How to use a closet auger on a plugged toilet

[Gary Swart]

Resist the temptation of using the sledgehammer on your son. Might let him think for awhile that he has to use that toothbrush until the first of the month. On the bright side, you learned how to pull and clean out a clogged toilet. If it happens again, you'll be all set to deal with it.

[rgwb]

I am mulling over the various options of what the Consequences will be for my son (and yes, I'm 99% sure he flushed it on purpose, probably because he was too squeamish to reach in and get it after he accidentally dropped it in). And believe me, telling him he had to keep using it was one of the first things that popped into my mind. But I think he'll be finding himself with some cleaning supplies and the toilet brush for quite a few Saturdays until I think he's done about $125 worth of work around the house.

RGWB

[MG]

Of course he probably didn't tell you he needed a new toothbrush too.

[rgwb]

Of course he probably didn't tell you he needed a new toothbrush too.

Um, NO. I'm picturing something like this: 9-year-old boy goes into bathroom after being told 5 times to brush his teeth before bed. Picks up the toothbrush, then proceeds to make funny faces in the mirror for 2 minutes. Realizes he is holding something in his hand, and starts pretending he is Harry Potter holding his wand, gesturing wildly and putting curses on bathtub and toilet. Wand/toothbrush goes flying, lands in toilet. 9-year-old considers the possibilities, then crosses fingers and flushes. Toothbrush disappears, and hooray, problem solved. Heads to bed hoping Mom doesn't notice bad breath. Sleeps peacefully.

[Dunbar Plumbing]

I am mulling over the various options of what the Consequences will be for my son (and yes, I'm 99% sure he flushed it on purpose, probably because he was too squeamish to reach in and get it after he accidentally dropped it in). And believe me, telling him he had to keep using it was one of the first things that popped into my mind. But I think he'll be finding himself with some cleaning supplies and the toilet brush for quite a few Saturdays until I think he's done about $125 worth of work around the house.

RGWB

Okay now....



It would be wise to start another thread apologizing to the makers of Toto toilets, exclusive to the "Drake" model for unfair and biased opinion that caused potential unjust harm.

Everyone that chimed in on this thread and those who know the product knew it wasn't the toilet that was the problem.


The Drake Gods are unhappy with you



Make the kid brush his teeth with that same toothbrush as well; I promise he'll never do it again.

[Redwood]

Personally I would call the drain cleaning company and complain! The drain cleaning guy hosed you! He needs to learn that Toto Drakes do not clog! I have pulled many toothbrushes out of toilets with my General 3' Closet Auger with a drop head. There is no reason for a telescoping auger. 3' will go through any toilet and if the problem is in the line the auger will not be used to clear it.

[Dunbar Plumbing]

Personally I would call the drain cleaning company and complain! The drain cleaning guy hosed you! He needs to learn that Toto Drakes do not clog! I have pulled many toothbrushes out of toilets with my General 3' Closet Auger with a drop head. There is no reason for a telescoping auger. 3' will go through any toilet and if the problem is in the line the auger will not be used to clear it.

Okay Redwood,


Explain to me how every time I've opened a drain that eliminated pulling a toilet and I "did" open that drain due to toilet paper/solids.....


they never called me back....because I removed the obstruction. ???


Pulling a toilet is a bigger charge, I'm not about to bounce a charge on someone if I can do it without unnecessary additional work. That creates a situation with finding a bad closet flange, dealing with a bad angle stop, possibility of causing tank to bowl bolts to leak. I don't want that excess responsibility when all I'm called out to do is unclog a toilet drain.

If your statement is true...

I've opened hundreds of toilet clogs incorrectly....and not one person has called me back stating the clog is back. It's because I did remove it.

How so...

teach me

[rgwb]

I don't blame the Drain Guy for not finding the toothbrush - I understand how easy it would be for an auger to miss it - but he *insisted* that there was NO WAY anything could get by his super-duper, almighty auger, and that therefore the problem must either be a defective toilet or a defective flapper. So since he was an "expert," it was he who planted my seeds of unbelief in the Gods of the Drake. Only by my own sheer stubbornness and reading of this forum was I increasingly sure that some mysterious object was lodged in the bowels of the toilet, and not a defect in the toilet itself, and I was going to be dam*ed if it was going to get the best of me. I'm just glad I didn't pay him anything more to actually pull the toilet and accomplish the job I managed to do myself.

SO, I do humbly bow once again to the power and mighty flushing force of the Drake, and repent of my previous doubt. And I have learned to do my own research and not just rely on the opinion of one dude with a closet auger.

RGWB

[Redwood]

Okay Redwood,


Explain to me how every time I've opened a drain that eliminated pulling a toilet and I "did" open that drain due to toilet paper/solids.....


they never called me back....because I removed the obstruction. ???


Pulling a toilet is a bigger charge, I'm not about to bounce a charge on someone if I can do it without unnecessary additional work. That creates a situation with finding a bad closet flange, dealing with a bad angle stop, possibility of causing tank to bowl bolts to leak. I don't want that excess responsibility when all I'm called out to do is unclog a toilet drain.

If your statement is true...

I've opened hundreds of toilet clogs incorrectly....and not one person has called me back stating the clog is back. It's because I did remove it.

How so...

teach me

A 3' closet auger will reach all the way through any toilet made. If the clog is further out than 3' it is in the line. If its in the line and there is not a cleanout to allow access to hit the clog the toilet will be pulled and I'll snake the line using proper equipment.

Go ahead take your chances on punching a 1 1/2" hole through a clog in a 3" or, 4" pipe. I'll pull the toilet and run the line. If there are problems such as a bad stop valve or, flange I'll fix those as well.

[richrc1131]

The 2nd floor toilet at my house was recently clogged. I plungged it, snaked it, and let a chemical sit in it over night. While the water will eventually go down, the power in the flush is greatly decreased.
The shower and sink share the drain and they don't have any problems.

Any ideas?

[jadnashua]

There's likely something caught in the trap of the toilet. Could be a comb, toothbrush, pen, pencil, toy, etc. Chemicals rarely help. A toilet auger sometimes can catch the thing, but not always. Sometimes the only way to get rid of it is to pull the toilet off and go at it from the bottom.

[DaveNJ]

I was just about to post a similar thread - I tried a 3' toilet augur - no good. Tried a 6' augur - same thing, no good. The toilet in the bathroom next to it flushes just fine, so I don't think it's the stack. Do those CO2 plungers work at all?

[Redwood]

I use a 3' General closet auger with a drop head. It has a hook on it that does a pretty good job of catching things that are caught in toilets...

[bh20653]

Had a relative use the toilet and she clogged it claims that she didn't do anything that would have caused a clog. She is 16 so I don't know if embarrassment is keeping the truth from coming out or not. Tried the plunger with no luck. Went to Lowes and got a snake, found some resistance and pushed through and the water level started to slowly drop. Went back to plunging and after some work it seemed fixed.

The next day it was clogged again, after my wife used it for number one so just a few sheets of TP clogged it. We had to leave for vacation so I hoped if it sat for a few (5) days that the clog would break down over time and be fixed when I got back. No such luck broke out the snake and plunger and got it working again, or so I thought. That afternoon it was clogged again by a small amount of poo and TP. It was a 2 year old that clogged it and I saw what went down because I had to help, and it was very little. Did the pulnger and snake again and had no luck. I then tried hot water and soap and was once again confident it was fixed. However a small amount of TP clogged the toilet again. I have tried the snake, plunger, hot water, and dish soap with no luck.

I am down to a few options.
1) I have pushed the blockage past where the snake can reach it, which is 15-20 feet. However that would put the blockage into the main pipe that most of the house uses before it goes into the sewer. When the water leaves the toilet it drops down about 1 foot into a 90 and is connected into the main sewer line that the house uses to exit the basement. The bathroom sink connects into that 1 foot section and I have had no backups with the sink. If the main pipe was clogged I would think other things would back up in the house. That is a fairly large 3 or 4 inch pipe and I would think clogging that would be hard, but I would like to hear if others agree.

2) Something is wrong with the toilet. The toilet seems good to me, but the only thing I know to check to make sure the flapper stays up long enough for water to leave the holding tank. That seems good.

3) I have a 2 and 4 year old and something other than toilet paper and waste is causing the problem. I have asked them but if the 2 year old put a car in there I am doubtful I would be told about it.

4) Something I am completely missing.

I would welcome any comments or help with this. It is Friday night so I don't want to call a plumber on weekend rates. Luckily we have another toilet so we can wait till Monday but I would love to fix this without calling a professional.

[Terry]

We use a closet auger with the large 1-3/8" end on it.
Smaller cables can go right by the obstruction and not move it.




This is the plunger we like.
Leave a littel bit of water in the bowl, and use short quick strokes untill the water starts to vibrate,
Then lift up slightly.
Hopefully, it lifts the mass up so it can get another run at it.

You can also pour a five gallon bucket of water into the bowl.