My Toilet Clogs Every Time I Poop! Here’s a Solution!

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If you think poop sticking to the toilet bowl is gross, wait until your feces clog the toilet! It’s not only disgusting, but it’s also bad news for the toilet itself.

Your only option is to react before things get worse. After all, you don’t want poop to backflow and ruin the bathroom flooring. The first goal is to discover what causes the problem while solving it makes the second step.

We can help you with both missions, so keep reading to see the common causes of poop clogs and how to get rid of them.

What Makes the Toilet Clog After Pooping? 

Your poop clog is not the cause — it’s a consequence. When toilets clog after flushing poop, it tells you that there’s another issue with the toilet or plumbing system. Here are eight problems that can lead to poop clogs.

It’s Partially Clogged Already

The first problem is also the most common. Your toilet and sewer line are probably blocked already with partial clogs. When you flush the toilet, poop can get through, and it sticks to debris to form a bigger clog.

Partial clogs occur when you throw non-flushable items into the toilet bowl. The list of such objects is endless, but the usual suspects include baby wipes, nails, hair, tampons, Q tips, and hygiene products.

The damage is done already, but you can prevent future clogging by flushing urine, feces, and toilet paper only. Even though it’s degradable, throwing too much toilet paper can also lead to clogs — use it moderately, and your toilet will be safe.

Drain Pipes Are Broken

Every toilet has a drain pipe system connecting to the bottom of the bowl. When you flush the toilet, drains receive water that carries the waste down the sewer line. However, older pipes are prone to damages from corrosion and heat.

If your toilet drains have small holes or cracks, they will stop working properly and build waste piles. Poop quickly sticks to these piles to create a massive clog, preventing the usual water flow in the pipes. 

You Have a Low-Flow Toilet

Many toilets, especially new models, have a low-flow system that struggles to remove waste. The main purpose of low-flow toilets is to save water and be eco-friendlier, but that can jeopardize the functionality of your bathroom.

It means that your toilet can’t flush strong enough to push poop down the drains, so some of it always stays in the pipes. The toilet eventually clogs and starts backflowing.

Technically, you cannot convert low-flow toilets to high-flow toilets. But there is a catch, and it is to maximize the flush power of your toilet. Here are some ways to increase the flush potential of your toilet:

  • Lift the tank float to ensure that your tank gets more water after flushing
  • Check the toilet for leaks as they might reduce the flush power
  • Check the rim jets to see if they are open or clogged

There’s Not Enough Water in the Tank

The next problem goes hand in hand with the previous one, so we won’t delve too deep into it. When there’s not enough water in the tank, it means that the toilet tank is not filling adequately.

Apart from tank leakages and the float position, the problem may be in the fill valve. It’s a small screw in the tank that controls the water quantity.

You Don’t Flush Properly

Are you sure that you’re flushing the toilet properly? As trivial as it may sound, weak flushing can also cause poop clogs in your toilet. The problem lies in one of these two options:

  • You press the flush button too mildly so it doesn’t let all the water flow out
  • You use half-flush only, but your toilet needs a full flush to dispose of feces

Mineral Deposit Buildups

Even if your toilet is highly functional, it can still accumulate invisible waste and form clogs in the long run. It is often a problem with households with hard water because it’s full of mineral deposits.

It slowly builds up to form stains and folds, preventing the toilet drain from transferring waste. In other words, your poop will likely clog the toilet when you try to flush it down the drains. 

The Air Vent Is Blocked

Households connecting to the sewer system have air vents that balance the atmospheric pressure in the pipes. That way, the toilet vent eliminates the vacuum in the pipes after a strong flushing process.

However, falling leaves and bird nests can close the vent opening or clog it somewhere down the tube. It makes pressure imbalance, preventing the toilet from working properly — the only way to fix it is to climb the roof and unclog the vent.

Dehydration

We bet you didn’t see this one coming! It’s least likely to occur, but dehydration can sometimes lead to poop clogs in your toilet. How come?

When you drink enough water, your feces are normal, and they can dissolve in water quickly. But things take a wrong turn when you don’t drink enough fluids or if you are on a diet.

Your feces gradually dry out to become hard and brittle — perfect conditions for clogging your toilet. It doesn’t mean that this condition is dangerous for your health, but it may stop your toilet from flushing properly.

My Toilet Clogs Every Time I Poop! Use 7 Unclogging Tricks

The reasons are clear, but now we need to analyze how to remove clogs from the toilet. Remember that unclogging a toilet with poop still in it can get ugly, so you better get your rubber gloves and safety glasses.

Solution 1: A Toilet Plunger

A toilet plunger is a useful unclogging tool, so you probably already have it in your bathroom or garage. It’s easy to use — put the plunger into the toilet bowl and hold it tightly.

Pressing down on the plunger creates pressure against the clog to push the waste ball further down the drain. If necessary, pump the plunger multiple times until it creates enough force to break the blockade in your toilet.

Solution 2: A Toilet Auger

A toilet auger, AKA toilet snake, helps you get rid of poop and debris deeper in the drain pipe. You can insert it into the toilet and rotate the handle to help the tool advance. When it reaches the clog, the toilet auger drills and removes it.

The good thing about augers is that they clean air vents, too. You can climb up your roof to push the snake through the vent pipe — it will pick up clogs with tree leaves and other waste.

Solution 3: Detergent and Hot Water

If you don’t like working with plungers and augers, perhaps you should try more familiar items like detergent. Use hot water and detergent simultaneously — pour them into the toilet bowl and let them sit for 15 minutes.

This should be enough for poop to decompose and flow out of your plumbing system. However, don’t make the mistake of pouring too much at once because it might overflow. Do it gradually, and everything will be fine.

Solution 4: Vinegar and Baking Soda

Baking soda and vinegar might be your next best solution. Grab a cup of baking soda and pour it into your toilet bowl. Then, add the same amount of white vinegar. The reaction between the two is strong enough to unclog the toilet.

Once again, remember that pouring too much stuff in a clogged toilet may lead to overflowing. Be careful when treating the toilet with vinegar and baking soda, so you won’t have to clean the entire bathroom afterward.

Solution 5: Dish Soap

Dish soap is not the substance with clog-breaking abilities, but it can help you in a different way. If you pour dish soap and hot water into the toilet, expect to lubricate the clog and make it slippery.

It can be useful for small and hard clogs that stick to the pipes. In such circumstances, dish soap will help by sliding poop down the drains. The clog will not dissolve, but it will go out of your sewer line.

Solution 6: Commercial Cleaners

If you trust commercial cleaners more than everyday kitchen products, feel free to use them to remove poop clogs. You can find dozens of high-quality cleaning products, but make sure they are good at breaking clogs.

We say it because many people buy bleach and Drano to unclog their toilets, but these products will only damage the pipes.

Solution 7: Epsom Salt

Epsom salt is probably the least effective product on our list, but it can sometimes help you with clogs. Take a cup of Epsom salt and pour it into the toilet bowl — it generates sulfate and sulfuric acid to dissolve poop and debris.

The best thing about unclogging the toilet with salt is that it doesn’t damage the pipes. It is a natural substance that fends off bad smells while making your toilet pipes clean and neat.

How to Prevent Poop Clogs?

When you unclog the toilet, you should start thinking about prevention. You don’t want to deal with the same mess again, so here’s how to prevent poop clogs from now on:

Clean the Toilet Regularly

The simplest way to prevent clogging is to keep the toilet clean at all times. You must remove debris at least once a week — it will stop the toilet waste from building up and forming a blockade.

Inspect the Toilet for Leaks

Toilets can leak in many places, and cracks may not always be visible. Your job is to pay attention and search for leakages daily. You can check the functioning of your toilet using two tricks:

  • Search for puddles around or behind the toilet — they reveal cracks
  • Add food dye to the tank – if it appears in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak

Don’t Flush Non-flushable Items

Don’t flush items that shouldn’t enter the sewage system, such as paper towels and tissues. They will stick in your pipes and clog them eventually. The only couple of things you can flush are human waste and toilet paper.

Hydrate Adequately

Finally, you can make your feces lighter by hydrating adequately. That way, your toilet won’t have to struggle with hard feces, so the odds of clogging drop rapidly.

The Bottom Line

Clogging a toilet is far from an ideal bathroom scenario, especially when you block it with your feces. The problem mainly occurs when your toilet is already full of debris. But other causes include low-flow flush systems, broken pipes, etc.

In this post, we discussed seven ways to unclog a toilet after flushing poop. One of these tricks will surely help you break the poop clog, so roll up your sleeves and get to work — you’ll be over in 20 minutes!

FAQ

What to do about the toilet that keeps clogging?

It depends on the reason, but you can probably unclog it for good with a toilet plunger or an auger. Both tools successfully remove clogs, but you can test other solutions like dish soap, vinegar, baking soda, cleaning products.

Will my poop-clogged toilet unclog itself?

If your poop is the only thing clogging the toilet, it will probably unclog itself. Poop is water-soluble, so it will decompose soon. But if feces bump into other debris, they will likely stay there to form a much bigger clog.

Why do my poops keep blocking the toilet?

Many factors may lead to it, but that mostly happens when your toilet has partial clogs. In this case, it’s easy for your poop to stick to the existing blockade and disable the toilet. The only solution is to unclog your toilet.

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