I am perplexed by this, and I would be greatly appreciative of any help.
We rent a small duplex, and have just one bathroom, for a family of four. About two months ago, our toilet started clogging. We plunged it several times and it went down each time, but it seemed odd. We started to think the kids had tried to flush something and we had an obstruction. I used several, home made, things to try and fix it. Plunging, coat hanger, magnets, powerful ones, to grab (if it was a metal car or toy) etc. Nothing works. I would get it to flush normally and then stop after a few flushes.

We do not have money to hire a plumber, and do not have money to buy anything that we can't rig up at home.

Right now, it clogs all the time, even on just water going down, it seems. After you plunge it, it will work with just water for a few flushes, but even one small square of toilet paper will cause it to clog back up. Whats even weirder is that the more mass there is to flush down, the easier it is to plunge. My kids tend to use a lot of toilet paper, and there have been one or two times where the bowl was more paper than water, and it only took a few plunged to get it all down. Other times, its only a few sheets and I have to plunge for a few minutes to get it down.

It all goes down eventually, but its not consistent.

Part of what I was thinking was something up with the suction to pull everything down. However, I am unsure.

I cannot get the toilet pulled up, because this condo is severely old, and the bolts are worn down. We live in a flood area and this place has seen its share. When we moved in, the place was pretty bad. When we leave the landlord should give us our deposit back and then some, lol,

Any ideas, please?

You apparently have a partial blockage. Once my kids allowed an Avon hand Cream Jar Lid to be flushed. When I pulled the toilet off and looked up from the bottom with a mirror, I could see it. It had to be pushed back through the bowl so I could retrieve it with my hands.

But try this next. I would start with a Water Closet Auger.

There are some cheap ones that will not get the job done. Try to purchase one that is sturdy and that you can push the cable down throught the bowl as you turn the handle to rotate the cable. Another trick I found to be helpful with some objects is to pull on the head of the snake to straighten out the very end of the Wire and bend it outward so as to catch objects better. Hope you understand what I am conveying to you. One last caution, be careful and not be too agressive with this auger as you can crack the bowl if you are not careful. Just take your time and try to feel when you catch the object and slowly keep turning the snake in a clockwise manner as you retrieve the object. If the snake gets hard to turn stop and reverse direction for a couple of turns and slowly try to retrieve it. Good luck. This is why Plumbers get the big bucks... but you can do it.



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Thanks for the information. I find it weird that a partial block would make it harder to plunge just a few sheets of toilet paper and easier to plunge a large amount of 'contents'. However, that's why I am not a plumber, and coming here, lol.
I can fix advanced computer problems and do most maintenance on my car, but my plumbing experience is limited to the plunger and Drano.



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I use a Ridgid Seesnake Micro camera to inspect the toilet trap. It helps to do this from both the top and bottom, but top-only is better than nothing.

I am assuming that all your other drains are working correctly.

I would pull the toilet before spending more than 30 minutes on this.

Really, your landlord should be fixing this for you.

Normally a landlord might be expected to fix this, but understand we live in a very rural town. I used to live in a bigger city, but here it is less about calling your landlord and more about taking care of yourself.

I would pull the toilet up, but I dont have the tools to do it. The bolts are rusted down and its hard to get up.

I hate when this happens. As with fixing computers and automobiles, having the right tools means a lot in performing successful repairs, permanently.
Your plunging is only pushing the blockage further into the wasteline until there is no movement. Chemicals are of no use in that they don't produce any tangible results, but they will cause dangerous fumes and be harmful to those who live in the rental unit.
On the other hand, you could, by mistake cause major damage, that could very costly to you or your landlord. I'm guessing that you will be held responsible for the repair costs by a licensed professional.
I'm sure that you are trying your best, but you are trying to fight an elephant, with a toothpick.
I sincerely wish for you the best.

Best Wishes

All you need for tools is a tiny tim saw and a pair of channel locks. Cut the bolts off below the nut if you can get the saw under the nut, if not you will need to cut through nut vertically so you can remove the halfs of nut and pull the toilet. You will need maybe 2 new wax rings (without the plastic horn if the closet bend is flush with the top of the closet ring. It can be a little below. If the closet bend is low, you need to install a dutchman or strech the wax ring out a little so that it sits firmly on top of the closet ring.