Bowl rising right now? Stop the water first
The goal is to keep the bowl from overflowing before you try to clear anything.
- Do not flush again. A second flush on a blocked bowl is how most overflows happen.
- Turn the supply valve behind or beside the toilet clockwise until it stops. If it will not turn, lift the tank lid and push the flapper closed to stop more water entering.
- Lay towels around the base, and get a bucket and rubber gloves. If the water has reached the rim, wait for it to settle before plunging.
After that, the safe order
Work from the least invasive step to the most. Do not skip ahead.
Plunge with a flange plunger
Use a flange (toilet) plunger, not a flat sink cup. Seat it fully over the drain opening so it seals. Push gently first to clear the air, then pull and push firmly in steady strokes for about a minute.
Check the water level
If the water drains, add a little water by hand and watch it. If the level falls normally, a single flush with your hand on the supply valve is a fair test.
Use a closet auger if plunging fails
A closet auger has a protected tip designed for toilets. Feed it into the drain, crank slowly and stop when it resists. Do not force it against porcelain.
Stop and call
If the water level does not move, rises after the auger or you cannot tell what is blocking it, stop. Pushing harder can crack the bowl or push a blockage deeper.
Skip the chemical drain opener in a toilet
Caustic products sit in the bowl, can splash back and stay in the water the next person has to work in, whether that is you with a plunger or a plumber. Never combine drain products or use bleach with them. Mechanical clearing is safer.
Try it yourself, or call?
Reasonable to try yourself
- Water drains slowly but only from this toilet
- A plunger clears it within a few minutes
- You know what went down it, such as too much paper
- The floor around the base is dry
Stop and call
- Water backs up in the shower, tub or sinks as well
- Gurgling, bubbling or sewage smell from other drains
- A toy, brush or other object went down
- The toilet rocks or leaks at the base after the clog clears
Allendale, MI: municipal sewer, septic and rentals
Allendale Township runs its own wastewater treatment facility, with about 50 miles of sewer main and 8 lift stations, but the township's Master Plan says municipal service will not reach the whole township in any foreseeable period. Rural properties can be on a private septic system, which falls under the Ottawa County Health Department. If you are not sure which you have, find out before the next clog, because the answer changes what is safe to flush.
On a septic system, keep wipes (even those sold as flushable), paper towels, feminine products, grease and medications out of the toilet, and ask the county health department how your system should be treated. Rental housing is a big part of Allendale: 17.5 percent of residents live in group quarters, and the Allendale CDP is about 47 percent renter households. If you rent, tell your landlord or property manager first, since the lease usually says who calls.
Source: Allendale Charter Township water and sewer page, the township Master Plan (2020 Census) and the Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024.
Toilet still not clearing?
Call the 24/7 line. Describe what the water is doing and we will tell you whether to stop, wait or send someone.
Call (855) 575-2890A clog is not always a toilet problem
If the toilet is blocked but nothing else is slow, the problem is usually in the toilet trap or the short run right behind it. When the shower or a sink backs up after you flush, the blockage is in the branch line or the main, and no plunger will fix that. That is a drain cleaning call, and the sooner you stop using water the less ends up on the floor.
After the water level is back to normal, check the tank. The township's water report notes that toilet leaks are a big source of water use and recommends confirming that the water level sits one inch below the overflow tube and that the flapper seals every time. If the toilet keeps running, our toilet repair and installation team can look at the fill valve and flapper.
We take toilet and drain calls in Jenison and Marne too, where an address can be on municipal sewer or septic. Around Marne, Ottawa County's code has required sellers to evaluate the condition of well and septic systems before a transfer since 1984, so ask for the report if you are buying.