Can A Toilet Unclog On Its Own?

There are lots of household chores that can set you back a few hours in the day, and sometimes, there are not enough hours in the day to sort through everything.

Can A Toilet Unclog On Its Own

Having a clogged toilet is extremely frustrating, and maybe you have tried to unclog it, but nothing seems to be working.

If your toilet is clogged, you might be wondering if it can unclog on its own.

Luckily, the answer is mostly yes, but there are a few instances where you will need to lend a hand in making sure that the toilet is unclogged.

This article will explain if a toilet can unclog on its own and how you can make sure that your bathroom is appropriate for your friends and family to use.

You can find out more below to see if your toilet can unclog on its own or if you need to intervene.

Can A Toilet Unclog On Its Own?

A lot of the time, a toilet can unclog on its own. This is because a lot of the things that clog toilets can dissolve in water, so this means that over time, they will dissolve and unclog themselves.

Once the blockage has been given enough time to break down by the water, the force of the flush should be strong enough to remove it.

Although it sounds simple and easy to wait for your toilet to unclog on its own, there are a couple of scenarios where your toilet will struggle.

You need to keep in mind how large the blockage is and what has caused the blockage to assess whether or not it can be broken down by water alone.

How Large Is The Blockage?

If the blockage in your toilet is large and does not look like it is dissolving, you will need to intervene.

It is better to unclog the toilet yourself than continue to wait for the blockage to remove itself, especially if it is showing no signs of moving.

You should wait to see if the blockage begins to dissolve, and if it doesn’t, you can get involved.

You can wait for longer if you wish, but having a significant clog that is not dissolving at all will leave you with more dirty water to clean up.

You can help to remove the blockage by plunging the toilet to remove it and get your bathroom back to working as normal.

What Has Caused The Blockage?

The main things that clog a toilet are toilet paper and feces, but these are things that can be broken down by the water.

If you need to unclog the toilet quickly, you can use a plunger, but you can also wait for the water to dissolve them and flush them to remove them from the toilet.

However, there are lots of other things that can clog a toilet that you should not be flushing.

Diapers, sanitary products, and wipes will clog your toilet as they cannot be broken down, so they should not be flushed.

You will need to use a plunger to remove them and make sure that your family members are aware that they should not be flushed down the toilet.

What Other Factors Can Cause A Toilet To Clog?

Can A Toilet Unclog On Its Own

As well as flushing objects down the toilet that you shouldn’t, there are other reasons why your toilet can get clogged.

It is important to recognize why your toilet is clogged so that you can take the necessary steps to unclog it and get your toilet back to normal.

Hard Water Build Up

Hard water is formed when the water has a high mineral content, which can cause it to look white. It is thicker than clean water and causes problems with your flushing system.

If hard water builds up inside your toilet, it can clog and prevent waste from flushing as there will be no gap for it to pass through.

Old Pipes

If the pipes for your toilet are old, you may come into contact with problems concerning backwash in your toilet. This can cause waste to build up inside the toilet and stop you from flushing it.

This problem will require a plumber, so call one immediately if you notice any backwash forming in the pipes.

Not Enough Water In The Tank

If there is not enough water in your toilet tank, there will not be enough pressure applied to the flush when you try to get rid of the waste.

Make sure that there is enough water inside the tank so that when you are flushing the toilet, you can get rid of all of the waste to prevent it from continuing to clog up.

Slow Septics

Septic systems that move slowly can cause your toilet to clog, so it is essential to get it checked regularly to ensure that it remains healthy.

It needs to maximize drainage so that you can continue to get rid of all of the waste inside your toilet to prevent it from building up and clogging.

How Long Should It Take For A Toilet To Unclog Itself?

If you are waiting for feces or toilet paper to be broken down by water to remove the clog, you should wait for 30 minutes to an hour.

This will be enough time for the water to dissolve the clogs and make sure that it is removed from the system. If you can wait for longer, leave the blockage to soak in the water.

If you have waited for over an hour and your toilet shows no signs of unclogging, you will need to unclog it yourself.

The toilet will not unclog if you have waited for longer than an hour, so it is best to find efficient ways to remove the blockage and get your toilet back to normal.

What Should You Do If You Don’t Have A Plunger?

If you do not have a plunger, you will need to find another way of unclogging your toilet as you cannot leave it.

There are other methods that you can use that work just as well as a plunger, so find out more below to see how you can unclog your toilet.

Dish Soap

It may seem unlikely, but dish soap can help to lubricate your plumbing system so that the blockage can move.

The blockage will be lodged in the pipes, so pouring some dish soap down the toilet can help it to dislodge itself and move through the pipes, unclogging the toilet.

Hot Water

Hot water can be used to dissolve the blockage, but make sure that it is hot water from the tap.

Using hot water from a kettle can cause your toilet to crack as the heat is a shock to the porcelain, so carefully pour some warm tap water into the toilet and see if this can remove the blockage from the toilet.

Toilet Brush

Having a toilet brush means that you can unclog a toilet if you need to. The brush works well as it can push the clog through the pipes until the toilet can be flushed.

It is not as effective as a plunger, but it can move the clog along so that you can use your toilet as normal.

Baking Soda And Vinegar

Another way to remove the blockage without a plunger is to create a mixture of baking soda and vinegar.

You should pour the solution down the toilet and allow it to dissolve the blockage for half an hour.

The mixture should begin to break down the blockage so that the toilet can be flushed as normal.

How To Stop Your Toilet From Overflowing

Can A Toilet Unclog On Its Own

When your toilet is clogged, it is more likely to overflow as there is no way for the water to flow through the pipes.

If you continue to flush, the water will overflow out of the toilet, which you will want to avoid.

Firstly, you will need to stop flushing the toilet as this will cause it to overflow, but what can you do to prevent it from overflowing?

Turn Off The Water

You will need to turn off the water valve that is located on the side of the water tank as this will prevent the toilet from producing any more water that could overflow.

Once the valve is turned off, no more water will fill up your tank.

Raise The Float

To raise the float, you will need to access the toilet tank by lifting the lid and finding the float that is shaped like a ball. Lift it out of the water and secure it so it doesn’t fall back in.

This will stop the tank from filling up and you will not be able to flush the toilet again, preventing it from overflowing.

Turn Off The Main Water Supply

The water supply for your home will be found by the water heater, which can either be located in a garage or basement.

Shutting off the water will prevent the tank from filling up as there will not be any water supplied to the tank, so there will be no risk of your toilet overflowing.

What Happens If You Do Not Unclog Your Toilet?

If you do not unclog your toilet, it can cause water damage. The valves inside the toilet can break over time, and when there is a build-up of waste, this can then allow it to leak out.

This can damage your toilet and your home, so it is important to deal with clogged toilets as soon as you notice them and not allow the waste to continue to build up.

Continuing to let the waste build up inside the toilet will make it more likely for waste to overflow over your bathroom, which is not ideal.

This can lead to water damage, breakages, and a very unpleasant odor in your home.

You will not be able to use your toilet, so it is a hindrance to yourself, family, friends, or any guests that you have in your home.

Final Thoughts

To conclude, a toilet can unclog on its own, but you will sometimes need to lend a hand to make sure that the blockage is fully removed.

You can leave the blockage to soak for up to an hour in the toilet, but if it shows no signs of breaking down, you will have to use either a plunger, toilet brush, or a solution to help remove it from the pipes.

Most of the time, the toilet can unclog itself as feces and toilet paper deteriorate when exposed to water, but other objects like sanitary products and diapers will not.

You will need to remove these from the toilet to prevent the blockage from worsening as they will not be able to be flushed, so avoid putting them down the toilet to prevent experiencing a clog.

Shauna Stone