posted 4 years ago
SHOP VAC TO THE RESCUE!!!
On another thread, there was the suggestion by Brian Maverick of using the shop vac on reverse to "blow" the clog through...kind of a plunger on steroids (although working in reverse). With much trepidation, I have done so...and it appears to have worked!
Wrap the end of the nozzle in a thick towel; you need the wet material to help seal around the opening and to prevent "blow back". Shove nozzle up the out flow and turn on the power. I did this several times, but even during the first 30 second blast, you could hear the movement, and the flush improved from slight drain and overfilling the bowl to a relatively normal flush.
As I was worried about simply moving the problem "downstream", I have repeated the process multiple times. Now to see if this has cleared the problem, permanently...
Depending on the location and type of clog, it was suggested that suctioning is also an option with the shop vac; but as I was convinced the clog was not IN the toilet but the pipe leading to the main drain, I opted for "pushing" the clog instead of sucking it back through the toilet.
Now to see if this has cleared the problem, permanently...
***Note: empty and clean the shop vac first...you don't want to send a bunch of shop debris through your pipes!!
Lorinne Anderson: Specializing in sick, injured, orphaned and problem wildlife for over 20 years.