“I wouldn’t say the toilet is clogged, exactly,” Donna said. “When we flush, the toilet does flush. But it takes forever! Sometimes five minutes or even longer. So what’s going on here?”
As plumbing contractors in New York City we can tell you that the situation being described is indeed a clogged toilet. It’s just not a completely clogged toilet. If the situation is allowed to continue in this way, debris and other material will eventually close off the narrow passageway that’s still open in the sewer drain pipe, blocking it completely. That’s when Donna will see the messy backed up bowl many of us consider the defining sign of a clogged toilet.
Some toilet clogs form quickly. Other toilet clogs form slowly. This has everything to do with what’s forming the clog, as well as the condition of the sewer drain pipe. For example, if someone flushes a disposable baby diaper, the absorbent material inside the diaper will quickly swell up and block off the entire sewer drain pipe. In other instances, clogs gradually form of small debris, accumulating over time until the toilet no longer flushes properly.
What should you do if you have a slowly-flushing toilet? If the problem can’t be addressed with a household plunger, the next step is to call in your NYC plumber. To resolve the issue, you need sewer drain cleaning. This is a normal household maintenance task that often gets overlooked. Plumbers perform sewer drain cleaning quickly, without damaging your toilet or any other household plumbing. The material causing the clog is broken up and moved along the sewer drain pipe to its final destination. You will enjoy having a properly working toilet again.
The fact that the toilet is draining slowly today is no guarantee that it will flush at all tomorrow. Don’t put off needed plumbing repairs. Having the drains cleaned while the toilet is still working saves you the stress and mess of a fully clogged toilet later.
