The Most Effective Ways to Prevent Clogs in Low-Flow Toilets (and Why They’re so Common)

Unless your home’s water supply is turned off—and you have to resort to “flushing” toilets by pouring large buckets of water into a bowl—you may not think about all the water you use every time you flush.

How much water are we talking about?

If your toilet was made before 1980 , you are probably using six or seven gallons per flush. Toilets manufactured between 1980 and 1994 have reduced this to about 3.5 gallons per flush, while toilets manufactured since then have a flush of no more than 1.6 gallons.

While these new “low-flow” toilets are better for both the environment and your wallet (if you’re paying for water), they also tend to clog more easily than older high-flush models. Here’s why it happens and what you can do to prevent blockages.

Why do low-flow toilets clog so easily?

Due to less water to flush everything that goes into the toilet, low-flow or “low flush” toilets tend to clog more often than older toilets. While low-flow toilet technology continues to improve, it’s still important to be mindful of how much water you’re flushing.

How to Prevent Clogs in Low Flow Toilets

Here are a few things you can do to reduce the chance of a clogged low-flow toilet:

Change your toilet paper usage

Super thick quilted toilet paper may seem luxurious, but (t) it’s easy to use too much and end up with a clog. If you have reduced the amount of TP you use and the blockages still occur, follow the lead of people living in houses with old pipes or houses with a septic tank and use thinner toilet paper (like the one you find in public places). toilets).

It’s far from ideal, but if you insist on using large wads of thick material, you can always throw the toilet paper in the trash can next to the toilet.

Wash nothing else

No matter where you land on toilet paper, it should be the only thing you flush down the toilet (other than what comes out of your body). This means no wipes (even if they are labeled “flushable”), paper towels, or menstrual products.

Dive Regularly

Instead of waiting for your toilet to become clogged, do some maintenance dips regularly, like when you clean your toilet. This will help prevent several small obstructions from accumulating into one massive blockage or overflow situation.