How to deal with bathroom blockages: our top toilet maintenance tips

A blocked toilet may be rare, but it can cause major issues in the medium-long term if you don't deal with it properly at the time. Here are our tips for dealing with blockages and keeping your toilet in top form

In order to understand why your toilet gets blocked, it's important to know how the flushing system works. The toilet contains a siphon, an S-shaped pipe connected to the toilet bowl that drains the dirty water and keeps the level of clean water constant in the bowl. This in turn acts as a water lock, preventing any gases or smells from rising through the pipes and entering your rooms. The siphon has a diameter of about 100 mm, and is connected to the water outlet pipe at between 90 and 110 mm. You could get a blockage in either the siphon or the pipe.

Prevention is your best bet if you don't want to end up with major bathroom maintenance works on your hands. Never put any objects down the toilet and follow the advice at the end of this post.

You never know when you could end up with an unexpected toilet blockage, so read on to find out what to do.

How easy it is to unblock your toilet all depends on how badly obstructed the pipes are, so here are some options to try, step by step, so you can easily unblock your toilet no matter how badly blocked it is.

How to deal with bathroom blockages, step by step

There are a lot of ways to deal with blockages in the bathroom, so you might not always need to seek professional help right from the start. Here are six methods of unblocking your toilet, some using simple tools and products you probably already have at home.

• Use unblocking liquid. Various brands sell liquids you can use to unblock toilets which could help unblock an obstruction. Usually, you need to pour the liquid into the toilet and leave it to work for a few hours - but you should always follow the manufacturer's instructions. 
• Use a plunger. When it comes to unblocking a toilet, producing a vacuum effect over the pipe is very useful. You can use a plunger,

There's always the possibility that these methods won't work first time - you might need to repeat a few times to fully clear the blockage. If after several attempts your toilet still isn't draining properly, contact our technical support service via this link.

Why you get a blockage in the bathroom: some preventive measures

The best way of avoiding a blocked toilet is to keep it well-maintained. If it's happening frequently, it's likely that you need to solve one of the issues outlined below.

A sub-standard installation of the pipes or insufficient slope in the pipes when they're installed can cause waste to build-up and cause blockages. If this is the case, you need to contact a professional who can make the necessary changes to the pipes.

The same could happen if the pipes are very old and have become worn. In this case, your best bet is again to contact a professional who can replace the pipes with new ones.

But not all toilet blockages are to do with pipes: one of the most important tips for keeping the risk of blockages to a minimum is to never use your toilet as a bin.

The build-up of toilet paper, wipes or even dental floss can cause blockages in the pipes, and it's one of the main causes of unpleasant blockages in the bathroom.