved my health, my face, my mind and my marriage. I once had a nervous breakdown after ending a dinner party at a new friend’s home with a clog. At home, I’ve had to put yellow-hazard tape across the door to the master suite water closet more than once. My dream was to have one of those airport crappers that practically suck you to the top of the stool before you’re even done. Lowes sells a toilet that they advertize will suck down something like twenty four golf balls. I was thinking of asking for one for Christmas, but then I thought if they’d advertize one that would actually take care of one good croquet ball, I’d go for it. Tried the water trick–OMG! I am now going to go nowhere without a prettied up plunger, an outfit-coordinated bucket and a smile on my face. I can finally hold my head up high–thanx a million!

Sweetie February 25, 2009, 8:01 pm

Hi–I wrote yesterday…just wanted to tell you it worked AGAIN! At first I thought I was going to have soapy water on the floor, but sure enough–it came up to the top, changed its mind and headed down south. This tidbit is going in next year’s Christmas letter. Thanx a million–

Angela March 3, 2009, 4:35 am

Hey Thanks a lot for the hot water trick–From what i saw of the matter, it seemed my sweet but disgusting boyfriend relieved himself of a mammoth sized fecal matter and plugged the bathroom. He couldn’t get it so for over an hour it just sat there while we contemplated what to do. Finally we google poop filled toilets and we get this site… Thanks a million 🙂

TOILETMASTER March 5, 2009, 11:04 pm

* _STORY OF SUCCESS_ *

AFTER 007 FILM “THE PLUNGER IS NOT ENOUGH,” TOOK A 2:00 AM
TRIP TO WAL-MART (_THANK GOODNESS FOR THE INBRED, SCUMBAG,_
_WALTON-FAMILY BILLIONAIRES AND THEIR IMPOVERISHED 24-HOUR_
_WAGE SLAVES WHO HAVE TO DEPEND ON THE STATE FOR HEALTH_
_INSURANCE_) AND PURCHASED FROM TOILET-FIXTURE AREA:
*
(1) 3 FT. BY 5/8″ TOILET SNAKE (“TOILET AUGER” ON RECEIPT,
“HOUSEHOLD TOILET CLEARING TOOL” ON CARDBOARD SLEEVE).
LOOKS LIKE A ROPE MADE OF METAL, WITH A HANDLE ON ONE
END AND SPRING COIL ON THE BOTTOM, HALF OF THE “ROPE”
COVERED WITH A PROTECTIVE J-SHAPED PLASTIC SHEATH.
($6.47 AS OF 2009-03-05)

(2) 32-OUNCE “LIQUID LIGHTNING” (DARK-BROWN/BLACK PLASTIC
BOTTLE, MULTICOLOR LABEL WITH “DRAIN OPENER”
PROMINENT). ALSO SEEN IN SMALLER SIZE ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE STORE IN THE RAID/DRANO/2000-FLUSHES
AISLE. SCREW THE SMALLER ONE…YOU WILL NEED ALL 32
OUNCES, AND I RECOMMEND GETTING AN EXTRA 32-OUNCE
BOTTLE FOR A POSSIBLY NEEDED SECOND DOSE.
($9.88 AS OF 2009-03-05)
*
TRIED SNAKING (MAKE SURE YOU MANAGE TO GET ALL OF
THE “ROPE” PUSHED INTO THE TOILET. YOU SHOULD END UP
WITH THE HANDLE AT THE TOP OF THE “J” SHEATH, IF THE
EXPOSED ROPE IS PROPERLY EXTENDED THROUGH THE TOILET.),
BUT NO LUCK.

ADDED LIQUID LIGHTNING FOR THE PROSCRIBED 20 MINUTES. NO
LUCK. WITH WALL VALVE HALFWAY CLOSED (SLOWS TANK FILL),
I THEN FLUSHED, AS DIRECTED, BUT KNEW THAT THE WATER LEVEL
WAS ONLY RISING, SO, I TURNED OFF WATER AT THE WALL VALVE.

NEXT, I THOUGHT ABOUT WAYS TO RIP THE BALLS OFF OF THE
A-HOLE WHO, _DURING IMBECILE PRESIDENT CARTER’S ADMIN,_
_PUT INTO LAW A RESTRICTION ON THE AMOUNT OF WATER USED_
_IN ALL NEW TOILETS IN THE U.S._ THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHY
WE MUST *GET EXCESS GOVERNMENT OUT OF OUR LIVES!*

THE 20-MINUTE LIMIT IS BULLSH1T. UNLESS YOUR CRAPPER IS
MADE OUT OF GOLD, LET THE WEAKENED SULFURIC ACID SIT THERE
OVERNIGHT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A PAPER CLOG.

THE WATER LEVEL DROPPED TO NORMAL, BUT ANOTHER FLUSH PUT
ME BACK AT SQUARE ONE. SINCE THE ACID HAD DISSIPATED,
I SNAKED AGAIN VIGOROUSLY (BUT CAREFULLY, SO AS NOT TO
SPLASH) AND, THEN, VOILA!

GURGLE, GURGLE, GURGLE…SUCCESS!!!

SAVED HAVING TO CALL THE IDIOT CREW EMPLOYED BY THE
MILLIONAIRE SLUMLORDS WHO BOUGHT OUR COMPLEX!

* THANKS TO THIS SITE AND OTHERS LIKE IT!
“TWO” IS A LONELY NUMBER! *

JoeInTexarkana March 14, 2009, 9:47 pm

We have been in our new house for two years and the water saving toilets regularly stop up – but can usually be unstopped with a plunger. However an episode this past week left a toilet “unplungable”, even after waiting a few days. So today is Saturday and that left me without an excuse.

After reading hundreds of entries here, decided that the hot water trick seemed the quickest and most likely to work without using chemicals.

1. Bailed out the crappy water in the toilet using a plastic coffee container cut in half and an old bucket.

2. Took the “honey bucket” to tub and dumped it.

3. Filled bucket with hot water and dumped it into toilet.

4. Plunged a few times & AWAY IT WENT!!!

Many thanks to the many posts here – kept me calm in the storm.

sarah March 19, 2009, 3:04 am

i flushed my deodorant stick down the toilet.. how do i get it unplugged????

Anthony March 29, 2009, 12:33 pm

My toilet was clogged for the past 2 days. Thankfully, I found this great site and did the “warm water” routine about 3-4 times and now my toilet flushes better than it ever did! Thanks again!

sara April 11, 2009, 3:45 pm

OK After two weeks of alternately ignoring the situation, and using buckets and buckets, I lost count how many. The plunger , etc. I did two things and yes I have one of those##$$$@@@ low flow Kohler toilets, never again, I remembered a trick from a plumber I used for the shower which is pour vinegar into almost empty toilet (use a bucket to empty the bowl and never buy a house with only one toilet or you are in trouble, then put small amounts at a time of baking soda into bowl. This will cause a pretty cool bubbly reaction that is what people used before they invented Drano. Let it sit then after two more buckets, used the plunger as directed here THANK YOU and halleluyah!!!! Also attitude adjustment on this site was the true lifesaver. Lauging while plugging in the trick. Cudos to all.

Rachael April 13, 2009, 6:45 am

I am an idiot and flushed paper towel down the toilet, the water level rose and went down slowly, but then I noticed that the pipe was leaking, just a few drips but enough to know that its not good. I then tried leaving vinegar in the bowl for a day, that didn’t help. Now I am trying to detergent and warm water, and that was going well until the pipe started leaking lots more water due to the pressure… I am a student, and can not afford a plumber so any other suggestions of how to break down the paper towel???

bb May 1, 2009, 5:29 pm

omg my friend clogged my toilet and it over filled. instead of helping me unclog it and whatnot, she left. argh. it’s so gross and i’m a total germaphobe. this sux.

totally ranting. ok so totally trying the soapy water thing… after i clean up again.

Al May 13, 2009, 1:02 am

Man, cheers for the tips! I almost vomited, as the sight of my shitter reminded of a scene from the movie ‘Trainspotting’. I ended up using a coat hanger to pull the paper towels out of the pipe, then used the bucket of water method to kill the rest of the bastard blockage. Thats a load off my mind, I’m off to buy some toilet paper!

Simon Abu Dhabi June 4, 2009, 12:36 pm

Well we have had the crapper backed up for 4 days now, tried plungers, proprietary chemicals including an overnight soak with raw Caustic Soda liquid from work. Last night I even went out and bought some 1/2″ garden hose and with industrial rubber gloves tried ramming the hose around the bend but the bend was too tight. Opened the manhole in the yard and repeated the process but came up against another tight bend the hose wouldn’t travel round. And yes the movie Trainspotting springs to mind aswell. Managed to get rid of all the stinking brown water and floaters eventually but it is still not draining freely. As luck would have it the house adjoining ours is still vacant and never locked so me and the Wife have been nipping round there to drop a load or two. I just fear the landlord will catch me with my pants down paper in hand one day with some perspective renters. Anyhow, going to try the hot water poured from a height and the coat hanger, short of that I’m going to have to pull the whole damn thing off to investigate. Wish me luck, nice way to spend a weekend eh!

Ariel June 8, 2009, 1:09 am

Thank you!!! The “Plunge and Flush” technique worked magic for me! It’s posted near the top (from almost 6 years ago!), and even with a not-great plunger (doesn’t properly make a seal over my weirdly shaped toilet) it got things flowing again after hours of trying… Just start plunging a few times to get the water moving, then flush and CONTINUE TO PLUNGE DURING THE FLUSH. I also used a lot of warm water, so that may have helped too… but the “plunge and flush” was definitely what did the trick. Thanks so much for this site!

jeanne June 13, 2009, 2:26 pm

I.had.my.toilet.clogged.a.few.months.ago.and.now.the.same.
thing.again.It.was.only.guanteed.for.1.mo.
I.cant.afford.another.plumber.Here.is.my.problem.at.first.it.
just.was.very.slow.to.drain.after.flushing.now.I.plunged.the.
bathroom;sink.to.see.if.that.would.help.the.clog.because.it.
gurgled.along.with.the.flushing.of.the.toilet.
but.now.the.toilet.filled.up.to.the.rim.and.stopped.completely.from.draining.at.all!!
Please.tell.me.what.I.should.do.Thanks.in.advance..J.

D July 6, 2009, 11:02 pm

I have a flushmate toilet which is a pressure flush toilet and we have had no water all day. had to go to the bathroom and now can’t get the thing to flush! help?

Gayle July 14, 2009, 5:59 pm

Anyone seen anything about or hear of the Toilet Tamer (a gadget guaranteed to stop an overflow)? Wonder if it works? You can read about it here: http://www.toilettamer.com.

Notched July 19, 2009, 8:46 pm

Found your site while searching online trying to buy a plunger that will work specifically with a Sure-Flush Niagara Conservation brand toilet. We’re renters and this kind of toilet that we find ourselves living with has a critical flaw in its design that I can’t seem to find referenced anywhere online: the bowl has a carved notch along the back, so a standard round plunger cannot make a seal around the hole! If we have to plunge, water just shoots up from the plunger at the open space left by the notch in the back of the bowl! Are there such things as notched plungers for use with these kind of toilets? I’ve been google searching but can’t even find a single mention of anyone else ever having this problem. Help?

NT August 10, 2009, 11:40 pm

Hi I need some help. My toilet got clogged with a bunch TP. At first it overflowed but now the water level just raises really high then slowly the water goes out but it does not flush away its contents. Can’t get an auger. Any suggestions?

Kelly August 25, 2009, 1:39 pm

I also love you!! Oh wow.. Okay.. So I was picking up candy wrappers my 2 year old, 5 year old and 32 year old husband left on the livingroom floor and I handed them to my daughter and told her to ‘put them in the garbage..’ Well, I guess she decided that the TOILET was the new garbage..I can’t remember what else was in that handful of stuff I handed her.. But it clogged the crap out of the toilet.. Literally! I overheard my oldest saying ‘dont flush the toilet, there’s something big in there.’ and I was like oh no.. I figure something else ended up in there (small toy, sock etcetc) but I can’t get the truth out of her.. She says just TP, but TP always eventually goees, it breaks up right? So I tried the auger to no avail. I just tried the water trick and voila!! 4 pitchers of water later (just hot tap water from the tub) and it’s GONE! Yeah it took some plunging and what not.. But it’s working now.. I’m still a little nervous to let anyone go #2 in there.. But we’ll have to get over it someday. It’s really nasty to plunge when a turd is floating in there. Icks! I am no stranger to plunging toilets either. This is the first real problem I ever had — thanks!!

M September 2, 2009, 7:22 am

I neither had the plunger, nor the snake and hot (even boiling!) water didn’t work… I poured bleach and some “Drain Gel” – in vain… So, I kept googling and found another website describing a homemade plunger: plastic bags wrapped around a toilet brush. I was VERY skeptical but there were lots of “testimonials” so I gave it a go – believe it or not it worked in about 30 sec!!! Thought I would come back here and share it 🙂

assortedfroot September 7, 2009, 5:21 pm

Ryan, I love you, and I love hot water buckets!!!!!
Thank you!!!

Ken September 14, 2009, 12:31 am

Did all three steps and the hot water did the trick. The auger loosened it up but it was still clogged. Thanks for the hot water tip!

Caution: when extracting the auger don’t get over zealous. mine came out spinning poop all over the room 🙁

Sweetie October 7, 2009, 4:09 pm

Still smooth sailin’ after having hidden a bucket in the bathroom just for this purpose. Just a note—never buy Charmin TP as it does not break up or dissolve. That’s its strength. It will stay together long after you need it to. Thanx again for your great hints and greater entertainment.

Gladiola October 22, 2009, 6:45 pm

I made the mistake of flushing napkins and paper towels in my toilet and i clogged it up badly.

went to buy a plunger, and that didn’t work. (turns out later i hadn’t pulled down the flaps inside the plunger – woops~!)

found this glorious website after reading dozens of “how to unclog” and did the hot water method from the WAIST position 4 or 5 times.

i tried the laundry detergent trick as someone above mentioned, where you put some in the empty toilet bowl and then continued to flush the water.

FINALLY DID THE WATER TRICK ONE MORE TIME, DISCOVERED THAT MY FLAPS WERE NOT DOWN ON MY PLUNGER, AND HEARD THE SWEET SOUNDS OF GURGLING!!!!!!!!

my dream has come true. this was a nightmare week and i broke down and cried but at least one problem is fixed. now i gotta go wash the towels and clean the wet carpet from the toilet overflow in my bedroom.

THANK YOU FOR THE HOT WATER TIP!!!!

swassg November 26, 2009, 2:06 am

Thank God for the internet!!!!! I tried the plunging and wire hangar with no success. What finally worked was pouring in hot water and the clog went right on down! Thanks 4 the tip…it really works!!!!!!!

The 15 year old who is up at 2:23 am.... November 30, 2009, 7:39 am

I guess its my turn to share my little “after holiday” story… So while i’m doing my bussiness i decide to fold up the toilet paper nice and neat. After i finish wiping with my perfect little square (perhaps not little…) it still feels slightly… moist back there. I decide to get a little bit more ( yet again, not little) and fold it up and wipe. I flush… and the hell water doesnt go down. As a matter of fact, it begins to over fill.. at 2 AM and i cant use hot water and a bucket. I have school tomorrow and god dammit im up writing this stupid story. Anyways… the toilet over fills and luckily i have a sham wow in the bathroom. Yeah… i hope someone doesnt use the sham wow to wipe thier face tomorrow. But long story short, The toilet is still cloged and we’ll see bad it is in the morning…

Kyle Forrester December 1, 2009, 1:12 am

Wow. Hot water down the hole. Brilliant.

Jen December 3, 2009, 5:56 am

This totally worked! It was a godsend! I probably refilled that tank with hot water six times and put in three cups of soap, and over the course of four hours it finally worked. Dude, it totally worked. I never write about things on the internet unless they’re totally amazing.

THANK YOU January 11, 2010, 8:00 pm

I just clogged my toilet and repeated plungings were NOT clearing the clog. I didn’t want to call my landlord as I’m female and it’s extra embarrassing for a girl to make a turd that clogs the toilet, so thank goodness for Google + you. The hot-water-in-a-bucket trick is what finally did it!

JB & Hubby February 11, 2010, 7:57 am

OMG my husband and I love these comments – we were able to take a break from plunging and laugh a little. Our toilet has been acting up for a good few weeks now, mine you we do have a 6 year old in the house, and tonight – after a *Cough* ‘shitty’ friend took a dump, or gave one (how ever you look at it) our toilet gave up and died. We’ve been plunging for hours, I actually have a sore spot on my hand that I’m sure will turn into a callous tomorrow. I went to the store, thankfully right before it closed, and all the different brands of drainers say to not use in the toilet (is that because it will eat away at the wax seal?)…I bought a bottle anyway and we are saving it as a last resort.

We added dish soap, let it sit for a few, then added the hot water…I kept reading comments aloud while we waited, and nothing. More soap and more hot water – too hot, we heard a loud cracking sound, no cracks visible – but we are NOT going to add more hot water and have to buy our landlord a new toilet. We plunged some more, but the shitty part about adding the soap, the plunger is having a hard time creating a suction – it’s too slippery in there.
Tomorrow, it’s off to the hardware store to buy a ‘closet auger’ …. and if that doesn’t work, I am calling a plunger and sending our landlord the bill. (We’ve had a similar problem at our old house – it was actually tree roots that had grown into the pipe outside, nasty black roots that the plumber gagged at – then bravely offered to replace the pipes, worth a few grand I’m sure X^P )

I will post again, and I am praying that tonight somehow our turds find a better place beyond our pipes.

Signing off for now, JB & Hubby

P.S. Thanks for the laughs everyone – it made a horrible (planned to be relaxing….ended up disastrous) evening a little easier to handle.

Cathe April 20, 2010, 1:15 am

Until today I honestly thought I was the only person in the world who had the “my poop is too big” problem. This has been a problem for the last several years. You gave me so many laughs and the great info about pouring the hot water into the toilet. Thank you!!!

**Cockayne Crew** May 13, 2010, 7:52 am

Sooooo our story. We’re in a flat of 5 and we have 2 toilets. We’re all female so rule of thumb is we use the bathroom more than most people anyway. We don’t know who did it or how it happened but there was a pain in the ass blockage that only 2 of us got left to deal with. The great thing about it was that it didn’t pong that much, we figure it was too much TP (and maybe a sh*t can’t say for sure.) Anywhooo we don’t have a plunger, it’s too late to go buy a auger thingy, so we decided we’d try #3. Yeeeeah took a few goes but it worked wonders!! (that + dishwash!!) and voile our toilet works perfectly. But to be on the safe side we’re using the other toilet just in case so we can’t be blamed if theres another one!!

We really feel for those who only have one toilet! Thanks for the help!!!

**Cockayne Crew**

maria May 23, 2010, 6:17 pm

Eco toilets are indeed the anti-christ. Ours is just plain embarrassing, i have to warn house-guests to hold the flushing button down till the tank is empty, but still it clogs. So we squirt bleach under the rim after every use of the toilet. Plunger is on standby, but so far it seems to work. Not ecological at all, but you’d think toilet-technology would have come further than this, a flush works by creating water pressure, which needs a certain amount of water, not the trickle my toilet produces. i wonder if japanese toilets block?

Whilst travelling in Thailand we got used to manually flushing toilets with a large bucket of water (Cold was fine). Try this if you have a regularly-blocking toilet a PREVENTATIVE measure (ie when its not actually blocked), just to keep things moving.

This is by far the funniest website i have ever read. Well this and the one about poo-splashing i read to avoid writing an essay.

BB May 25, 2010, 4:24 pm

Had to stop reading, I was laughing so hard. My husband thought I was losing it.

No. But due to his illness, I was the one using the plunger since last night. Hot water helped today. So did using a small plunger that I previously had made fun of (what fool bought this?) – about 4-1/2″ in diameter which, when used on a forward/downward diagonal, neatly sealed off the impossible-to-seal outlet in our Kohler toilet bowl. A few vigorous plunges and I got (a) a bit of sewer smell (a good sign as we’d gotten to the clear water stage overnight; and (b) an empty toilet bowl. Working fine.

Thank you, thank you.

Esther August 24, 2010, 12:50 pm

Well the dishsoap, hot water and plunging worked for me after several hours. One suggestion, flush a couple of times during the “movement”. Try to get the kids to do the same. If they refuse, make them clean up the mess.

Uh oh September 12, 2010, 9:25 pm

there is a banana in my toilet and it is clogged… what do i do?

thomas sabo bee charm November 17, 2010, 7:53 am

many years ago .I was a student ,like English very much ,because some resons I gave up it .but now I want to learn it again .believe me!!GO GO !!!

rickyj December 20, 2010, 7:44 am

Hello all tonite my toilet got clogged pretty bad. I tried using a plunger and a snake which was broken. Then i just kept trying to plunge it. I was outside using an industrial snake,when I heard water leaking under my mobile home. Another problem I think my flange is broken. My dad did some pretty shady plumbing here. So I am going to try the soap and hot water for now. And if it works its a miracle. Then after christmas I am going to get under there and replace the flange and wax and also level out the bottom cause i think thats why it got all messed up it was not level. Thats my dad always doing half ass jobs. So good luck too all of you . I hate plumbing yet I still do it five times a year.

Ollie January 19, 2011, 10:14 am

Thank you so so much! That bucket trick worked and saved me a lot of trouble and embarrassment! Praise the internet! It blocked the toilet so I might unblock mine.

Bill February 26, 2011, 10:33 am

I’ll be dang’d half hour plunging and nothing but a bucket of hot water followed by another one and WOOSH.. thanks for the tip 🙂

Tracy April 25, 2011, 1:32 pm

Plunging and augering on and off for a couple of hours with no results. Several buckets of warm water later and I am back in business. Thank you, wish I had found this sooner!!

Elizabeth May 17, 2011, 9:53 am

I am praying this works! We have two toilets which previously had to be snaked by our apartment maintenance guys. Talk about EMBARRASSING! My husband clogged one of the toilets again (hasn’t he heard of flushing halfway through) and we haven’t been able to get it unclogged and I am too embarrassed to call maintenance again. Well, the second toilet clogged today, not to mention my 2.5 year old is finally potty-trained so we now have 3 people needing a working toilet. Ahhhh! I hate poo!

MistyBlu August 10, 2011, 11:45 am

This worked! I did the hot water thing several times and it seemed to be emptying a little better. Then I added some dishwashing soap to the mix (soap first, then add water, wait a few minutes, flush). It worked! Thanks!

john September 9, 2011, 3:40 am

woow better call somebody to do it 🙂

DC September 24, 2011, 3:18 pm

The third step worked for me too! Awesome!!!

anon November 11, 2011, 5:30 am

I live in a country where I haven’t seen auger and I have a toilet which has four small holes instead of one big one to drain the poo…… grrrrr, I’ve moved into this house only three months ago and I seem to be clogging this toilet regularly. I am very embarrassed now to call the maintenance guys, tried everything and nothing seems to work, someone please help!!!!

anon November 11, 2011, 6:16 am

used hot water and dishwashing detergent and after three times it worked!!!

mike December 5, 2011, 12:08 am

I have a toilet that intermittantly overflows. I am stumped why. The only thing I notice odd is that when I flush, after the initial flush surge, a secondary flush surge happens. Like a double flush with one pull of the handle. There appears to be no apparent blockage. Dont see why 90% of the time it seems fine, then out of the blue it just overflows, even when it is a “no solids” flush for lack of a better word…Help Ping!! Tried Plunging and a sink snake, which of course scratched the tank up….uggg

david neumann January 9, 2012, 9:49 pm

All I have to say is holy &hit it really works. I had to use two five gallon buckets of hot water but it finally did the trick!!!!!! Saved my butt :).

Muharraq January 15, 2012, 12:37 pm

I had a staborn clog in the toilet that was thankfully cleard with the ‘bucket’! Yet, I still have the same problem with the bath tub that nothing helped with, including the bucket! Any idea please?!

Liz January 25, 2012, 12:00 am

THE LAST TIME I HAD A CLOG, IT WAS QUITE STUBBORN TAKING OVER 24 HOURS TO CLEAR. ANYHOO-I USED A CHEMICAL AND LET IT SIT OVERNIGHT AND IT WORKED MORE SLOWLY THAN BEFORE. YOU CAN BUY IT AT HOME DEPOT AND ITS ABOUT 10 BUCKS, BLACK BOTTLE THAT COMES IN A PLASTIC BAG. THIS TIME THERE WAS PEE COLORED WATER COMMING FROM THE BASE OF THE TOILET, NOT TOO MUCH JUST IN ONE SPOT. I CLEANED THAT UP AND THEN LATER, WHILE THE TOILET WAS WAITING TO BE FLUSHED IN ANOTHER SPOT, PEE COLORED WATER COMMING FROM THE BASE.
PLEASE TELL ME I DONT HAVE TO TAKE THE TOILET OFF. WHAT CAUSES THAT?

Liz January 25, 2012, 12:03 am

muharraq, get that chemical at home depot. its in a black bottle and the bottle is in a plastic bag. you put it in all the drains and let it sit over night if not then you can let it sit shorter time too. I let it sit overnight so it dislodges everything everywhere.

Liz January 25, 2012, 12:08 am

dish soap that is high in surfactant like ajax and dawn can be put in the toilet. you wait a little while and shazam! it works!!

Kelly April 23, 2012, 10:53 am

Thank you so much for the advice! It worked on the second bucket of hot water. I tried plunging like crazy, putting in a bottle of drain cleaner (DO NOT DO THIS IN A TOILET) It did nothing to boot. So I came here and put some dish liquid in the toilet and then two buckets of hot water and away goes clog down the toilet. Thanks for saving me a service call. I would have been so embarassed as I forgot my stool softeners and was very constipated. It was painful and probably quite large as it’s been days and got lodged in there. These low water toilets are great most of the time but not for this.

Kelly April 23, 2012, 11:09 am

BTW, When my daughter was younger she used to throw her K-Tip’s down the toilet after doing her ears and putting on eye makeup. This made a dam in the pipe and eventually paper, etc. made a huge clog, Had to have the toilet picked up and cleaned out and a get new rubber seal. If you have teens please let them know that K-Tips can reak havok on a toilet.

meggie November 18, 2012, 11:03 am

This seriously saved me… I took a major dump last night, I don’t know what I ate but of course it clogged and I was practically having a panic attack, I flushed and the water overflowed everywhere, it was disgusting. Even worse, my friends were coming over in half an hour and I had to clean it up pronto then just leave the clogged up poo in there and warn them not to use that bathroom. This morning, after unsuccessful clogging and sticking a stick down the hole, I did the warm water thing and it worked. I shouted for joy!! Thanks so much!

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