Will a toilet unclog itself? So you’re toilet is clogged and it’s the middle of the night. You’re tired and your alarm doesn’t go off for hours. The last thing you want to do is start plunging your toilet or using a toilet auger.
That might have you thinking of Plan B: Will a toilet unclog itself???
If you wait long enough, will the clog just dissolve and your nasty problem go away on its’ own? Read on to find out if your toilet will unclog itself.
Will a Toilet Unclog Itself? Can a Toilet Unclog Itself?
Most people think that once a toilet is clogged that they have to plunge their toilet right away to remove the clog. You’ll be surprised to learn that the opposite is true. Will a Clogged Toilet Eventually Unclog Itself? Will a toilet unclog itself overnight?
Well, yes and no. Most likely, you’ve plugged your toilet with organic material like poop and toilet paper. Poop will eventually begin to dissolve in water. Same with TP. When they dissolve, water can now go down your toilet drain and you can flush away the clog without issue. If you have a second toilet, it’s OK to leave a clogged toilet overnight to see if the organic matter just dissolves on its own.
Will Toilet Paper Dissolve in a Clogged Toilet?
Organic material, especially your toilet paper, can start to dissolve because of the water in your pipes. This will give enough space for the water to move around the next time you flush, unclogging your pipes with the pressure from the flush. Also, making sure you have a full bowl of water in your toilet can put enough weight on the clog that it may begin to move down the pipes.
Does a toilet unclog itself? Sometimes yes, but this isn’t a long term solution to clogging issues. If you need to use your toilet right away, or only have one bathroom, you’ll need a plunger or a toilet auger to clear the clog.
Random clogs are a tell tale sign that there is build up in your pipes that is trapping anything you flush down your toilet.
The best way to remove that build up of gunk inside your pipes is to use a toilet auger. A toilet auger had a metal bulb head on it attached to a sturdy, but bendable, metal cord. When you spin the toilet augers bulb head and metal cord, it traps and removes years worth of gunk that’s built up on the sides and in the bends of your pipes.
Why Does the Toilet Keep Clogging?
Why does the toilet clog every time I flush? There are a few reasons why your toilet is clogged, and we go into detail in our post about Frequent Toilet Clogs.
- P trap/Bends in Pipes
- Foreign Objects
- Too much TP
- Poop too big
- Vents Clogged
- Main Sewer line issues
- Low Flow toilets
- Bad Flapper
- Mineral Deposits
How Long does it Take for a Toilet to Unclog Itself
Will toilet water go down on its own? That all depends. Organic matter like TP and Poop will eventually dissolve, but there are so many factors at play. Like how BIG the poop was, how much TP was used, was it THICK TP. Sometimes it can take 30 mins, sometimes overnight for the organic matter to dissolve enough that when you flush it, it unclogs itself.
Also, maybe it’s NOT organic matter and your toilet will just sit clogged up until it’s snaked or you us a plunger.
Flushing the Toilet: Can That Unclog It?
It could, but 99% of the time, you will end up overflowing your toilet bowl. We recommend that you wait a bit to see if the toilet water goes down. This would mean that your organic matter clog is dissolving on its own. Wait until the bowl is almost empty before flushing. If you flush too soon, you risk the toilet overflowing with nasty poop water all over your floor.
What Plunger do I Use for Which Clogs?
| Plunger | Use |
|---|---|
| Sink | Sink Drains |
| Flange | Toilet |
| Accordion | Toilet |
Toilet Clog Prevention
Here are some tips to prevent future toilet clogs:
- Don’t flush too much TP down the toilet at once
- Flush multiple times during a big poop
- Watch that the kids don’t flush anything
- Don’t flush any wipes down the toilet. It doesn’t matter if they say they are “flushable”. They aren’t. Most of my service calls are for this issue.
- Clean out your pipes twice per year with a toilet auger
- Don’t flush cat litter: it turns into cement in your pipes
- Don’t flush paper towel
- Don’t flush large feminine hygiene products
- Grease should be poured into a container and thrown out, not down your toilet
Cost of Hiring a Plumber Versus Buying a Toilet Auger
Hiring a plumber to unclog your toilet costs anywhere from $100- 250, depending on the area and how complicated the clog is. A toilet auger can be as cheap as $30. You can also use your toilet auger as many times as you like, so I consider it an investment.
Common Place for Clogs: U Bend in the Toilet:
Most clogs in drains and toilets happen in the P Trap. The bend in the pipes means stuff just gets caught and gunk gathers there.
Conclusion
Will a toilet unclog itself is a common question. We hope that you now understand that a toilet can unclog itself, but a permanent solution to your problem is to use a toilet auger to clean out your pipes.
- Will a Toilet Unclog Itself? Can a Toilet Unclog Itself?
- Will Toilet Paper Dissolve in a Clogged Toilet?
- Why Does the Toilet Keep Clogging?
- How Long does it Take for a Toilet to Unclog Itself
- Flushing the Toilet: Can That Unclog It?
- Common Place for Clogs: U Bend in the Toilet:
- Conclusion
- FAQs
- What Plunger do I Use for Which Clogs?
- Toilet Clog Prevention
- Cost of Hiring a Plumber Versus Buying a Toilet Auger
FAQs
TP is organic matter and will dissolve eventually in the water in your pipes. This can take awhile, because it depends on the type of TP used, plush or not, and how much was used.
