Wally’s Workshop

Having done this more than once (damn low flow toilets), I feel somewhat expert at it by now. However, I did check out some answers on Yahoo and thought some of the suggestions were pretty good. I’ll list them at the end of this post.

First, if the water is very low in the toilet, try flushing once. Do this only if  you don’t think the toilet will overflow.  The idea here is to create enough pressure from the weight of a full toilet bowl to force a minimal blockage through. I’ve seen it work before - sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting a few minutes for something to “dissolve” a bit.

If that doesn’t work, you need to try a plunger. They key here is not to “push” air or water through the toilet outlet, but rather to “shake up” the blockage and let nature take it’s course. So, don’t push hard when plunging. Insert the plunger into the toilet bowl, make sure the rubber gasket or cup seals the outlet, and “wiggle” the plunger up and down rapidly. Short strokes do the trick.  We are just loosening the clog rather than trying to push it through.

If, after trying short strokes 50-100 times, you may need to try a snake. Most hardware stores, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowes all carry them. The units usually  consist of  a cable (like a bicycle brake cable) and a handle you turn in a winding fashion. The cable spins like a drill bit as you turn the handle, pushing and twisting the clog through and down the drain. Once the clog is cleared, reversing the winding action will retract the snake into its housing (usually plastic).

Other ideas from Yahoo Answers:

“Wire coat hanger un ravelled. Keep poking it down”

“80% vodka, that will unblock anything”

“chuck a bucket of water down it then flush, and repeat until it is clear”

“use your hand!!!! (in a plastic bag, of course)”

“Use a (string) mop as a plunger.” [Actually, this might work pretty well]