You may know how to unclog a toilet, but do you know why it got clogged in the first place? Surely in this game, prevention is far better than having to get out the ball plunger to start pumping away. In this article we set out some of the main reasons toilet blockages occur in the hope that this will give you some ideas for avoidance and prevention.

Some of the problems may be down to flushing technique especially if you have a low flow toilet. These are great for water conservation as they use around 40% of the water of standard toilets but are not known for their flushing effectiveness. Its important when flushing to keep the handle in the lowered position for a few seconds until the tank has completely empty. Often simply pressing the handle and releasing it immediately wont get the job done.

Poor flushing performance may be the result of mineral deposits obstructing inlet water pipes around the rim. A check with a hand mirror should quickly tell you if this is the case. If they are obstructed, scrape this away with a piece of wire (a section of coat hanger wire normally does the trick). While you are fiddling with the toilet, it also make sense to check the tank level to ensure that water is filling up to the maximum. A simple adjustment to the float valve may be needed if this is not the case.

If there is an obstruction in the trap way this may cause your toilet to get clogged up on an intermittent basis. It may run fine for a while but if toilet paper gets caused on the obstruction and builds up over time it may result in a clog. Toothbrushes, toilet fresheners that hang on the rim of the toilet, and hairbrushes have all been known to cause these kind of obstructions. If you are comfortable using a toilet augur see if you can clear the toilet that way. If not, it may be time to call out the plumber.