It can be annoying if the toilet in your basement is clogged up. In most instances, it is quite easy to fix it though so let’s dive in! We have discussed how to unclog a toilet here. Basement toilet clogs can have other causes though so let’s discuss these as well. In most instances clogs only get worse so it is something that you should look at.
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Use a plunger to unclog the toilet
Most clogs can be easily removed with a plunger. This pushes air into your toilet drain and pushes the clog away. If there is a lot of toilet paper in the bowl, you can remove this first. Otherwise, we can just put the plunger in place, add water to the toilet bowl and give it a few pushes. Plungers can often fix toilet clogs. Make sure to use the right plunger as toilet plungers differ from sink plungers. Don’t use liquid drain uncloggers as these can damage your drains and are dangerous to use as well.
Use a toilet auger
If the plunger didn’t fix the problem, we can try an auger. An auger is able to go deeper inside your toilet drain and remove clogs that are present there. We have discussed how to use this here. You insert the auger in the toilet and turn it to get ahold of the clog. Don’t use too much force as you can break the wax seal if you are not patient enough with this tool.
A closet auger is a standard tool that every household should have but not a lot of people own one as it is not that easy to use and most people prefer to call a plumber when the plunger doesn’t work.
Use water pressure
If these things didn’t work, we will have to step it up. There are attachments for pressure cleaners that allow us to remove clogs from the toilet. You have to wear proper safety equipment when you do this. It is something that only advanced DIY’ers should do as it is quite dangerous and can cause damage to your plumbing system if you do it wrong. In some instances, you will have to drill a hole in the toilet (or remove it) to get access to the drain with a water jet.
Most people should call a plumber if the toilet auger didn’t work as it can cause a mess if you break the toilet.
Check the size and slope of the drain
It is important that the toilet is properly installed. This includes using the right size of drain and angle. If this is not correctly done, the water can’t flow away and you will get clogs. Your plumber might have to adjust things. Toilets use gravity to flush. This is why the angle and size of the drain are important. Plumbers spend a lot of time calculating the correct size of the drain. If the toilet in your basement was a recent addition, it is possible that the installer didn’t take the other toilets in the home into account and picked the wrong diameter for the drain.
If the basement is really low, it can be a good idea to get a grinder pump. This system grinds up the toilet waste and this makes it easier to transport. This system requires quite some maintenance but can work quite well overall.
Check the main drain
It is possible that the main drain is clogged. This drain transports the dirty water from your home to the city sewer system. In some instances, a plumber will have to come out to fix it. They often use water pressure to remove clogs. It is possible that tree roots have grown inside your main drain and this can cause problems. Plumbers have powerful water jets that can break these tree roots apart.
Your septic tank might be full
If you live in a rural area, it is possible that you have a septic system instead of a city sewer. This tank needs to get pumped empty from time to time. If the tank is full, the toilets might not flush anymore. You will have to call a company to come and pump the tank. Make sure that they remove all the water in the tank as some companies are lazy and only pump a part of it. This can cost up to 500 USD, depending on the size of your tank.
Make sure to only flush allowed items in the toilet
Don’t flush wet wipes, food, dirt, or other items that don’t flush well. Toilets are made to only flush things that dissolve in water. This includes high-quality toilet paper but not wet wipes as they are not designed for this. Some manufacturers claim that their wet wipes can be flushed but they can take a long time to dissolve and can cause clogs anyway. This can create a big mess. Some plumbers charge more for this type of work as it is a dirty job. Plumbers don’t like wet wipes as they can cause a lot of problems.
To conclude, we can state that a clogged basement toilet can be quite annoying. In this post, we have outlined how you can get it fixed. In most instances, it can be fixed in a few minutes with a plunger. If that doesn’t work, you can try an auger. Advanced DIY’ers can try to use their pressure washer with a unique attachment to see if this works. For most people though, the next step after using an auger is to call a plumber as there might be a bigger problem. Plumbers have cameras that they can run in your toilet drains to see what is going on. This makes it easy to diagnose and fix an issue. Be careful that you don’t break your toilet as this can cause a mess in your home.
