Clogged toilets are a rather embarrassing occurrence that happens to most of us. They may be due to how we use your toilets, their condition, or the state of our home plumbing, among other things.
However, sometimes toilets get easily clogged, and you’re left wondering what you could be doing wrong. Well, a clogged toilet signifies greater underlying issues within your house plumbing or the main sewer line. You don’t want a backflow of poop into your toilet bowl. And the earlier you can solve it, the better.
Here, we’ll delve deeper into why your toilet clogs every time you poop and what you could be doing wrong.
You’re Using Too Much or the Wrong Toilet Paper
Toilet paper ideally disintegrates quickly within the sewer lines, enabling a smoother flow of waste materials. A few squares of paper are sufficient, but most of us use and flush more paper than the toilet can manage.
The result is that the flushing water won’t be sufficient to break up the paper into smaller pieces. They then end up forming solid lumps within the drain lines and clogging them.
Solution: Use and flush an appropriate amount of toilet paper.
A History of Flushing Non-flushable Items
Over the last few years, there has been a glut of “flushable” products released in the market, such as flushable baby wipes. But ask a plumber if they would flush them down their own toilets and the answer is always a resounding NO!
Products such as baby wipes, cotton buds, sanitary towels, disposable clothes, hair, dental floss, wet wipes, and waste food belong in the non-flushable items group. They don’t disintegrate as quickly as toilet paper and form large lumps down the sewer lines.
Consequently, these lumps slow down the drainage and cause many problems for your home plumbing system or municipal sewage system.
Solution: The only three items you should flush down the toilet are pee, poo, and toilet paper.
A Blocked S-Trap/P-Trap
The S-trap is the s-shaped section of your toilet drain that links the drain pipes and the toilet bowl. Its role is to hold water and prevent odorous sewer gases from going through the toilet bowl into your house. In some designs, you might not see it as it may be hidden behind the wall, while others opt for a P-trap.
Blocked S-traps are more complicated, as the blockage may not be apparent until the toilet is fully clogged. Also, the S-trap blockage may remain even after the main sewer line clog is cleared.
Solution: Use a toilet auger to break up the clog. Alternatively, call a plumber to study and clear the blockage.
Clogged Plumbing Vents
Drainpipes have vents that release sewer gases safely through pipes in your house’s roof. These vents also let in clean air to the drainpipes, creating more suction and pressure.
Consequently, this increases your toilet’s flushing power, allowing flushed waste materials to flow smoothly down the drainpipes. Any obstruction, sealing, or clogging of the plumbing vents reduces the toilet’s flushing power. The result is that flushed materials don’t move quickly to the sewer lines, resulting in clogs.
Solution: Use a plumber’s snake and hand to clear the clogged vents.
Other Reasons Why Your Toilet Clogs Easily
- Clogged, punctured, or broken sewer lines
- Malfunctioning low-flow toilet
- Clogged sewer lines
- Insufficient water in the toilet tank
- You’re using water that’s too chlorinated or too hard
If your toilet is still clogged, get in touch with our dedicated team, that provides top notch plumbing services in Discovery Bay, Lathrop and beyond.
