One clog, or a pattern?
A toilet that clogs once has something stuck in it. A toilet that clogs every few weeks is telling you something else. The first is a quick job. The second needs a reason found, or you will be calling again.
Where the blockage can be
- In the toilet itself. Too much paper, wipes, a toy, a toothbrush, an air-freshener clip. Things lodge in the trap built into the bowl, where a plunger cannot reach them.
- In the drain just past the toilet. Build-up or an object in the pipe under the floor.
- In the main sewer line. If the tub or shower backs up when the toilet is flushed, or more than one toilet is slow, the blockage is further down. See main sewer line clogs.
- In the vent. A blocked vent makes a toilet flush weakly and gurgle.
What we do
We clear the blockage with the right tool for where it is. If an object is lodged in the bowl's trap, we may need to lift the toilet to get it out, and we reset it on a new seal. Then we flush-test it properly and tell you what we found.
If the toilet has clogged before, we look for the cause. Sometimes it is the toilet: older low-flow models from the 1990s clog far more than modern ones, and a worn toilet flushes weakly. Sometimes it is the drain. If it is the toilet, a repair or a new toilet ends the problem.
When it is an emergency
A clogged toilet in a one-bathroom home is urgent. So is any toilet that is overflowing, or sewage coming up in a tub or shower. We answer at any hour, and our emergency arrival is 60–90 minutes.
Hayward and the East Bay
We are based in Hayward and clear clogged toilets in every Hayward ZIP code (94541, 94542, 94544, 94545) and in Castro Valley, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Union City and beyond. For apartments and rentals, see our property manager page.
About Friendly Services
Family-owned, with over 20 years in Hayward. License CSLB #1156315 (C-36 plumbing). $1M general liability cover and workers' comp. Five-year workmanship warranty on our own work. 100+ five-star reviews online. Se habla español.