Toilet not Flushing Properly at Your Office? Here is How to Fix!

Commercial offices can also experience many plumbing problems with their toilets. However, the most annoying problem is when the toilet will not flush properly.

A slow flushing toilet is also referred to as a lazy flush, a phantom flushing toilet, or a lazy toilet. If your toilet doesn’t flush properly, it is draining slowly, or it is draining continuously every time you flush, there could be several causes (how to tell if the toilet is leaking underneath).

At times, the fix for such issues is easy, and you can fix the issues with some adjustments in the tank. However, sometimes the issue is the result of an obstructed sewer drain. In this case, you may have to hire a plumber.

To unclog a toilet, you can do a few things on your own. Here is a guide to unclogging toilet efficiently;

How to Fix a Slow Flushing Toilet at Your Office
6 Things You Will Need to Fix a Slow Flushing Toilet at Your Office

• Rubber gloves
• Toilet auger
• Paperclip
• Garden hose
• Plunger
• Sewer auger

1. Plunging

Using the plunger, plunger your toilet by submerging it all together to make a good seal with the bowl of the toilet. In case the blockage is only partial, plunging may loosen the clog and allow wastewater to start flowing freely, thus correcting the issue.

2. Using Rubber Gloves

Turn the water to your toilet off and then flush it. Put rubber gloves on and ensure that they cover your whole forearm. Reach inside the toilet’s P-trap and grope for any obstructions. While your bowl is empty, put your hand into the inlet. Check if there is debris in there. Once you are done, turn the water on again.

3. Using a Garden Hose

Sometimes clogging could happen at the drains. Therefore, check if gurgling sounds are being produced at the nearby drains whenever you flush your toilet.

These sounds are an indication that there is a blockage in the toilet vents. The sound is produced when the air is being sucked via the drains.

You can clear the vents by climbing onto the rooftop, removing all debris from the opening of the vent and using a garden hose to spray water into the openings.

4. Check the Tank’s Water Level

Check the level of water in the tank by removing the cover. The water level should be roughly an inch below the overflow tube’s opening.

In case it is below this level, the water may not be sufficient filling the waste pipes and creating suction whenever you flush your toilet. To raise the level of water, you need to shorten the float arm by screwing of the float ball in a clockwise manner.

5. Using a Paper Clip

Take a paper clip and straighten it out. Use it to poke the water hole around the bowl’s rim to clean any mineral deposits. Such deposits slow water flow into the bowl, thus preventing the suction formation required for flushing. The mineral deposits will be there if you have an old toilet.

6. Use a Toilet Auger

If, after adjusting the water flow to the toilet and spraying water in the vents, the problem persists, use a toilet auger to clear the waste deposits. Take the auger and insert it into the bowl until you feel some resistance. Crank the handle of the auger so that the head is worked through the resistance.

7. Sewer Auger

If the sluggishness continues, take a sewer auger and feed it through the vents on the roof. Make sure that your auger is long enough so that it goes via the soil stack and to the sewer, roughly 20 feet. Once you feel some resistance, crank the auger’s handle. Continue cranking until there is no more resistance.

How to Fix a Slow Flushing Toilet

Other Ways of Unclogging a Commercial Toilet

• Hot Water

Take a gallon of hot water and pour it into your toilet. Allow the hot water to sit there for some time, do not flush. The purpose of hot water is to dislodge any resistance that is slowing down the water flowing out of the toilet bowl.

• Drain Cleaner

Take a drain cleaner and pour it into your toilet. Remember that the drain cleaner you use should be appropriate for a toilet because some are not. Before buying the product, ensure that it has instructions showing the amount to use. Go through the label carefully.

You may need to wear protective gear because some products are not fit for ceramics. Always follow all instructions on the drain cleaner. Some cleaners may need you to flush immediately, whereas others require more time to give good results.

• Muriatic Acid or Hydrochloric Acid

Take diluted hydrochloric acid and carefully pour it via the funnel. Only a few ounces of this diluted acid should be poured into the tube. Pour it fast enough to flow out through the rim’s holes, but do not do it so quickly that the funnel falls out or overflows.

This would lead to the splashing of the acid, which is very dangerous. Take the remaining gallon of diluted acid and pour it into the bowl of the toilet to help in clearing the drain.

The Problem of Frozen Pipes

Frozen water pipes can lead to clogging of toilets because they will not supply sufficient water to the tank for flushing. If the pipes are frozen, you can pour water directly into the bowl and flush. Sometimes the sewer drain pipes freeze too (Check out our guide to identify sewer leaks).

To unclog frozen drains, take a bucket of hot water and pour it into the toilet drain. This will help to clear out all the ice causing the clogging. You can also deal with the problem of frozen pipes by thawing.

Call Us For Professional Help

In most cases, the above solutions to a clogged toilet will work. What’s more, they are safe and do not require much work. Though rare, these solutions may not work for everyone.

When this happens, the best thing to do is turn to a professional commercial plumbing expert for help like Accurate Leak & Line.

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