Toilet clogged - snake won't go down all the way

[Greg9840]

Hi everyone,

I have a clogged toilet and I am really looking to avoid having anyone come into my house due to the fact I live in a pandemic hotspot. But I'm not very handy. My toilet was completely clogged and plunging only helped a little, allowing it to slowly drain. Any time paper is used, it gets completely clogged and has to be plunged over 100 times just to drain slowly again. I bought the $6.00 3 foot toilet augur they sell online and snaked it, and everything seemed to be working great, but it clogged again almost immediately. I snaked it again and it seemed to go well (the snake went all the way down), and the toilet was flushing fine, and then clogged a short time later. I tried to snake it a third time and this time, the snake would not go all the way down. And when I rotated the handle, it would wind up super tight and then quickly spin backwards with a lot of force when I let go. If I pushed the snake really hard, it would fold over itself and the tip would come back out. So, I figured I need a stronger, thicker snake that won't fold and come back out, so I bought the $55 Rigid 6 foot auger. But it will not go all the way down. I have been pushing and turning as hard as I can, and it only goes maybe 2 or 2 1/2 feet down. Just like the cheap augur, when I reach the point it won't go down anymore and I turn the handle, it winds up tight and then spins the opposite way very fast when I let go. I really don't want to take the toilet off myself to try to find a toy or something in there (I have a 3 year old) and have to do a new wax ring, etc. I'm afraid I'll mess it up and have a leak, etc. Is there anything else I can try before I have a plumber come inside my house?

Thanks!

 

[Jadnashua]

If it's 2-3' down the line, it sounds like a toilet auger won't solve your problem.

What is the orientation of where the toilet is versus the outside or other things in the home? If it's near where it goes outside, it could be something like tree roots, and a cutting head on a snake make be required. It could also be a collapsed pipe. It's hard to tell. It could be a toy, but may be something else. If it's something like tree roots, that implies a crack or gap in the pipe that let the roots in.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Could be that your toilet feeds into some fitting that does not have a soft curve. That was fairly common in the past.

So is the problem the drain line, or the toilet. Probably toilet. What you can do is to get a 5 gallon or bigger container. Fill it pretty full. Then pour the water into the toilet from as high as you can as fast as you dare. The hope is that the deluge moves something along.

If that does not do it, I would get the plumber, and have that toilet replaced. The new ones work a lot better than the ones from the 90s. With a new good toilet, you can probably move the plunger out of the bathroom

 

[chessimprov]

You could try something like this cleaning "bathroom bomb"- just make sure not to throw the muffin liner itself in the toilet.

https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/n...If your toilet bowl is,up and loosen the clog.

"Create your own DIY de-clogger instead by mixing together the following ingredients: 2 cups baking soda, 1/4 cup Epsom salt, and 8-10 tablespoons of dish detergent (add one tablespoon at a time). Pour the combination into individual muffin liners, then let them dry and harden overnight. The next morning, drop one into the toilet bowl, add four cups of water, and let it sit for a few hours to see results."