Here is a scenario you are probably so familiar with; you are pressed and have to visit the toilet. You get busy for those few minutes, and when your bowel is empty, you reach for the flushing handle and actuate a flush.
Here goes the bad news…
To your surprise, there’s just not enough force to push your mess down the drain. You wait for the toilet tank to refill, but with another round, you can still witness some waste floating around in disdain for your efforts. Guess what, the problem might not be the water pressure, the water tank, or the delivery pipes. The culprit here could be the jets under the rim.
Oh, you are surprised, are you? And guess what the best part is? You actually don’t need a plumber’s help to unclogged rim jets. This is something you can do on your own and within a very short time. Before something else distracts you, read on to find out quick fixes you can turn to in order to make your toilet siphon jets flush stronger.
Inspecting the Jets
So how exactly do you know that the jets are the problem? It’s easy-use a mirror. Using a small mirror, put it under the rim so you can get a view of the jets. The presence of black spots or dark orange indicates bacteria infestation. But if they look scaly or light-colored, then you are dealing with a mineral deposits problem. Most of the time, you could have both issues.
How to Clean Toilet Siphon Jets for a Stronger Flush
Here are a couple of reliable ways to unclog siphon jets:
Vinegar
Let’s start off with vinegar since it is a non-aggressive natural cleanser and also possibly available in your kitchen.
What you need
- Mirror
- Allen wrench brush
- Vinegar (in a spray bottle would be better)
- Disinfectant
- Rubber gloves
Steps
- Put on the gloves and grab the mirror to inspect the intensity of dirt in the jets
- Boil a cup of vinegar to a near-hot level. At this point, you can wear a mask if the smell of vinegar irritates you
- Place the vinegar inside a spray bottle and start spraying the jets
- Once you are done spraying vinegar, let it percolate and work up dirt, minerals, and bacteria for about an hour
- Now use an Allen wrench to scrub off stubborn particles in the jets. If nothing seems to work, start this process all over again.
Duct Tape and Vinegar
If you don’t have a spray bottle, you would need duct tape to clean the toilet using vinegar. The process changes just a little.
What you need
- A mirror
- Bucket
- Duct tape
- Vinegar
- Bucket
- Rags
Steps
- Disconnect water flow to the toilet’s water tank
- Flush the toilet so there is no water in the tank
- Using rags, wipe the bowl of any drops. Before this, it’s ideal that you wash the bowl first, so you don’t have to give the rags one heck of a cleaning task
- Grab the duct tape and wrap it under the rim to block the jets. Make sure the seal is fairly watertight. A few drips are okay as they help clean the bowl during the waiting time
- Pour vinegar into the tank and initiate a flush so it can go down to the bowl and get trapped. This soaks the jets and weakens any sediments blocking them
- Let the arrangement sit still for an hour to several before removing the duct tape seal
- Now scrub the toilet with a normal brush or Allen wrench brush to clear any waste that’s still stuck
- Reconnect the water to the tank and flush once or twice, and the job should be done. Simple. Right?
Delimer
Commercial cleaners can come in handy in places where coke, vinegar, and other homemade agents fail to deliver. One such product is Delimer, an industrial-strength bowl cleaner designed to get rid of stains, rust, scales, and mineral deposits.
Delimer contains acids that could easily dissolve any stubborn waste. Additionally, some are perfumed to leave your toilet smelling nice. There are many other toilet bowl cleaners that you can resort to.
Dealing with Stubborn Minerals
While many homemade and commercial cleaners can easily dissolve mineral deposits, the stubborn ones are hard to deal with. In this case, more elbow grease and a combination of various cleaners and detergents could be needed.
If you have a case of stubborn mineral sediments, then it’s possible you have neglected the underside of the rim for far too long. This would call for an aggressive approach that includes repeated use of vinegar, borax, or other potent bleach. One rule of thumb, be gentle not to mar the toilet’s porcelain bowl.
Wrap Up
Learning how to clean toilet siphon jets for a stronger flush not only saves you some money but makes you a little independent. The next time the flush weakens, you will know what to do.
At this juncture, it’s important to mention that you need to keep things like vinegar, borax, and bleach in your store just in case something breaks down. Also, a toilet repair kit would come in handy, so you don’t have to stay for many hours without access to a toilet.
Also, proper and frequent toilet cleaning is a must, so you don’t end up with hours of extensive repairs. Every once in a while, pour a cup or two of hot vinegar down the bowl to erode any particles starting to stick. Make sure not to use hot liquids that could crack the bowl. Last but not least, invest in the best toilets that you know will remain in good use for long before starting to develop problems.
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