What do you do if your sewer line is clogged?

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asked Dec 7, 2021 in Maintenance/Repairs by Repiid (1,100 points)
What do you do if your sewer line is clogged?

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answered Dec 8, 2021 by Lamkerprist (3,840 points)
If your sewer line is clogged you need to either call a plumber or find your sewer line clean outs and use a sewer line auger in the sewer line to clear the clog.

You can rent a sewer line auger machine to help clear the sewer line clogs or you can hire a plumber to come out and clean the sewer line and unclog the sewer line for you.

If the sewer line clog is on the cities side then the city is responsible for the clog but if the sewer line clog is in your sewer line then you're responsible for the sewer line clog.

Some toilets do eventually unclog themselves.

For example if the toilet was clogged by too much toilet paper, too much poop etc then the toilet will eventually unclog itself as the poop or toilet paper dissolves in the toilet.

However some other clogs will need intervention to clear the toilet clog.

Pouring boiling water down a toilet can sometimes unclog the toilet.

However you should not pour boiling hot water down a toilet unless the toilet is a stainless steel toilet or plastic toilet as the boiling hot water can crack a Porcelain Toilet.

Pouring boiling water into your toilet bowl can cause the toilet to crack, which would leave you in an even worse situation.

Fill the toilet with the hot water.

The heat, combined with the movement of the water, should help to break up and remove the toilet clog.

If the toilet clog is not too bad then letting the clogged toilet sit overnight is okay and in some cases less severe toilet clogs will clear themselves.

In more severe toilet clogs you need to work to clear the clog as the longer the clog sits the worse it can get.

Toilets, like all plumbing drains, work by the force of gravity.

A full bowl of water exerts its own pressure on the clog and, over time, often will clear the clog for you.

So if you have more than one bathroom in the house, just wait it out overnight, or as long as you can.

Then, try to flush again.

If you try to flush or you flush a clogged toilet then the toilet water will back up over the bowl and run out over the toilet bowl and onto the floor.

Sometimes you may need to use a can or something or a pump to remove some of the water in the toilet bowl to help clear the clog.

If you flush the toilet and the toilet water backs up into the bathtub or sink then the clog is somewhere between the toilet and the tub or sink drain line.

In most cases the toilet, bathtub and sink all connect to the same drain which then leaves the house connected to the main sewer line.

Your toilet drain line has a few other connections that are then connected to the sink, tub etc,

So most likely the clog is in the large pipe after it leaves the toilet drain.

When flush toilet water comes up in the tub, it means the blockage is located somewhere past the point of connection.

Otherwise, water would simply back up in the toilet.

The tub drain is usually at a slightly lower elevation than the toilet, so it provides a way for the flush water to get out of the pipe.

Baking soda and vinegar can clear and unclog some toilet clogs.

However if the toilet clog is more severe then you may need to use a toilet plunger, toilet auger or if it's really severe you may need to replace the toilet.

The clog may also be down the line before it reaches the actual sewer line to leave your house or the clog may be between the toilet sewer line and another part of the sewer line.

If the clog in the toilet isn't too severe or if the toilet isn't clogged by something such as a toy etc then baking soda and vinegar can work to naturally unclog a toilet.

To unclog a toilet using baking soda and vinegar take a cup of baking soda first and pour that down the toilet then if the toilet doesn't have too much water in the toilet bowl pour some boiling hot water down the toilet and then add some vinegar from the bottle slowly and allow it to sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Then try flushing the toilet again.

If it doesn't flush yet then you may need to try plunging it to help the clog along through the pipes and then might have to use the baking soda and vinegar solution again to fully clear the clog.

If none of that works then the clog is more severe and likely needs a toilet snake or the clog could be further down the drain.

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