If we are honest, we’ve all dealt with obstinate poops while flushing toilets at some point. In that situation, you might find yourself trying to speculate whether there was a blockage somewhere or your poop was just too big to be flushed.
Dealing with a stuck poop situation can be somewhat embarrassing, especially if you’re a guest in someone else’s house. The truth is that it might not be your fault; there are many reasons why your poop may be too much to handle for the toilet.
In this article, we are going to discuss several ways you can avoid awkward poop situations. But first, we will be looking at some reasons why your poop may clog your toilet.
Why is My Poop So Big it Clogs the Toilet?
1. A history of Flushing the Wrong Items
This is the first rule of using any toilet; the only things that you should flush down your toilet are human waste and tissue paper. Any other items apart from the ones just mentioned are likely to clog your toilet.
Many of us have the habit of flushing condoms, tampons, facial tissues, cotton swabs, and diapers down the toilet. While they may pose no threat at that very moment, they are likely to do so in the future.
2. Your Toilet Type
You may find this strange, but your type of toilet plays a role in why your toilet may be clogged. Low flush toilets are considered a great way to lessen water bills.
However, toilets like these often have a pressure problem; hence, your poop gets stuck. If you’re experiencing this problem, our recommended solution would be to get the American standard toilet.
Not many people are familiar with this problem. Hard water has the tendency of calcifying and forming a white substance. This white substance then shortens the space through which waste flows, which eventually results in clogging.
3. Hard Water
The hardness of your water is directly linked to the number of minerals present in it. Most plumbing issues you might be experiencing might be due to mineral build-up restricting the flow of water.
You probably have hard water if you’re using a private well, although municipal water supply has also been shown to be harder than it should be. Water softeners are the most effective solutions for dealing with hard water in your home.
4. Slow Drainage System
Slow-moving drainage systems can cause toilet clogging in your home. This is sometimes caused by some external factors.
A septic system should have at least an ideal drainage flow so your waste can travel smoothly.
Try some of the solutions listed below in this article or contact an expert if nothing works.
5. Insufficient Water in the Cistern
For a toilet to be flushed properly, you should have a full toilet tank. Adequate pressure is another prerequisite for flushing away your poop completely.
If you flush with a half-filled tank, you risk getting your poop stuck in the flush space, which will result in clogging.
6. Broken Pipes
Broken pipes can come from a variety of factors, ranging from corrosion, temperature change, heavy rain, and the likes. Broken pipes often lead to slow drainage, which will subsequently result in low pressure.
7. Your cistern’s valve
This is quite tricky as setting the valve of your cistern too low or too high can often result in low pressure or high pressure, which is often the reason why most valves get damaged.
Check to know how much water your cistern can take so you won’t have to replace your valve often as this can affect the pressure.
8. Improper Flushing
Most of us are guilty of this offense. As earlier stated, a toilet needs adequate pressure to be adequately flushed.
When you flush without holding the handle all the way down, you risk having a weak flush, which increases the tendency of poop-clogging.
9. Big Lumps of Poops
Some people naturally have wider loads as compared to others. However, having wider loads isn’t a problem. The problem lies in not being well-hydrated.
Drinking a good amount of water helps in softening your loads. With this, when your poop hits the toilet sink, it becomes water-soluble; thus, it is easily flushed.
If you’ve just dumped a heavy load that you know your toilet might not handle properly, you can prevent future clogging by flushing a second time.
10. Clogged Toilet vents
If your house has a vent pipe running through your wall up to your roof, the clogging in your toilet might have been caused by a clogged vent.
Leaves, bird nests, and other debris are one of the major reasons for this. If you notice that when you flush, the toilet gurgles, drains slowly, or if it smells you toile smells like a sewer, your vent pipes are probably clogged.
Inspect the outlet on the roof to ensure it isn’t obstructed. If that doesn’t work, you may need a plumber to break through your walls to reach the pipe.
Before you resort to calling a plumber to fix your clogged toilet, we’ll discuss how to unclog your poop-clogged toilet yourself. We will discuss how to unclog a toilet yourself before you resort to calling a plumber.
It might get a little messy, but you should try this to avoid the costs of a plumber. Don’t worry; one approach involves using a plunger while the other can be done without a plunger.
How To Use A Plunger
Most homeowners often resort to plunging as that is the common and logical way to unclog a toilet.
If you choose to plunge your way out of your poop situation, we recommend you wear the appropriate kit as you are likely to get your hands dirty.
Here are the steps you can take to unclog your toilet yourself with a plunger:
- Your first plunge should be gentle as the plunger will be full of air. A hard plunge will likely splash water back around the toilet seat, and you!
- When you’ve succeeded in forcing the air out the plunger, then plunge vigorously. Try to maintain the seal in order to push water forcefully into the drain, which will loosen the clog. Repeat this vigorous plunging 15-20 times for the best results.
- Exercise patience. Try to switch between vigorous strokes and gentle strokes.
- Make sure there is sufficient water in the toilet sink as this helps in keeping the plunger covered. Forcing air into the toilet waste space won’t generate adequate pressure.
How to Unclog Your Toilet Without a Plunger
You might learn something new here, but it is quite easy, and you don’t require the expertise and cost of a plumber.
If you don’t want to get your hands dirty using a plunger, these are the steps to follow:
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Detergent and Boiling
You should exercise serious caution in handling boiling water. Boil about 4 liters of water and let it cool for a few minutes before you pour it into the sink; this protects the toilet sink from extreme temperatures.
Pour the hot water slowly into the toilet sink to generate just enough pressure needed to push out the clogged poop. Next, add 2-3 spoons of dishwashing detergent to the mix and leave it for 20 minutes.
When you return, you should notice a reduction in the water level. If this is the case, then it means the toilet is starting to get unclogged.
You can pour in more water to flush out the blockage completely. Don’t feel bad if this technique doesn’t work the first time, repeat the process, or try other methods below.
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Vinegar and Baking Soda in Hot Water
The plus side of this method is that you can make use of only one of these items to unclog your toilet. However, to unclog your toilet completely, you should combine the three.
You will need a cup of baking soda, a cup of vinegar, and four liters of hot water. Add the baking soda to the water first, followed by the vinegar.
Wait for it to settle and expect a fizzing reaction. After it settles, pour the hot water into the toilet sink. Wait for an hour before checking back.
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Liquid Hand Soap or Shampoo
Imagine you just finished using a toilet in your home, and you get hit with a poop-clogging situation.
While boiling water may not be an option, you can resort to using a shampoo as it will serve as a lubricant for the clogging poop. Ensure you pour lots of it inside the toilet sink. Wait for a few minutes, and then flush hard.
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Drainage Cleaning Chemicals
This is quite a handy product as it is used to soften build-ups such as clogged poops or blockages.
Once you suspect that your toilet is clogging, empty an entire bottle into the toilet sink and flush afterward. This is certain to dissolve whatever blockage or poop that might be clogging your toilet.
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The Tap Trick
This trick is often effective when you’re dealing with a minor clog. When the clog trouble starts, tap the back of the toilet with your feet, and this would dislodge the clogged poop.
However, note that this trick only works for minor clogging or if your poop is too large, and it needs a little shove. Don’t tap too hard, so you dislocate the toilet seat or break it.
Final thoughts
Unclogging your toilet shouldn’t be much of a hassle, as you already know now.
The tips we discussed above will certainly keep you from incurring extra and unplanned expenses by hiring a plumber for a clogged toilet.
Feel free to drop your thoughts, questions, and comments in the box below. We can’t wait to read them.
