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Blocked toilet or sink: what to try first

Stop the flow, use a plunger, and know when to call a plumber.

20 items · 5 sections · home, plumbing, repair

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Stop it getting worse (4)

  • Do not flush again or run the tap
  • Lay towels around the base
  • Put on rubber gloves
  • Turn off the water valve behind the toilet if the water is rising

Toilet (4)

  • Use a flange plunger: seal it over the hole and push down and pull up 15 to 20 times
  • Add hot, not boiling, water and a squirt of washing-up liquid, wait 15 minutes, then plunge againBoiling water can crack the porcelain.
  • Try a toilet auger if the plunger fails
  • Never use drain chemicals together with a plunger

Sink (4)

  • Pull out hair and gunk from the plug hole
  • Use a sink plunger with the overflow blocked by a wet cloth
  • Put a bucket under the U-bend, unscrew it and clear it
  • Pour hot water down after to clear the grease

Call a plumber if (4)

  • Several drains are slow or gurgling at once
  • Water or smell comes up from another drain
  • Nothing works after two rounds
  • You see water leaking from pipes under the sink

Prevent it (4)

  • Only flush toilet paper and human waste
  • Wipes are not flushable, even if the pack says so
  • Use a hair catcher in showers and sinks
  • Pour cooking fat into a jar, not the sink

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