I plunged and plunged...now what? A snake?

[Mike]

Hey folks. Need some advice before I have to call a plumber (or some other drastic step). One of our toilets has started to back up, not completely flushing the contents of the bowl (it hasn't overflowed, yet). I plunged and plunged (using 2 different plungers!) and the toilet still won't flush as it used to. At best, the water now just swirls a bit, gets lower in the bowl (often leaving some remains of the last use) and then starts to re-fill. Is a snake the next step? Anyone got one I can borrow on the north side of Atlanta? ;-)

Thanks for any input...

Mike

[salty]

Do you have kids?

[joe]

Man, you beat me to the punch... If he does, *anything* could be in there. matchbox cars, entire rolls of tp, barbie dolls, you name it, none of 'em friendly to the trap.

jc

>

[George]

Pull the toilet. I have a rental apartment and last week the tenant told me they had been plunging it for hours and had the result you described and wasn't there some powerful way to clear the clog. I told him there was a 99% chance someone dropped something into the toilet and any more pushing will drive it into the sewer. They didn't believe me. When I pulled the toilet there was a large plastic cap inside the trap that couldn't quite make it (thankfully) into the sewer line.

[GoHabsGo]

"joe" wrote in news:Z49Ej.43739$ [e-mail]:

Anyone lose a toothbrush lately? Definately something is in there that could be removed with a snake, hopefully.

[frank megaweege]

On Mar 19, 10:07=A0am, George wrote: =2E When I

Why thankfully? If it goes down the sewer line it's no longer a problem, right?

[Jim Elbrecht]

My favorite was a tennis ball. Floats- avoids snakes- plugs tight with water flow. Couldn't find it until I removed the toilet & turned it upside down.

Jim

[Jim Elbrecht]

Septic tank or sewer? This time of year a septic could be full/clogged.

I've got a snake & I'm just a few miles north of Atlanta-- just west of Albany, NY.

Jim

[Mike]

Yes, 3 small ones, the oldest one (about to turn 4) goes through GOBS of toilet paper. This particular toilet is on the main floor and is the one the kids have the most access to. It's hard to say what might be in there.

Someone in another reply to this question said to pull the toilet. Is that something a non-plumber should attempt?

Someone else in yet another reply asked if it is sewer or septic. It's hooked to a sewer system.

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Mike

[salty]

I would first try reaching in there with your hand and see if you can find something that doesn't belong there. You might be able to avoid pulling the toilet.

Pulling a toilet is not that big of a deal. After you've done it once, you'll be an expert. Biggest pitfall is avoiding hurting your back, as in some situations you end up lifting at a bad angle.

[Mike]

Thanks, Jeff! I will certainly try this before attempting to pull the terlet.

Mike

[Jeff Wisnia]

You should first try using a closet auger before going on to a snake and/or pulling the toilet.

They are cheap enough so you can own your own and it's less likely to leave ugly scratches at the bottom of the bowl than an unguarded metal snake cable run through the toilet.

HTH,

Jeff

[Blattus Slafaly]

Do you have a septic tank? It sounds full.