The Crazy Things That Get Stuck in Your Toilet and What to do About it!
If it can fit, it Will be Flushed
I was recently talking to a plumber friend, who just happens to be dating my daughter. I was curious about the interesting and weird things that plumbers find when unclogging home toilets so I asked Matthew.
He started out by saying, “If it can fit, it can be flushed down your toilet, there-in lies the problem. You get your usual things like kid’s toys, car keys and wads of paper towels.
What people don’t realize is that paper towels were never meant to be flushed down toilets because they don’t break down like toilet paper when wadded up and flushed down the drain and when combined with solid waste, can lead to blockage and possible overflowing.
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Some of the more weird things myself and other plumbers have found include light bulbs, massage balls, drug needles and believe it or not a dead bat that somehow got in there. It’s amazing some of the crazy things that you will find. “
So if your toilet keeps getting clogged or backed up, the most likely cause is that there is something that doesn’t belong down there that got flushed and is now stuck in your plumbing.
Now, your first response is usually to grab a plunger and thrust like a mad man in hopes of forcing the thing down the drain. We have all been there. But according to Terry Love of (Love Plumbing & Remodel), there’s a right way to plunge a toilet.
“Put the plunger in with water in a bowl, and after a series of short, quick strokes, pull up until everything sucks down. Usually, people do big strokes up and down, Terry says. But using that method, some blockages won’t move.”
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When to Call a Plumber
If you tried plunging to no avail should you just rack up your losses and call a plumber? Well the answer is yes and no.
You can purchase ($600) or more likely rent a hand snake, which looks like a hollowed out cane with a rod in the middle that you push back and forth in hopes of reaching and pushing out the clog. Still if that doesn’t work, the best solution is to use a toilet auger or toilet snake as it is sometimes called to snake your toilet.
You can also rent these units as they cost around $10, 000 dollars or you can do what most people do when they have a persistent clog and call a professional, your friendly neighborhood local plumber.
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The normal duties of a plumber consist of installing, repairing and maintaining toilets, sinks, bathtubs, septic tanks, water heaters, sewers and water piping systems.
A certified plumber can also read blueprints, drawings and schematic specifications to determine the best layout of your plumbing systems, venting systems, water supply set-up, waste and your home’s drainage system.
It’s important to consult a plumber in the early stages of your bathroom design plans because if your plan calls for some major bathroom renovations, your plumber will be responsible for planning, measuring, bending, cutting, threading pipes and installing fixtures used to transport all the water, waste and sewage safely throughout your home.
Another important job of your plumber is to make certain your home meets safety standards that match local building municipal codes and regulations.
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