How to Unclog a Toilet
The toilet may very well top the list of mankind’s greatest innovations – until it clogs. Then it’s the lowly plunger that dives in and claims the, ahem, throne.
Instructions
- Step 1: Put on rubber gloves If the waste water level is too high to plunge without making an even bigger mess, put on rubber gloves.
- Step 2: Reduce waste water level Dip the cup into the toilet repeatedly and pour its contents into the bucket, until you’ve reduced the waste water level enough to plunge without spillage.
- Step 3: Put plunger into toilet Put the plunger into the toilet with the force cup end down in the water.
- Step 4: Position force cup & push down Position the force cup over the drainage opening at the bottom of the toilet and push down on the plunger handle until a suction seal is formed.
- Step 5: Plunge rhythmically Plunge rhythmically for up to 2 minutes at a time (about 20 to 30 plunges).
- Step 6: Break the suction seal Break the suction seal. If your efforts have worked, the toilet will start to drain without flushing. If no drainage occurs, repeat the plunging process.
- Step 7: Pour bucket & flush toilet After you’ve cleared the clog, pour the contents of the bucket back into the toilet and flush.
- FACT: The English plumber Thomas Crapper did not invent the toilet. That honor goes to a number of English inventors and tinkerers who led the world out of the chamber pot and into the water closet.
You Will Need
- A toilet plunger
- A pair of rubber gloves
- A cup
- A bucket