Suppose you are a tenant and live in a big building. You face clogged toilets many times. But you always maintain your bathroom. That puzzled you how you ended up with this disaster. So for your kind information, you are not the reason for this issue every time. If you know about this situation in detail and want a solution, I think this article will help you out.
Why does your upstairs toilet get clogged frequently?
I know you don’t want to see a clogged toilet in the morning. When you accidentally stop the drainage system of your bathroom, it is blocked, and after that, you can’t flush anything into it. When you live in an apartment in any building, you also face this type of issue there. And sometimes you have clogging problems with others’ faults. So if you don’t live on the ground floor but face a clogged toilet, sometimes you are not the reason for this clogging issue. If your upstairs toilet keeps clogging frequently, there are many reasons behind this like:
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Fault in S-blocked:
An S-shaped pipe is usually attached to the toilet’s bottom. It is mainly used to prevent a bad smell in the restroom. You can face the clogged toilet when somehow this pipe got stuck and didn’t empty appropriately after using it. You make it worse if you throw hair, pad, etc., in the bathroom. But you can unclog the toilet by using a plunger or other tools. If you fail, then call the plumber to fix the issue.
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Poor flushing issue:
This time, low flush systems are top-rated to save some water from waste and extra utility charges. And that’s why it is famous as a saving type of bathroom in their washroom. But in the meantime, this toilet creates a problem because of low water pressure. The old version low flush toilet needs little power to push the big human poop into the drains. But the bathroom doesn’t meet that much pressure in flush, and then it can’t clean the bowl, and the trash gets stuck there. And you end up with a blocked toilet that is not usable.
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Water issue:
In many places, water is not pure at all. And I think everyone faces this widespread problem. But it’s a matter of assurance that This water is not dangerous for humans to drink or use but is a bother for daily purposes. The impurities create a calcified or white hard mark in the restroom after you use it daily. It’s not easy to clean the toilet, and it also narrows the gap between water and waste pipes daily. So after some years, you face this clogged toilet.
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Water level issue:
For a successful flush, there’s a need for a quantity of water that creates enough water force to clean the toilet bowl immediately. If the water level of your tank is low, then the flush system didn’t meet the strength, and waste is stacked at the drainage pipe, and it didn’t make it to the sewer system. In the end, you got a clogged toilet.
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Blockage in daring line:
Sometimes, the old drain is behind the clogged toilet. Because of the age of the drain line used opposite it, it may continuously block when you try to flush regular waste with toilet tissue. So when you throw any hair, paper towel, or litter into it, you make it worse.
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Throwing hard objects in the toilet:
Flushing other objects into the bathroom are the most common reason behind clogging toilets. Many times kids love to experiment and throw many hard things into it. And sometimes adults also did that, throwing food, sanitary napkins, cats or dog litter, and any make-up wastage into the toilet. But the drainage system only flushes the human waste into others. And it clogs the toilet very quickly.
This reason is the basic villain behind any clogged toilet. There are also many other reasons you may find for this issue. And as the solution, you must know how to maintain a bathroom and also, if there is a kid over there, educate them on how to use this properly. It also reduces the rate of clogging the toilet.
How to fix a clogged upstairs toilet?
Up there, you know why the toilet keeps clogging. But sometimes, you end up with a clogged toilet without doing anything. It may take you like a mystery if you live upstairs in the building. But this is not a difficult thing, and yes, you are not the culprit behind this occurrence. First, check if the toilet vent is opening on the roof or not. Most of the time, the duct becomes blocked because it’s open at the top of the roof, and sometimes it is also connected with your sewer system inside the home. So when you suspect the vent system is blocked for any reason, check it from the roof and talk to a plumber to fix this. For a DIY fix, you can follow some easy steps to keep your upstairs toilet clog-free.
- You can use a plunger or toilet snake to unclog the toilet
- Adjust the water level correctly
- Never flush any unusual thing like hair, food, metal, etc
- Keep your drainage pipe clear
- Replace the flush valve and flapper to get a powerful flush
Another reason for this problem is if the toilet is an older low flush model. Sometimes all drainage systems are interconnected in the building in a row on every floor. If one toilet clogs by accident, you also face the issue of that by any chance. That’s why try to maintain your toilet and ask everybody to do it properly.
Final Thought
Clogging is a very bothersome stage for everyone. So if you and another family who live in the building take care of this and maintain it properly, I think you may not face any issue with that. And if you face any clogging problem, you can solve it on your own with the help of a plunger or baking soda, vinegar solution, etc. Otherwise, you may contact the landlord and call the plumber to help you out of this trouble.
Hi, this is Robert Crossan, the owner of this website, has 17 years of experience in the installation, maintenance, and repair of toilets and plumbing systems. After completing the Level 2 Basic Plumbing course in 2005, I started working in both domestic and commercial buildings as a professional plumber. So I can figure out the core difference between different toilet models and brands. It also helped me monitor their work performance and setbacks.