One of the most unpleasant things for any homeowner to deal with is a backed-up toilet. If this situation isn't dealt with promptly, it can lead to a very messy state of affairs in your home. Various problems can cause backed-up toilets, and it's important to discover the source of the backup so that you can fix the issue permanently. This article examines basic causes and solutions for toilet backups.

Things Not to Flush

A common cause of toilet backups is homeowners flushing things down the toilet that are not meant to go into the drainage system. Toilet paper is designed specifically to dissolve in your sewer line, but many other items will clog up your pipes and cause your toilet to overflow. For example, some people flush paper towels down the toilet without even thinking about it, but paper towels are not made to dissolve easily in your drainage system and are often the source of clogs and backups.

Another product sometimes flushed down commodes is disposable diapers. These items should never be put in a toilet and could easily lead to backups. Also, condoms should never be put into your drainage system. They should be wrapped up and thrown away. Never put band-aids or grease down a toilet wither, as both are causes of backups.

Roots

A second issue that can cause toilets to overflow involves tree roots. In some instances, tree roots are able to invade your sewer pipes. When this happens, the resulting obstruction forces sewage back into your home through the toilet. If you are not putting any improper materials down the toilet and it still backs up frequently, tree roots might be the source of the trouble.

Broken

A third cause of toilet backups is broken pipes in the sewer line. This typically occurs in older homes where the pipes are cast iron or clay and are starting to crack and break due to age.

Fix

In some cases, you can fix toilet backups yourself by simply using a plunger and not flushing any products other than toilet paper down the drain. If you have a stubborn clog, you can use a tool called an auger, which is a long section of metal that you twist around in the clog until it breaks up.

For serious issues such as tree roots and broken pipes, or if you just prefer to avoid dealing with this type of messy problem yourself, it's best to call a professional backup service like Rob's Septic Tanks Inc to make a repair.