Nobody really thinks about their toilet until it stops working. In the US, blocked toilets are one of the most common reasons why emergency plumbers are called out, and while it can seem like a scenario that would make someone giggle, a blocked toilet can quickly become a significant issue.
So, what are the most common causes of a blocked toilet, and what is the solution to these issues? Read on to find out!
Non-Flushable Objects
The number one cause of a blocked toilet is that an object that isn’t flushable (nappies, sanitary towels) has been flushed down the toilet.
It’s worth noting here that in some cases, the cause may be an object that’s designed to be flushed such as too much toilet paper. Of course, you can use a plunger to try to resolve this issue yourself, but if it doesn’t work, it’s best not to put too much pressure on the system and call a residential plumbing team instead.
Accumulated Waste
Interestingly, a lot of people don’t just flush their bodily waste down the toilet! In some cases, people have also disposed of hair, soap, or even sawdust down their toilets. This can cause fatty mineral deposits to build up, leading to blockages. These can be large or small, and, unfortunately, there may be more than one of them in the pipe.
There are some over-the-counter products that are designed to unclog these, but in some cases, it’s best to call a plumber, especially if you suspect that the clog is more significant.
Tree Roots
If you have a toilet in your home on the lower floor or even one in an outhouse, you may be surprised to learn that tree roots could be the cause of your clogged toilet woes.
Tree roots can be bad for toilets, as they love to burrow to find nutrients, and, as unsavory as it sounds, sewer lines have more than a few things that they want. So, it could be the case that the roots have crushed the pipes that come from your toilet, causing a block, or then have pushed through them and literally blocked the line. In this case, a plumber is going to be the only option to fix this, as well as a bit of digging!
Poor Fitting
Not to say that all plumbers are incapable of fitting toilet lines (quite the opposite), but in some cases, it may simply be that the toilet lines weren’t fitted correctly; this could be incorrect pipe sizes or sloping on the pipes. If this is the cause of your blocked bog, then you’ll need to call a plumber to refit the pipes.
Sewer Issues
In some cases, the fault with your plumbing may not be linked to you at all. There have been cases of fatty deposits accumulating in sewers in the past, which have caused an entire area of toilets to become blocked. This is obviously not good, but is more likely to make the news, as well as the residents in the area being informed. All you can really do in this sense is wait for the lines to be unclogged and then go back to flushing as usual.
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