Results for "plunger"

My neighbor's bathroom never seems to have any drama — she's got kids the same age as mine and somehow her toilet just always works. Meanwhile I'm standing here on a Saturday morning with a backed-up toilet, a sink full of dishes, and zero plungers in the house. I have no idea how we don't own one, but here we are.

The bowl is sitting about three-quarters full and I'm nervous about trying to flush again. I've heard you can use dish soap or baking soda and vinegar, but I'm not sure if those actually work or if I'll just make things worse. Is there a method that's actually reliable without a plunger, or am I going to end up calling someone out on a weekend?…more

Looked under the sink and found an old bottle of Drano sitting there, and I'm wondering if I can just pour it into the toilet bowl to clear the slow drain. My toilet is probably 20+ years old and starting to drain sluggishly after flushing — not completely blocked, but definitely not moving like it should. Would using a chemical drain cleaner like Drano do the trick, or is that going to cause problems with an older toilet?…more

Three times in the last month I've had to grab the plunger because my main bathroom toilet keeps clogging up. It's not a new toilet — been in this house for years — but this recurring problem is getting old fast. Planning to tackle this Saturday and figure out what's actually going on before I call anyone in.

The toilet seems to flush okay most of the time, but every now and then it just doesn't clear properly. I'm wondering if it's the toilet itself, something further down the line, or if I've been flushing things I shouldn't. I want to have the right tools and know what I'm looking for before I start poking around.

What should I have ready to diagnose and fix this myself? Is there a logical order to check things so I'm not just guessing?…more

Nobody warned me how frustrating it would be to tackle what looked like a simple toilet fix, only to have the problem linger. Replaced the flapper yesterday after reading it was the likely culprit for a sluggish flush, but the bowl still barely clears when I hit the handle — water kind of drifts around rather than pulling everything down with any real force.

The toilet is in my condo's main bathroom and has been here since I moved in. It's a standard two-piece unit, nothing fancy. I adjusted the water level in the tank while I was in there and it looks full to the marked line, so I'm not sure what else to check. Could there be something else going on that I overlooked, or is a weak flush always a sign of a bigger issue?…more

During my weekend home inspection walkthrough, I noticed the toilet in our main bathroom has basically stopped flushing properly — you press the handle and almost nothing happens, or it flushes so weakly that stuff doesn't go down. Before I run out and buy a bunch of replacement parts or call a plumber, I want to understand what's actually going on inside the tank. Is this usually a cheap DIY fix, or am I looking at something more serious? I'm handy enough to swap out basic parts but I've never dug into toilet internals before.…more