How to Plunge a Toilet

Let’s face it, the toilet plunger is a necessity in every household, every office and every place that has a toilet or two. Clogged toilets happen, it’s a fact of life and the plunger is a very useful tool for unclogging a backed up toilet.

So why are so many people using a plunger incorrectly? And why are so many using the wrong kind of plunger? We asked ourselves that question and decided to produce a video to show everyone how to plunge a toilet like a plumber. The first thing a plumber would recommend is to take steps to ensure the bowl won’t overflow onto the bathroom floor before or during the plunging process.

A plumber will also tell you that many homes and businesses are equipped with what they think is a toilet plunger but in fact, they’re really using a sink plunger. Sink plungers work great on sink clogs but they aren’t particularly effective on clogged toilets. That's because the cup design is too shallow to move enough water and air to unclog a toilet – without a lot of extra work. And the handle on most sink plungers is short for working on sinks that are waist high, not toilets that are knee high.

Plunging techniques can determine the outcome. For such a seemingly simple device, far too many of us are not using the proper plunging technique to successfully unclog a toilet. After you’ve dispensed with the sink plunger and located an actual toilet plunger, getting a proper seal between the plunger cup and the toilet drain in the next step. Then six to 10 powerful thrusts will usually push soft clogs beyond the toilet trap and into the branch drain.

It’s much easier to watch our quick video on plunging clogged toilets than to read each step, so follow the link and view the video for yourself.