Blocked Toilet
A blocked toilet is a terrible inconvenience. Not many people realise how important toilets are until they encounter a toilet that overflows or does not flush. When these happen, not only is the feeling of not being able to use the toilet uncomfortable and unhygienic, but it could also compromise the health of the inhabitants of a home.
So, what are the indicators of a blocked toilet? Are there any tell-tale signs that there is a blockage slowly building up inside your toilet drain line? How can you prevent toilet blockages from happening in the first place? And finally, if your toilet is clogged, what should you do?
Signs of a Blocked Toilet
There are several indicators that will tell you that your toilet is blocked. While some emerge when the toilet drain is completely blocked, others are often indicators that blockages have begun building within the drain line.
Toilet is Emitting a Foul Odour. Is there a bad smell that is coming out from your toilet drain? Then chances are you have a clogged toilet. This is one of the first symptoms that you need to look out for since this symptom commonly emerge during the early stages of blockage build-up. The foul odour is a gas produced when there is a build-up of wastewater and organic waste in the drainpipes. The gas leaks through the toilet fixtures and vent pipes.
Since it emerges at the early stage of a toilet blockage, it is also one of the easiest to address and will normally require using environmentally friendly or homemade drain cleaners. Nevertheless, if you just can’t seem to get rid of the foul smell of your toilet, then it is you contact a professional plumber since this may be an indicator of a more complex plumbing issue.
Toilet Producing a Gurgling Sound. This is another tell-tale sign that there is a blockage building-up inside your toilet drain line. The blockage inside the drain changes the ratios of air and liquid. This causes sewer gases to escape through the water seals, thus producing the gurgling sound. Most people, when encountering this issue, ignore it thinking that it is common.
However, once you encounter this problem, it is best to address it immediately to prevent other signs of drain blockages from occurring. Since this also happens at the early stage of clog build-up, usually you can resolve this by yourself. Nevertheless, if the problem is persistent or recurring, it is best to have it checked by a licensed and experience plumber like Blocked Drain Plumbers.
Toilet Water Drains Slowly. When water levels in your toilet bowl are slow in going away than usual after flushing and if the water level rises up to the top of the toilet, these are clear indications that you have a blocked toilet. Commonly this symptom emerges when the blockage has started building up but is not completely blocking the passage of water.
Nevertheless, the build-up is able to reduce the flow of wastewater within the drain line. In some instances, the apart from slowly draining, the level of water will also drop lower than usual. This is caused by the vacuum effect of a clogged drain. When you start encountering either of these two or both of these symptoms, it is best to get help from blocked toilet expert plumbers to fix the problem for you and make your toilet work properly again.
Toilet Won’t Flush or Backup. This is one of the most common indicators of a blocked toilet, which usually occurs when a foreign object such as a child’s toy, jewellery, soap, etc. is flushed down the toilet. It also happens when people flush down too much paper towel in the toilet. Among the indicators of blocked toilets, this one can cause a lot of damage to the toilet and its surrounding area.
Many people would try to deal with this issue themselves. However, it is still best if this issue is handled by a skilled and experience plumber. Oftentimes, dealing with this issue can lead to more damages. So if you encounter this issue, call a professional plumber. Thus, you can avoid all the hassle and potential additional expenses.
There are several reasons why the toilet drain gets blocked or clogged. A blocked toilet can also be an indication that there is a bigger problem in your drainage system. This includes sewer blockage or an obstruction in the toilet line. These obstructions may be caused by flushed toilet fresheners or objects that have fallen into the toilet causing the drain pipes to get jammed with materials that can clog the drain pipes. Blocked toilets in Melbourne are usually caused by a build-up of toilet paper that blocks that sewer drain.
Causes of Blocked Toilet
Blocked Toilets and Drain Pipes. The major causes of a blocked toilet in Melbourne are accumulated hair, larger debris, tissues or too much toilet paper flushed down the toilet drain. Once these types of blockages accumulate or build-up, the flow of water draining away from the toilet becomes slow. The use of chemical drain cleaners can help keep the waste system clear and fresh but is not so environmentally or eco-friendly because these chemicals are made of harsh ingredients that can hurt the environment.
External drains can also easily become clogged with leaves and debris falling that find their way into the drains. If these external drains become clogged or blocked, water will cease to flow properly on the drain pipes and can cause a blocked toilet.
Blocked sewer pipes are costly and may be a destructive problem. Totally blocked drain pipes will definitely cause sewerage to back up through the floor drains or other bathroom fixtures. Partially blocked drain pipes can result in the slow draining of the toilet or any bathroom fixture, like the shower drain. If you want to find exactly where the problem is, it is best to use a CCTV camera to investigate where the blockage is and find the best course of action to take to resolve the drain problem.
Hydro-jetting is an alternative solution to removing or clearing blocked drainage pipes. It can flush out even the worst pipe clogs that your drain pipes may have.
Common Reasons for Blocked Toilet Pipes.
Blocked drain pipe. The most common cause of blocked toilet in Melbourne is a clog or blockage in the intersecting service pipe between the home and the main drain that leads to the street. The usual cause of the blockages is the accumulation or build-up of hair, dirt, grease, and other materials that do not dissolve in water. Materials like disposable napkins, garbage, nappies, broken pieces of dishware and other types of debris that should not be flushed down the drain are the major causes of blockage in the drain pipes. To make sure that the problem is fixed properly, it is best to hire the services of an expert toilet drain plumber who specialises in blocked drains.
This problem is a household issue where water from the home is backing up. The amount of water that backs up depends on the amount of water used. Once the water is turned off, it usually drains slowly. The problem resurfaces once the water is turned on again. When drains starts backing up, there is a big chance that there is a drain pipe clog or blockage somewhere. Materials like hair, soap, and household chemicals flushed down the drain can often build up at any time along the drain pipeline and cause blockage and then the backup of wastewater.
Sewer lines can be clogged like drains. The accumulation of non-degradable materials flushed down the sewer line can gather along the sewer walls and eventually clog the sewer. This problem can cause water to back-up in bathroom drains including the toilet. Once you see signs of this happening to your home, call the plumbing professionals right away to fix the problem immediately and prevent bigger damages to your home.
Blocked Sewer. Drain line pipes and sewers can be damaged because of several reasons. One reason could be digging in your property and accidentally hitting the sewer drain, which can cause it to rapture quickly. The sewer might be very old and can easily crack from the pressure of solid materials travelling through it. In other situations, the damage just happens, and an expert plumber is needed to fix the problem properly to prevent further and much worst damage to your property.
Plant roots. Roots of large trees growing near the sewer lines can weaken these drain pipelines over the years as they grow around them. Plant roots that manage to wrap drain pipeline around can eventually work into the sewer pipes, therefore, damaging the drain pipes or the sewer lines. It is very important to leave the removal of plant roots to a plumbing expert specialising in removing tree roots from drain pipes to fix the problem properly.
Preventing Blocked Toilet
To make sure that you don’t have clogged toilets, there are several drain maintenances you can do. This will also assure you that you will not encounter any emergency toilet issue in the middle of the night. Overall, it is still best to do routine maintenance to avoid the expenses that goes along with fixing clogged toilets.
Create a maintenance schedule and follow it religiously. You can either clean your toilet bi-monthly or monthly. Just make sure to stick to it. This will help ensure that there are no blockages that stick to the walls of your toilet drain line.
Flush hot water into your toilet. Flushing hot water into your toilet will help prevent clogs from forming in the toilet drain. For those who have not done this yet, the hot water will also help loosen the clogs that have already formed. After flushing hot water, be sure to clean out any deposits left within the drain line.
Another way to keep your toilet drain clean is by using enzyme-based toilet cleaners. These cleaning solutions use bacteria or enzymes that actively feed on organic materials. These bacteria break down the organic materials, even fungi – everything that makes up the blockage or clog. As they digest the materials in the drain pipes, they continue to spread and reproduce. While they may not be available in every store, one of the best advantages of these enzyme drain cleaners is environmentally friendly.
Using baking soda and vinegar is also a great way to clean the toilet drain. This solution is not only great for keeping the drain line clean but can also be used when the toilet is blocked. First, flush the toilet down with hot water. Then pour half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar into the toilet. Leave it for at least 15 minutes and then flush the toilet.
A snake drain is also a great way to clear blockages. What is good about snake drain is that it can be used multiple time, thus, in the long run, it is more inexpensive. The snake drain can be used hard to reach areas of the toilet drain as it is able to twist through the pipes. Most professional plumbers will recommend using drain snake once every six months to ensure that the drain line is clean.
Getting Help from a Blocked Toilet Expert in Melbourne
Once you encounter a clogged toilet, you can try dealing with it by yourself. However, if it occurs often, then it is best to have a licensed plumber deal with it. If your toilet always gets clogged then it may be caused by a more complex issue that requires the expertise of a blocked drain expert.
If you need professional help, contact the blocked drains experts on 0412 738 874 or leave a message. Or feel free to look up how to fix a blocked toilet. If your problem is an emergency plumbing matter or a burst pipe or clogged drains in Melbourne – and you need urgent assistance contact us right away!
Helpful details for a Blocked Drain and Emergency Plumber situation:
Triple zero – 000
City of Melbourne – Floods and Storms
VicWater
Yarra Valley Water
Victoria State Emergency Service
