A lot of people tend to take their plumbing for granted – they put things like grease and oils down the sink, and flush things down the toilet that shouldn’t go down their as well. For these people, their plumbing isn’t an issue, until it becomes a BIG issue. If you make sure to take proper care of the plumbing in your house, and follow the proper guidelines for what can go down the drains and what can’t, you won’t need emergency plumbing services. But if you do continuously flush things like cotton swaps, tampons, and the like, odds are you’re going to run into an issue of a clogged toilet and will need emergency plumbing help.
These issues can be especially worrisome for homeowners with renters. For homeowners, there is always a sense of pride in homeownership, and so the houses are generally kept in better shape. For short term renters, or even students who are just living out on their own for the first time, they may not now the proper way to take care of the plumbing in the house. This unintended abuse can lead to a plethora of plumbing issues, that will need professional plumbing services to fix.
When it comes to your toilet, it is always a good idea to keep a plunger on hand. They’re one of those tools that you want to keep handy, but hope to never have to use. For certain though, you NEVER want to be caught in a situation where you need one, and don’t have it!
If your toilet does clog up, and you don’t have a plunger to try to unclog it right away, the first step should be to shut off the water supply to the toilet. This should be located right behind the toilet on either the wall or floor, and will look like a small shut off valve right on the braided hose. This will shut off the water to the toilet, and prevent any additional water from going into the toilet and causing even more flooding.
If you ever have questions on what types of material shouldn’t be flushed down, a good guideline is to just consider that if it isn’t toilet paper, it shouldn’t get flushed. Here’s a more detailed list of items to keep out of the toilet:
- Cotton balls
- Q-tips
- Band-Aids
- Gum
- Tampons or Pads
- Kitty litter
- Paper towels
- Cosmetic or Baby wipes
- Diapers
If you do find yourself in a pinch with a clogged toilet, you should call an emergency drain expert plumber. We at Drain Experts Plumbing can get to you quickly and solve any drain or plumbing issue effectively and efficiently. We’re free to answer your calls at any time and will ensure that your plumbing is working at 100%!