The atmosphere is perfect and the place looks immaculate. The lighting is just right, you’ve timed the cooking of every dish perfectly and the dulcet tones of your favourite playlist exude elegance, sophistication and class.
…and then you notice that your toilet is blocked.
Your special guests are arriving in a little under an hour and here you are in a waking nightmare – all the way up unmentionable creek… without a plunger.
NO MORE TOILET TRAUMA MELODRAMA
Blocked toilets can strike like ninjas at the worst possible moment. A poor “fix” can worsen a blockage and flummox your best efforts.
The good news is that most of the time, the blockage is in the pan. This means that you can solve this everyday problem all by yourself!Don’t pay a stranger an exorbitant rate to fix something that you can solve in seconds. Be the “Y” in DIY!
THE THREE STEP FIX
With no mess, no fuss and no expense you can unblock your toilet in less time than it takes to call a plumber. All you need is a common household mop and a plastic bag.
Step one– Put the head of the mop into a durable plastic bag and secure it to the shaft of the mop with your tightest knot. To make sure that the bag doesn’t come loose and block your toilet even more, use some string or a cable tie. Double bag for peace of mind.
Step two– Plunge the bag-covered head of the mop into the toilet. As you plunge, you should see water begin to flow a little bit more freely down the drain. If at first you don’t succeed, repeat until you do. Some blockages may require a few prods to be loosened up.
Step three (optional) – Hooray! Your toilet is now unblocked. Pat yourself on the back while you Google the rates of your local plumber to see how much money you’ve saved.
METHODS FOR THE ADVENTUROUS
There are other (messier and more inconvenient) ways of unblocking your toilet. These other methods involve more work, a few more quid, and a pair of good rubber gloves and goggles. Remember to disinfect afterwards!
· If the blockage is located deeper in the pipes rather than just in the toilet pan and you have drain inspection covers outside, you can see whether the chamber needs to be cleaned out.
· Apart from a number of chemical cleaners, you can also try pouring rapidly boiling water or caustic soda into the pan.
· If the water level in your toilet is high, simply bailing out some water from the toilet pan may work. This creates a pressure vacuum on the blockage, forcing it to dislodge. Beware of unpredictable splashes!
· You can also buy a WC Auger from a hardware store. This clamp at the end of a flexible wire is forced into the toilet pan. When you feel a blockage, clamp, then push or pull it from the pipes.
Comments are closed.