Blocked toilet do it yourself or call?
A blocked toilet is unpleasant and can quickly get worse. These steps help you safely do it yourself, and you'll know when it's better to call in a drain unblocking service.
Try yourself (safely)
- Don't pour buckets of water in if the level is already high
- Plunger (rubber drain plunger) with steady pressure
- Don't flush wipes, grease or cement residue 'to force it through'
- In case of flooding: turn off the toilet water supply and call us
More detailed: blocked drain: DIY or plumber?
Key points
Quick overview.
Plunger first
Often sufficient for a local blockage.
No aggressive chemicals
Protects pipes and yourself.
Multiple drains blocked
Often deeper in the sewer.
Flooding
Call emergency service immediately.
When to call immediately?
Multiple drains blocked at once, sewer smell in the house, water rising in the shower drain, or the toilet overflowing: that is no longer an experiment. Then drain unblocking The Hague helps, or in case of acute flooding emergency.
Why a toilet becomes blocked and how to prevent it
Most toilet blockages are caused by what is flushed. A toilet drain is designed for faeces, urine and toilet paper. Everything else can get stuck in the bend of the bowl or further down the pipe.
The most common causes
- Wet wipes. Even wipes labelled "flushable" dissolve much less well than toilet paper and clump together.
- Sanitary towels, tampons, cotton buds and kitchen paper. These belong in the bin, not in the toilet.
- Too much paper at once, especially if you only use the small flush button.
- Urine scale and limescale in the trap of the bowl. This makes the passage narrower and narrower.
- Something that has fallen in, such as a toy, a toothbrush or an air freshener.
- A problem further along, such as a collapsed sewer pipe, roots or a blocked soil stack in a block of flats.
How to use the plunger correctly
Make sure the rubber of the plunger is under water; without water it barely works. Place it straight over the opening at the bottom of the bowl and push firmly up and down a few times without splashing. Then pull it off in one go. If the water drains, flush once and check whether it drains properly. If it doesn't work, you can try a bucket of warm (not boiling) water with a dash of washing-up liquid. Boiling water can crack the porcelain.
What you'd better not do
Do not use aggressive chemical drain cleaners; they damage pipes and are dangerous if water splashes back. Do not insert hard objects into the bowl, as they can scratch or damage the porcelain. Also do not keep flushing if the water is already high.
When a tradesman is needed
Does the blockage keep coming back, does the toilet bubble when you let water drain elsewhere, or are several drains slow at the same time? Then the problem is deeper. A drain unblocker clears the pipe with a drain snake or with water under high pressure. If the problem returns, a camera inspection can show whether there is a break, subsidence or narrowing in the pipe. If you live in a flat, the soil stack may be blocked; this belongs to all residents together and often falls under the VvE or the landlord.
Prevention is easy
- Put a waste bin next to the toilet for wipes and hygiene products.
- Use the large flush button when using a lot of paper.
- Clean the bowl regularly with a product against limescale and urine scale.
Still can't manage it yourself? Read how we work at toilet unblocking.
Step-by-step plan: how to tackle a blocked toilet
Stay calm and work in this order. This prevents water from overflowing and keeps things clean.
- Stop flushing. Each flush adds water. If the level is already high, the bowl may overflow.
- Turn off the isolation valve on the cistern if you are unsure whether the cistern is still refilling. The valve is usually on the wall near the supply hose.
- Place towels or old newspapers around the bowl and have a bucket ready. Wear household gloves.
- Wait a moment. Sometimes the water drains by itself after ten to twenty minutes, because paper slowly softens.
- Use the plunger as described below, with the rubber fully submerged.
- Check whether the water level drops and then flush once with the small button. If it drains well, flush once more with the large button.
- Stop if it does not work after a few attempts or if water comes up somewhere else in the house. The blockage is then probably deeper.
Is the blockage in the bowl or further down?
Where the blockage is located determines what will help. A few simple observations often provide the answer.
- Only the toilet is slow and the washbasin, shower and kitchen drain normally: the blockage is usually in the bowl or in the first section of drain. The plunger then has the best chance.
- The toilet gurgles or water rises in the shower when you flush: the drain further down is (partially) blocked. Also read water comes up in the shower.
- Several drains at once are draining poorly, or the outside drain is full: the blockage is in the sewer itself. Plunging yourself won't help any more.
- You live in a flat and the neighbours are also affected: then the shared soil stack may be blocked.
An overview of blockages in other rooms, such as kitchen and bathroom, can be found under blockages by room.
Products from the supermarket
A product from the shop seems an easy solution, but with a toilet it often works poorly. The product barely reaches the blockage, because there is a layer of standing water above it. If it doesn't work, you then have caustic water in the bowl. That is awkward and unsafe for you and for the technician who comes afterwards. What is and isn't useful, you can read at drain unblockers: what works. If you're unsure what can go down the toilet, see what can go down the toilet.
What the technician does when he arrives
The technician first checks where the blockage is: in the bowl, in the drain under the floor or further into the sewer. A blockage in the bowl or the first section of pipe is cleared with a drain snake that can go through the bend of the bowl. If it's deeper, he goes into the pipe via an access point or the inspection chamber outside. If the blockage recurs frequently, a CCTV sewer inspection can show whether there is subsidence, a break or a narrowing in the pipe. After unblocking, he flushes several times and checks that all drains in the house are draining normally again. You will then be told what the cause was and how to prevent recurrence.
What does it cost if we unblock your toilet?
If the blockage is in the bowl or directly behind it, it can usually be cleared quickly with a professional toilet plunger or a short auger. If it's further down the pipe or in the soil stack, we use a longer auger or high-pressure equipment. In both cases, we check afterwards that the toilet and other drains are flowing freely again.
If your toilet blocks frequently, we inspect the pipe with a camera. Subsidence, a too-shallow drain or roots in the sewer cause it to go wrong repeatedly; then only a repair of the pipe provides a lasting solution.
Is the water rising to the rim? Stop flushing, turn off the cistern stopcock if possible and call us. Also read toilet unblocking.
Good to know
Short answers.
Preferably not as a first step: it can damage pipes and be dangerous if it splashes. Mechanical unblocking is safer.
For emergencies and flooding often yes. Call 070 783 0224.
Sometimes it is a local blockage; sometimes further along in the soil stack. We see that on site.
Don't flush again, turn off the cistern tap and scoop some water into a bucket if necessary. Put down towels and call if the water doesn't go down.
Often there is limescale or urine scale in the bend of the pan, or the drain further along is partly blocked. If it keeps coming back, have the pipe inspected.
For drain unblocking we quote a guide price of €95 to €185. You will hear the final price in advance, before we start.
Then there is usually something in the pipe itself: subsidence, a drain that's too shallow or roots. With a camera inspection we can see what's going on and what's needed to solve it permanently.
Toilet remains blocked?
We unblock quickly and cleanly — fixed appointment in advance.
Read also: Toilet keeps running
More about blockages: Blockage? Everything by room · What can go down the toilet? · Water comes up in the shower · Drain unblockers: what works