There are few things more terrifying than an overflowing toilet. It can ruin your floor, ruin your toilet, and ruin your day. Occasionally, something specific gets in the pipes, but often a clogged toilet is simply the result of toilet paper — and other normal toilet fare — building up over time. Related: Looing on the edge: These toilets have spectacular views The first step is to flush the toilet once. The more you flush, the more water you’ll add to the tank, much of which will end up on the floor because it has nowhere to go. If you notice the water isn’t going down, step away from the handle. The next step is to turn off the water to the toilet. There should be a nozzle on the hose attached to the wall. Turn that until it clicks off. Once you’ve turned the water off, you can flush it as often as you want if you feel the need to do so. Grab a pair of rubber gloves and put newspaper or old towels around the base of the toilet to catch any overflow. If you have a plunger, the process is easier, but we understand that not everyone owns a basic plunger.

Even if you do happen to own one, having a plunger doesn’t mean you have the correct plunger. If you have one that is completely flat at the bottom, it’s meant to be used for sinks. Toilet plungers have an extra part at the bottom that protrudes past the bottom. That said, follow the instructions below if you have the correct plunger. Step 1 — Run the plunger under hot water to soften it up so it creates a better seal. Step 2 — Place the plunger so it covers the entire mouth of the hole at the bottom of your toilet. If you can’t get it to make a seal, wrap an old towel around the bottom of the plunger, but make sure it doesn’t go down the hole and make the block worse. Step 3 — Pump the plunger a few times without breaking the seal. Make sure the water is still a few inches above the plunger. Step 4 — Pull the plunger up quickly and break the seal. If the water goes down the drain, you’ve cleared the clog. If not, continue to plunge. It might take a few tries depending on how stubborn the clog is.

Sometimes, a plunger just isn’t enough. In these cases, a serious tool like a plumbing snake might do the trick. Houses For Sale In Federal B Area KarachiIf you have a big problem and don’t want to pay for a plumber, head to a hardware store and pick one up. Boo Dog For Sale Los AngelesThen, follow the steps below.Luxury Vinyl Plank Vs Engineered Hardwood Step 1 — Uncoil the the wire end of the snake and lower the end into the drain. Step 2 — Keep extending it until you hit the clog. Step 3 — Twist and move the snake until the water starts to drain. These days, there are a few different kinds of snakes available. The cheapest one will get the job done, but it might scratch your toilet bowl.

Generally, the higher the quality, the safer it’ll be for your toilet bowl. Make sure you have a wet-dry vacuum, which you can pick up on Amazon for around $30. You can easily ruin a regular vacuum if it can’t handle water. If you don’t have a wet-dry vacuum, you can usually find one for rent at a hardware or grocery store. Once you’ve obtained on, follow the steps below. Step 1 — Wrap an old towel around the hose so you can create a seal in the drain. Step 2 — Stick it in the the drain and suck out the water and hopefully the clog. You’ll know when you get the clog out when any water left in the bowl goes down the drain or you feel something pass through the hose. You may have to try a few times.Ah, life away from Mom & Dad. You’re learning your way around town, met a nice girl at a café. She’s a year older, and her one-bedroom corner apartment is WAY nicer than your dumpy basement studio. (Besides, your roommate’s buddies are always over playing on his Wii.)

So, you decided to take the plunge. You stayed overnight at her house. Brought your toothbrush, had a great time. She’s making you breakfast, and you take the opportunity to quickly “drop the kids off at the pool.” The morning sun shines through her bathroom window. You reach behind for the handle and — uh oh …It’s a fact of life. But you really don’t want your new girlfriend to see — or smell — the aircraft carrier that you just dropped into her toilet bowl. You figure you have about 60 seconds while she pours a couple glasses of fresh orange juice before she expects to snuggle back into bed with you. Just in time, Primer is here with: The first thing to do is remain calm. Although there are several possible reasons that Godzilla will not flush, toilets are very, very simple. Here’s how they work: For our purposes, there are three basic parts to the toilet: the bowl, the cistern, and the flushing assembly. The bowl is the part where your gigantic log is festering.

The cistern is behind the seat, and fills with water. The flushing assembly consists of a) the flush handle; b) a gasket, which looks like a hatch in the bottom of the cistern; c) a chain, connecting the flush handle to the hatch; and d) a float, which usually looks like a big ball attached to a stick. A different type of float looks a little bit like the Space Needle, and rides up and down on a tube, but the idea is the same. When a toilet is working properly, the flush handle puts tension on the chain, which lifts the hatch. The hatch, now open, drops a gallon or two of water into the bowl. Gravity forces all this water, along with your Number Two, down into the sewer pipes. This causes the float to drop, which turns on a stream of water to refill the cistern. As the water fills, the float rises. When the float reaches the top, water shuts off. Lift the lid off the cistern, and take a look inside. It should always either be full of water, or filling with water, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Don’t be afraid to stick your hands in the cistern water. Pranks aside, no poop ever gets inside the cistern. In fact, the cistern water is relatively clean. With that in mind, let’s get back to the problem at hand. Is she still pouring the orange juice? This is the most common cause of a stuck toilet. Your turd is so dense that it’s blocking the water from draining into the sewer pipe. If the water level in the toilet bowl rises when you flush, DO NOT FLUSH AGAIN or you will overflow your toilet. If you thought your toilet bomb was embarrassing, imagine mopping it up off the floor. Solution: Hopefully, there is a plunger nearby. If so, stick it in there so that it covers the large drain hole in the bottom of the toilet. Don’t worry about getting the plunger dirty — that’s what they are for. Press it down evenly, then pull up fast. Do this a few times and you should be back in the flow. If the water level goes down to normal, it’s probably safe to flush and you’re back under the covers.

You’re going to have to improvise. Try to break up the offending item until it makes its way down the pipe. You will have to use a coat hanger, toilet brush, wooden spoon, any available long pokey thing, or (God forbid) your hands in a pair of rubber gloves. Note that if the toilet tries to overflow even when you don’t flush — like, say, when the laundry room is busy — call a plumber. Solution: If nothing happens when you flush AND the cistern is full of water, take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back. This is an easy one. First check the flush handle. Inside the cistern, the flush handle becomes a bent rod with three or so holes. One of these holes should have a chain hooked into it. If nothing at all happens when you flush, it’s probably because this chain is not attached to the handle. You should see a loose chain somewhere, with a hook on the end. Attach the hook to one of the holes in the rod that is connected to the flush handle. The middle hole is usually fine.

The chain should be loose enough that the hatch stays down, but tight enough that the hatch opens when you flush. If it’s a little off, try a different hole. If it’s way off, improvise. Too loose: try hooking a couple of links in the chain to shorten it before attaching it to the handle. Too tight: use a twisty-tie through the hole, creating a loop, then put the chain hook through that loop. If the rod attached to the flush handle is broken, you will have to go to a hardware store and buy a new flush handle. For now, just pull the chain, lifting up the hatch, and the toilet should flush normally. Solution: This is probably the second most common toilet problem. The hatch is usually the culprit, staying open when it should close. Try jiggling the flush handle, and see if it drops. Look for a kink in the chain and untwist it, if necessary. Also, make sure there are no marbles, toy dinosaurs, rocks, or similar objects in the way, blocking the hatch from closing. Also, check that the float is actually floating.

If not, take it and ten bucks to the hardware store to get a new one. Okay, you’re starting to panic. Nothing in the Oh Crap! She’s on her way back into the bedroom! Didn’t I tell you to stay calm? Solution: The float might be stuck. If the float is up out of the water, push it down and watch the cistern fill like magic. If this happens a lot, replace the float.Check the shutoff valve, which is a little faucet near the base of the toilet. Turn it counter-clockwise until completely open. It may be hard to turn, but you shouldn’t need tools, so don’t force it. Solution: Here’s a neat trick that works every time, as long as the bowl is not stuck or overflowing (remember, you don’t want to mop this mess up off the floor). Fill a large bucket with water (at least a gallon) and dump it right into the toilet bowl, as quickly as possible. Same as a flush. Spray some deodorizer or light a match, to get rid of the awful scent, and you’re home free, smelling … almost … like a rose.