Your Child Just Flushed Your Phone, And Other Items That Can Cause A Clog

Your child is a stealthy illusionist. That’s right, they can magically make anything from the washcloth to your cell phone disappear — without a trace. Where did your household goods and most treasured items go? As it turns out, your curious kiddo flushed them.

What happens when your child flushes anything other than a reasonable amount of toilet paper down the commode? Depending on the size, shape and weight of the object, it can do some serious damage to your home’s plumbing system.

If you have young kids, you need a toilet lid lock. But if your child has managed to flush just about anything they can get their little hands on, before you install a lock, take a look at what you can do about the resulting plumbing problems.

Toilet Paper

Toilet paper belongs in the toilet. Right? It certainly does. But in the right quantity. When your child unravels an entire roll and feeds it into the toilet, then flushes, you have a major clog in the making.

Flushing and flushing the toilet over again won’t make the massive wad of toilet paper (or paper towels, in the event that your child also raided the kitchen) go down the train. Instead it’s likely to block the toilet from flowing properly.

Using a plunger can remove small-sized clogs. But if your child emptied the entire roll or added other paper products into the toilet, this may not do the trick. Instead, you’ll need a professional plumber to use an auger on the clog.

Small Electronics

Your child just tried to flush your smart phone, wearable device or their older sibling’s portable video game. Depending on the size of a device, it may not go far. Larger devices are too wide and long to fit through the toilet’s drain. While a flushed phone isn’t ideal, getting caught in the bowl is. Rescuing your device may take very little effort. That is, if you don’t mind fishing it out of the toilet water with your hand.

If the device is slim enough to fit through the drain, you may have a serious situation on your hands. A plunger isn’t likely to provide enough suction to easily remove the device from the drain. Likewise, an auger probably won’t be able to grab the electronic clog or push it through your pipes.

A device that’s blocking a pipe won’t just go away. Your electronics aren’t biodegradable and they won’t decompose in your home’s plumbing system. Before you flush the device any farther down the pipe, call a professional. The plumber may need to remove the toilet and go deep into the pipe to get your device out.

Tiny Toys

The pint-sized play cars and dolls that your child enjoys always seem to end up in your toilet. Your child thinks the bowl is the perfect bath or swimming spot for their teeny plastic friends, and often tosses their playthings in without thinking what could happen.

While a doll in the toilet won’t cause problems in itself, after your child flushes, it can. What should you do if the toy passes through the drain? Again, like a cell phone or other electronic device, these items typically won’t break apart and wash away. You’ll need to call a plumber to remove the offending clog.

It may be possible for the plumber to remove the item without also removing the toilet bowl. This depends on the size of the toy and its position in the pipes. If the plumber can’t easily get to it, they may need to take the toilet out completely to unclog the pipe.

Is your toilet clogged? Contact Backlund Plumbing for more information.