Drain Unblocking Coventry
Toilet Unblock
If you're struggling with slow draining water when flushing your toilet then you may be experiencing a partial blockage.
Often blockages can be caused by objects becoming lodged within the U-bend in the toilet however, if you're experiencing overflowing waste or water refusing to flush then you may be experiencing a full blockage further down your drainage pipe.
There can be many reasons why your toilet has become blocked and it's important the issue is identified quickly so the blockage can be removed before waste product begins to overflow from your toilet and cause damage to your property.
With over 20 years experience our engineers are on hand to help resolve any problem you're experiencing and carry out a toilet unblock on your property. Contact us today to find out how we can help.
Require your toilet unblocking? Call us today
Why is my toilet blocked?
Incorrect product entering the drainage system
Products such as cotton buds, baby wipes, face wipes, dental floss, nappies and tampons can be flushed down he toilet but aren't designed to breakdown like products such as toilet paper! Products like these are hard to break down and if flushed down the toilet, can build up and eventually form a stubborn blockage. Overtime certain materials break down but products such as baby wipes won't break down so will need manually removing from your drainage pipe in order to clear your toilet.
A blockage in the Waste Trap
The waste trap is located at the bottom of the toilet and is the section that's always full of water, it's designed for many reasons such as creating a barrier against foul smells working back up the pipe and into your home, it also helps to prevent rodents accidentally entering your property through a drainage pipe.
Due to the design of the U-bend it can often be difficult for waste product to be flushed away without getting stuck. If too much waste material such as toilet paper is flushed through the system at any one time it can become lodged within the U-bend and create a blocked toilet. It's important when using your toilet to monitor the amount of waste product that's being flushed through to prevent a blockage, if you have small children they can also place small objects into the toilet which can become lodged and cause a blockage. It's always worth double checking before flushing your toilet that small objects haven't been placed into the waste trap and if they have, they're removed quickly.
Ineffective Toilet Flush Leaver
If your toilet is a few years old you may find the leaver located within the tank has become partially disconnected and isn't allowing a full flush to be made, this can prevent enough water entering into the toilet bowl and dosen't create enough pressure to allow the waste product to be effectively washed away. The toilet leaver is attached to the flush arm within the tank via an adjustable chain, it's important to check the leaver is operating correctly to ensure effective operation.
Blocked pipe
If you've checked all of the above and you're still experiencing a blocked toilet then you may find a build up of waste product located further down the line. Often products such as baby wipes, cotton buds and nappies can make it past the trap and cause a blockage further into your drainage system. Our engineers utilise the latest CCTV recording system to work through your drainage pipe in order to locate the blockage, once identified they can recommend the best corse of action so the blockage can be cleared. Whether it's by rodding your drain or carrying out a drain clearance with our high pressure drain jetting system, we can quickly resolve any issue you're experiencing to completely unblock your toilet and leave your system free flowing once more.
How to unblock a toilet
Wear personal protective equipment
The first step is to keep protected, dealing with a blockage can often mean coming into contamination with hazardous waste product. Always use personal protective equipment including rubber gloves and eye protection as a minimum. Unblocking a toilet can be a messy job so be sure to have cleaning products on hand for when the jobs complete. An empty bucket will also come in useful for placing in any of the waste product you manage to remove instead of placing it on the floor and creating further contamination.
Manually attempt to remove the blockage
Try to identify the problem. If you carry out a visual inspection then you may be able to see the root cause of the problem, whether it's a children's toy lodged in the waste trap or a blockage caused by products which aren't designed to be flushed down your toilet such as baby wipes, cotton buds or nappies, if you can see what's creating the blockage within the toilet then try to manually remove it with your hands. If however theres waste product containing faeces then try to use tools to remove the blockage without placing your hands into the toilet bowl and coming into contact with waste product.
If the blockage is caused by a build up of too much tissue / toilet roll being flushed down the toilet then try to poke the blockage with a metal pipe in order to break the blockage apart so that it can be flushed through the system, avoid using thin timber in case is snaps and adds to the blockage. If you've successfully broken the blockage apart you should hear a sucking noise from behind the toilet waste trap which is being caused due to the pressure in the toilet bowl pushing through, the waste product will then disappear through the toilet.
Use a plunger, boiling water or chemical toilet unblock solution
If the blockage won't disappear or if you can't visually see whats causing it then you can use a plunger to try and remove the blockage.
Plungers works by creating a seal around the pipe and utilising suction and compression to free a blocked drain. When you push a plunger down onto a pipe it forces water down encouraging the blockage to move further into the pipe, when you pull the plunger up it forces water back up the pipe and around the blockage.
By repeating this process you're encouraging the blockage within the pipe to loosen and with a little bit of luck, eventually break free. This is one of the oldest and the most simple methods available when it comes to unblocking a drain.
It can take a whole for a plunger to work and it may take you a fair few attempts but with a little bit of patience, you may find this to be one of the most effective solutions to unblocking drains.
Another solution would be to pour hot water into the toilet bowl to try and soften the blockage whilst encouraging it to break apart. The final step would be to use a chemical solution to clear the blockage. Chemical cleaners can be brought from most DIY stores such as screw fix, Homebase and Wickes. The method is simple, purchase a chemical drain unblocking agent, follows the instructions on the back and pour it down your drain and leave it to sit for a few hours whilst the solution starts to work by breaking down the blockage.
Rod the toilet pipe:
Rodding working by connecting multiple lengths of fibre glass poles together in order to create one long pole which can be used to push through a drainage pipe and into a blockage to clear a blocked drain.
The drain rod is forced into the blockage again and again until the blockage starts to break down. This is a really effective method to clearing stubborn blockages but should be used with extreme caution. It can be easy to cause further damage to your drain pipes by utilising this system and can also lead to further problems such as drain rods snapping off underground which if left un-recovered, can lead to a blockage which is incredibly difficult to clear.
We recommend only attempting this method if you have experience with rodding drains and feel comfortable to do so. Fortunately if you don't feel confident or you don't have access to a drain rodding system, all of our engineers carry a complete set with them wherever they go and we're on hand to help, should you need us.
Call Smart Drain UK
If you've attempted the above solutions but still can't clear the blockage, or if you don't feel comfortable or have the access to the necessary tools to unblock the toilet then call the team at Smart Drain UK today on 01788 524353 or 07747232242.
Our engineers have over 20 years experience within the drainage industry and are on hand to help resolve any drainage experience you may be facing. We carry out hundreds of toilet unblocks each year and can rapidly identify and clear blockages with ease to once again leave you with a fully functioning toilet.