What Can Cause A Toilet To Block?

At some point in your life you’ve probably experienced that sinking feeling of knowing that you’ve just blocked the toilet. Hopefully it’s not been when you’ve used the toilet at your date’s house for the first time!

The instant and probably most appropriate reaction is to call a plumber in Sydney and get them to sort the problem.

This is a good idea, even releasing the blockage yourself does not mean it won’t block again, a professional plumber will make sure the problem is solved for good. After all you don’t want to be one of the homes flooding by a simple plumbing issue.

Of course, if you’re blocking the toilet yourself to prevent sewerage backflow that’s a different matter!

However, it is worth noting the most common causes for a toilet blockage, this might help the problem occurring:

Sanitary Products

Toilet paper is designed to go down you toilet and decomposes naturally. Although, you should be careful what paper you use if you have a septic tank.

But, women’s sanitary products and other types of waste are not intended to be flushed down the toilet. While they may appear to disappear fine, it is likely they will accumulate at a bend in the pipe and eventually cause a blockage. It will not be easy to reach!

It is also worth noting that too much toilet paper can cause an issue in itself, especially if they do not dissolve easily.

Hair

The odd hair going down the toilet will not cause an issue but allowing larger amounts can easily cause a blockage. Just because it has a large hole does not mean that it can handle anything!

Hair sticks to other items in your pipes and causes a tangle, making a blockage quicker and more difficult to shift.

Cotton Wool

Whether cotton wool balls, loose wool or even the wet wipes you’ve used when changing your baby’s diaper, they will block your toilet.

You must pay attention to what you try to flush; regular use of chemicals will only remove some of the items.

Plumbing Vent

You will probably notice a stench pipe outside your home with a vent at the top of it. This isn’t to allow methane to escape; it lets fresh air into your system to increase your flushing pressure.

If the vent becomes clogged for any reason the power of your flush will decrease and you’ll struggle to prevent your toilet from blocking.

Wrong Toilet

If you consistently have a problem despite regular visits from a plumber and plenty of care regarding what you flush then it is possible you have a low flow toilet.

Older toilets were designed to work with low flow; the modern system simply overwhelms it.

Eventually you’ll need to replace your toilet but in the short term you can work on minimizing the items going down it.

It’s important to get professional help when dealing with a blocked toilet. Chemicals can help and a plunger but they might not get to the root of the issue. Never poke objects down the toilet as this is likely to make matters worse!