Right now
Don't flush again
A second flush sends a full cistern into a bowl that can't empty. If the water is near the rim, leave it.
Turn off the water to the toilet
Most toilets have a small tap on the wall behind or beside the pan. Turning it clockwise stops the cistern refilling.
Test another drain
Run a little water in the nearest basin or shower. If it drains normally, the blockage is probably in the toilet. If it backs up or gurgles, it's the drain.
Look outside
If the overflow relief gully is wet or spilling, the main drain is blocked and the toilet is simply where it showed first.
Keep it clean
If the bowl overflowed, keep children and pets out of the room and wear gloves to mop up.
Signs the problem is more than the toilet
- Water rises in the shower or bath when you flush.
- Other drains gurgle while the toilet empties.
- The toilet blocks often, even when nothing unusual went down.
- A sewage smell in the bathroom or out in the yard.
- Other toilets in the house are slow as well.
What usually blocks a toilet
Wet wipes, including ones labelled flushable, are a regular cause. Sanitary products, nappy liners, cotton buds, dental floss and children's toys are the others plumbers see.
Sometimes nothing unusual was flushed at all. Roots, a cracked pipe or a dip in the drain can catch paper that would normally pass, and the toilet is just where you notice it.
What a plumber will do
For a blockage in the pan, a plumber will use a toilet auger, a short cable shaped to pass through the bend in the bowl without scratching it.
If something solid is wedged in the pan, they may need to lift the toilet off the floor and get it out from behind.
If the drain is the problem, they'll clear it from an inspection opening or the gully with a drain machine or a jetter. A camera inspection then shows whether the pipe is damaged.
What changes the job
- Where the blockage sits: in the pan, under the floor, or out in the main drain.
- What it is: paper clears easily, while a toy or a wad of wipes can mean lifting the pan.
- How the pan is fixed to the floor, if it has to come off.
- Whether the plumber can reach the drain from outside, or has to work from inside.
What you can try, and what to leave
You can
- In WA, the homeowner list from Building and Energy includes "clearing a blocked fixture or waste pipe by using a plunger". A toilet plunger has a flange that seals in the outlet.
- Turn off the stop tap and keep the lid down while you wait.
- Check other fixtures and the gully, so you can tell the plumber what you saw.
- Put a bin in the bathroom for wipes and sanitary products.
- Outside WA, check what your state allows before trying anything in the pan.
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Toilet augers and drain machines.
- Lifting the pan off the floor and refitting it.
- Anything in the drain beyond the toilet.
- A cracked pan, or one that rocks once it's back in place: see toilet repairs.
Licences, and who pays
In WA, the homeowner list is short: plunging and a handful of tap, shower, cistern and filter jobs. Any sanitary or drainage plumbing beyond it "must be carried out by a licensed plumber or permit-holder".
Victoria registers or licenses plumbers for each class of work, and only licensed plumbers can issue compliance certificates. On 1 March 2021, Victoria's building regulator warned about unregistered people advertising through online marketplaces and apps, so check the person you book.
If the blockage is in the water company's sewer, its own rules apply. TasWater says the first step is to call your plumber, and it will consider repaying plumbing work when the blockage is found to be in the TasWater system. Unitywater's blocked sewer identification fee goes to the plumber: "only the plumber can claim and not the customer". See who owns the sewer pipe.
Red flags
- Recommends a new toilet before trying to clear the old one.
- Can't show a licence number, or the name on it doesn't match the business.
- Won't tell you where the blockage was or what caused it.
- Asks for a large deposit before any work starts.
What we would do
If it's just the toilet and you know what went down, a plumber with a toilet auger is the right person, and it's often a short visit. If other drains are acting up too, say so when you ask for help: you need a drain specialist who can clear the main line, not just the pan.