Something Stuck in the Toilet Drain
This is an actual support email sent in to our staff...
Pam asked: It appears that something is stuck in my toilet. It is draining very slowly. My husband used a toilet auger with no results. He tore out my nice bone colored toilet and replaced it with a cheaper "white" toilet. {Ugh!!!} I would like to have the nice bone colored one I originally had back in there.
Is there a way beyond the auger that we can try? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I have no clue what could be in there. We are in our 50's, live alone, no children. I do recall flushing some dead ivy plant leaves down just before this happened. But they were so few that I can't believe this caused any problems?
Our team responded: It sounds as though the new white toilet is flushing and draining ok, is this correct? If so, we can eliminate the concern for any potential problems in the waste line and narrow our focus to the bone toilet itself. There are a number of potential problems that could be causing the bone toilet to not flush properly, I have listed some steps below.
1. My first step would be to turn the toilet upside down and inspect the opening, check for any debris, wax seal, anything that may be obstructing the flow of water. I would highly suggest running the auger through the bone toilet while it is removed, make sure that the auger passes all the way through and out the bottom of the toilet. This should tell you whether or not there is a foreign object in the toilet.
2. Older toilets and even some newer ones can begin to lose their smooth porcelain finish inside the drain itself. This smooth finish allows debris to slide through without getting caught inside the toilet. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to remedy this problem. If the toilet is newer, it may be under warranty which should cover this type of problem. It is not uncommon to find these types of defects straight from the manufacturer.
If the white toilet is also not flushing properly:
In the event that your new toilet is also not flushing properly you are probably dealing with a blockage further down the line than your husbands auger is reaching. There are a couple of ways to work with this.
1. Remove the new toilet and use the auger directly into the drain. This will allow for a further reach and may be just enough to clear the blockage. We often find that augers will actually push a blockage further down the drain, just out of reach.
2. If the above does not work, or you would prefer not to remove the toilet again, you can rent a "professional" grade toilet auger from your local hardware store. These units often have a much greater reach and a more aggressive auger head that will be able to cut through the blockage.
Pam replied: Thank you so much for your quick and helpful reply. First let me start with a big YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Dan has been working all day on the toilet and was just about ready to give up when I mentioned to him what you said about running the auger through the bone toilet while it is out and if the auger isn't going all the way through then there is indeed something in there and we are not crazy! <Well, after this 3 week project maybe we are???> lol
Anyway, he decided with my encouragement, to give it one last shot because we now know something HAS to be in there and guess what popped out? A small plastic cup that maybe goes to a package of Miracle grow? I just can't begin to imagine how it got in there. It is not something I could even imagine that I would carry in there to even accidentally have it fall from my hands into there.
Oh well, it is fixed! And I have my bone colored toilet back. I am a happy camper.
FEATURED REPAIR GUIDES
- How to Unclog a Clogged Toilet
- How to Replace Your Toilet
- How to Fix a Leaking Toilet
- How to Use a Toilet Auger
- Unclog Toilet Using Household Items
PARTS AND SUPPLIES
TOILET REPAIR HIGHLIGHTS
You may enjoy these random highlights from advice and information found right here on the My Clogged Toilet website.
There are certain things that can go wrong with a toilet that can cost a lot of money to fix, but some of these mishaps can be avoided.
A professional that is trained in repairing a clogged toilet will be able to unstop your toilet in a very fast amount of time.
You want to make sure that there is no tubing that interferes with the fill valve, and if you thing that the tube may be a little too long you may have to cut some off.
It is easier and will save you a lot of frustration to repair the problem instead of putting it off.