Plumbing Choke

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Table of Contents (click on the sub-topic to get to the section you want)

• • • • • • • • • • Most Likely Causes of Your Drain / Floor Trap Chokes
                  • Why Does My Toilet Bowl Choke So Often?
                  • Tips to Prevent Drain / Floor Trap Chokes
                  • How To Deal With A Toilet Bowl Choke?
                  • 5 DIY Ways To Unclog Your Toilet Bowl Choke
                • • Case study

Most Likely Causes of Your Drain / Floor Trap Chokes

In order to solve these plumbing chokes and to prevent them from happening, we must know what are the causes of these drain and floor trap chokes. 

Hair 

On average, most people lose about 100 strands of hair per day and the majority of this amount is lost in the shower. People usually spend around half an hour in the bathroom showering. Now imagine this amount of hair fall multiplied by the number of people using the shower – it is a huge amount of hair. Install a hair catcher on top of your floor trap to collect the hair to be thrown away, rather than flushing it down the drain pipe.  

Soap 

Soap, especially those solid bar soaps, can cause a choke to happen. As compared to liquid soap, these bars of soap tend to harden quickly when they are in contact with cool water. When this soap residue hardens, it may cause your drain pipes to choke. This is just one of the few common mistakes people make as it has got to do with misconceptions of how your plumbing works. 

Grease 

Grease from cooking oil should not be poured down your kitchen sink pipes as they act just like the bar of soap and harden into a block in the pipe. Therefore, it is recommended to wait for the oil to cool down and throw it away in a bag. Any significant oily residue left in the cooking pot that cannot be poured away should be soaked up by a kitchen towel and disposed of. This is to minimize the amount of grease that will eventually choke your kitchen sink drain pipes. 

Foreign objects 

Sometimes foreign objects can find their way into the drainage pipe, which will cause the pipes to clog. These foreign objects include dead insects, solid food waste, small toys, or plastic waste.

Dirt & Dust 

Dirt and dust accumulate over time, especially around areas that are easily ignored. It will clump with moisture and form a solid substance after a while and begin to clog up the floor trap. 

Dislodged Pipes 

With the different temperature changes, wet and dry conditions, and ground movement over time, your pipes may have moved out of alignment or corroded. If that is so, a plumber can perform an inspection for you and help you by installing new pipes. 

Knowing the causes of drain/floor trap chokes can help you identify the necessary solutions needs to rectify the problem. Other than experiencing drain/floor trap chokes, you might also experience toilet bowl chokes.

Why Does My Toilet Bowl Choke So Often?

A toilet is a bathroom fixture that is often used at home. If there are clogs in the toilet bowl, it can cause extreme inconvenience to the entire family. A toilet clog, also known as toilet bowl choke, is when there is a foreign matter stuck or some complications in the drainage system, causing the toilet difficulties in flushing. Sometimes this may even lead to a backflow of sewage water which can lead to the bathroom being flooded with sewage waste – this is never ideal. If you are often experiencing toilet clogs often at home, you will have to understand the causes in order to prevent blockages in the future. Read on to know why a toilet bowl choke occurs so often.

One of the most common plumbing emergencies a plumber gets called in for is toilet bowl chokes. Most people would be annoyed and even frustrated when they experience a toilet bowl choke. Most of the time, you can tell a toilet bowl choke is imminent from other signs of common toilet bowl issues. If you find that some plunging of the toilet bowl only temporarily clears the clogged toilet, it is time to find out why your toilet bowl chokes so often, find the root cause, and rectify it.

Some of the causes of clogged toilets in most homes in Singapore include:

1. Toilet Paper or Kitchen Paper Towel Papers

If a bulk volume of toilet paper needs to be flushed, be sure to flush in intervals to prevent a toilet bowl choke. Even though kitchen paper towels seem to be made of the same material as toilet paper, do not flush these down the toilet as they are made more impotent to dissolve into a pulpy matter like toilet paper.

2. Foreign items

The toilet in your Singapore home is designed for the disposal of human wastes and toilet paper only! Other foreign items like diapers, baby wipes, paper towels, tampons, sanitary pads, and so forth, can cause a toilet clog if disposed of using your toilet, as they do not dissolve.

3. Waste Accumulation

Solid waste can accumulate and cause a blockage, especially when it is dry and in huge amounts, which will obstruct the normal flow of subsequent wastes. When the drainage pipe becomes obstructed, this will develop into a toilet bowl choke. As a general rule of thumb, if there is a large volume of waste that needs to be flushed, be sure to do it in intervals, so that each volume becomes manageable.

4. Trees or Plants.. or Animals

Trees, plants, or small animals can obstruct the pipes if the pipes are laid underground. It is possible that trees or plants can find their way into the pipes due to their natural instincts to seek out water sources. In Singapore, pipe obstruction by trees or plants occurs more frequently for landed property owners. In some cases, there are instances where small rats or cockroaches died and accumulated in the pan collar, resulting in a toilet bowl choke.

5. Weak flush

A weak flush can also cause a toilet bowl choke to happen due to its inability to flush down solid wastes. When you notice a weak water pressure, it is time to replace your toilet flush system that provides you with a much stronger flush.

6. Old toilet

If your toilet is very old (lifespan is usually 20 -30 years old), it probably lacks the pressure that is required for clearing the trap and flushing it efficiently. This can lead to clogs frequently when there is low water pressure for a proper flush. If you are experiencing a low flush pressure, or if the toilet is showing signs of common toilet bowl issues, it is advised to get your toilet bowl replaced.

7. Blocked plumbing vent

Toilets used today have roof vents for directing fresh air into the plumbing system and increase flushing pressure. Over time, such vents may be clogged with outdoor debris (e.g., animal nests, sticks, and leaves) which is one of the most common residential emergencies in Singapore. One of the best clogged toilet solutions is to get hire a plumber to clear the vents. It can be tough to detect blockages in sensitive plumbing, and you will need special tools for removal.

8. Sewer line problems

Generally, regular clogging of the drains and toilets occurs due to problems in the sewer pipe. Clogged toilets usually are a result of over-accumulation of human waste together with non-flushable items and toilet paper. With a professional plumber, you can unclog a toilet bowl choke easily.

Having the knowledge of the possible causes of both drain/floor trap choke and toilet bowl choke can help you decide if you can rectify the problems yourself or engage an experienced plumber. However, it is also important to note the steps you can take in order to prevent such situations from happening.

Tips to Prevent Drain / Floor Trap Chokes

We can all agree that prevention is better than cure when it comes to a plumbing choke, especially when some minimal, regular maintenance can save you money on plumbing fees. Here are useful tips you can adopt to prevent drain/floor trap chokes in your home.

Regular maintenance 

Regular maintenance of your drainage pipes will ensure that your drainage pipes remain clog-free. Sometimes certain items (e.g., hair, soap, grease, etc.) get into the system and will cause a clog.  A professional and reliable plumber can help to detect these early signs of clogs and prevent them from escalating with regular pipe maintenance. 

Install a lint catcher on your washing machine 

Drain chokes can also happen in washing machines too. Together with other foreign items, like small coins, tissues, or receipts that are accidentally not removed, will work their way through the drain hole and clog up the floor trap.  Having a lint catcher will enable these tiny materials to be trapped in them and easily disposed of without harming the drainage system. 

Make use of bacterial drain cleaners 

Hairfall is the number one cause of floor trap chokes in the bathroom, and food waste is the main culprit of kitchen sink chokes. If your drain choke seems to be reoccurring occasionally, it may be best to make drain cleaners a regular feature in your grocery list. However, this is not a long-term solution, and if you are looking for one, get a professional plumber to check it out for you and make appropriate recommendations. Heavy use of chemical drain cleaners is also harmful to the environment. 

Avoid dumping cooking oil down the sink 

Cooking oil can coagulate and form a semi-solid state over time when left to cool. You would not be able to do anything about it either if the grease or oil has already traveled down the pipe to settle there. If you pour it down the sink, it will form a clog together with any materials that get stuck on it, leading to a kitchen sink choke. In order to avoid this, wait for the oil to cool down and throw it away in a bag.

Install hair catchers 

Hair and soaps are the main cause of shower drain clogs when they both come together. Install a wire mesh at the drainage to catch any hair before it gets into the drainage system. The collected hairs and residuals can be disposed of easily by removing the wire mesh from the floor trap. 

Clear all food waste in the trash 

When we say all food waste, we literally mean all food waste, even the tiniest bit of rice grains left on your used bowl. This is because food waste can accumulate in the drainage system over time and when decomposed, its acidic secretions may even corrode your drain pipes. You can install a waste catcher in your sink, and when you are doing the dishes, it will catch any food waste so that you can dispose of it when it becomes full.   

These prevention tips can serve as a guide to prevent you from experiencing any drain choke or floor trap chokes. In addition to these chokes, you can also experience toilet bowl chokes in your home. 

How To Deal With A Toilet Bowl Choke?

Facing a toilet bowl choke is never a pleasant experience as it poses an immediate inconvenience with how often we use it on a daily basis. In the unpleasant event that you do face a toilet bowl choke, you can try various DIY ways to deal with the toilet bowl choke yourself.  If it is too serious of a choke, then perhaps it’s best to find a plumbing service to help you with professional choke clearing equipment.

To clear a choke, it is important to know what may be causing your toilet bowl to choke. Here are some methods you can try to unclog it yourself before calling a plumber.

Using A Plunger

Firstly, turn off the water supply to the toilet. After turning off the supply, you can begin working with a plunger. The plunger will create some movement and air pressure to dislodge the object in the toilet bowl. Using a plunger requires some time and effort if the clog is stubborn, so it is important to work on it for at least 15 to 20 good plunges.

Enzyme waste removal product

Similar to pouring a drain cleaner down a shower drain pipe when it drains too slowly, you can try pouring an enzyme waste material product to salvage the situation. You will usually have to wait overnight for the enzymes to work on the toilet clog, and the toilet should drain after the clog has been removed. Do note that this method will only work if the clog resulted from waste materials only.

Chemical Drain Cleaner

The chemical drain cleaner works in the same way as an enzyme waste material product but is much stronger. It is very toxic to people and pets, corrosive to pipes, and chlorinated drain cleaner can be very harmful to the environment. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and keep the lid down to prevent toxic fumes from filling the bathroom. Ensure that the room is well ventilated to prevent inhalation of the chemicals.

Plumbing Snake

A plumbing snake is what a plumber uses to handle those tough and stubborn clogs – mostly for inorganic material.  The goal of the plumbing snake is to probe the clog, causing it to collapse and break down into a smaller size so that the drainage can flow. If you do not have one available, you can straighten out a wire hanger as a substitute and try it out to see if you are successful. Otherwise, it might be better to hire a plumber to do it.

Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner

As this machine can be quite powerful, it can only be done with drain pipes of a certain diameter. Unlike the conventional vacuum cleaner, a wet/dry vacuum cleaner can cope with water. The main objective of the vacuum cleaner is to suck out the clog in the toilet. However, this can only be done after the water has been sucked out with the wet function of the vacuum. Then the dry function is used to try and suck the clog out.

Even after following all the aforementioned tips, and you are still encountering one of the above toilet bowl chokes, it will be useful to try out some DIY ways of clearing minor chokes. 

5 DIY Ways To Unclog Your Toilet Bowl Choke

A clogged or choked toilet not only poses an unsanitary plumbing issue, but it is also a frustrating one when toilet bowls choke frequently and having to deal with it constantly. Try these DIY methods on your toilet bowl that usually work in unclogging your toilet bowl choke to fix common toilet bowl issues.