Okay, it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room. Or, rather, the elephant in the bathroom: toilet clogs. No one wants to admit when this embarrassing phenomenon happens to them, but an unfortunate reality is: toilet clogs affect everyone. The cause isn’t always so obvious, and there’s no reason to be shy. They can actually arise from a variety of problems! The top Las Vegas plumbers are here to share the common causes for the plague known as toilet clogs.
The most common cause for a clog is usually pretty obvious. Things go in the toilet that doesn’t necessarily need to be there. Your two year old might find it fascinating to flush their toys, and your wife may love wet wipes to remove her makeup – neither should go down in a whirl of water. Flushing things that shouldn’t go down (such as cotton balls or dental floss, to name a few likely culprits) will back up your toilet trap. The toilet trap is the U-shaped pipe at the back of the toilet, and its primary purpose is to retain enough standing water to keep sewage gasses from burping back up into the home. When items get stuck down there, it can’t do its job. The backup eventually prevents anything from flowing through, clogging the toilet.
Hard water is the bane of every plumber’s existence, and Las Vegas has it in scores. Most homes and businesses operate with hard water, which leaves a nasty residue on just about everything it touches. If it can clog your shower head (and trust us, it will!), it can clog your toilet. If there’s nothing clearly obstructing the toilet, it could be that hard water has built up in the pipes and causing the appliance to back up. No reason to panic, as this can be fixed with the addition of a solution to the water which allows the mineral deposits to break up naturally. Recurring problems can be managed with the addition of a water softener, which stops the issue at its source by removing the minerals before they cycle through the home.
No hard water? No problem. The third most common cause of toilet clogs is: the equipment is all wrong. Older homes usually come equipped with older appliances, and the pipes just might not be working as they used to. Damaged pipes from years of use can wreak havoc on your plumbing, and need to be maintained regularly to make the ebbs and flow of routine toilet use work. The actual toilet may be the culprit, as late 90s models came with a ‘low-flow’ feature which isn’t compatible with modern plumbing. If you’re experiencing regular toilet clogs with no immediately discernible cause, it’s best to call in a professional and have it assessed.
