Super Toilet Plunger

Toilet plungers are cheaply designed.  Plunger handles inhibit use.  Why?   Worst time to discover design faults is during a crisis- when you need a toilet plunger!

Design problems

1. Too short- must bend over to use.  Strains the back and reduces use of body weight to drive the plunger.
2. Wrist extension (dorsiflexion)- weak wrist position.  Damaging/tiring the wrist, which must transfer power from the body/arms to plunger.
3. Handle surface area too small- resulting in painful contact pressure.

Garden spades and walking canes are good examples of short tools with better design.  Both are approximately waist high and typically feature a horizontal handle.

I found a cast-off aluminum cane, perfect to upcycle and improve my toilet plunger.   I tapered the wooden handle and flared the aluminum tube creating a strong, overlapping connection.  Secured with a few wood screws and finished off, the final plunger is much easier to use.

Step 1 Materials and Tools

Materials

• Aluminum walking cane
• Toilet plunger
• Waterproof paint
• Wood screws (5) #6 size, 1/2 " length

My tool list is not essential, but includes what I found useful:

1. Wax pencil
2. Center punch
3. Hammer
4. Drill
5. 3/8" drill bit
6. 1/8" drill bit
7. Hacksaw
8. Mitre box
9. F-clamp
10. Dremel
11. Dremel Wood Shaping Bit
12. Sand Paper 60 grit
13. 5/64" drill bit
14. Screwdriver
15. Paint Brush
16. Dremel silicone carbide grinding bit

Comments

[mistic]

have you tried the Home Depot sewer rods built for this problem? They cost up to $50. tho. but can reem through a big blockage. May be worth having if you gotago.

[bowmaster]

Cool, but can you hook it up to a vacuum pump for ULTIMATE SUCTION!!!

[CrLz]

Intriguing idea, since suction is this real work on a bad clog...

Something like this perhaps- my kayaking bilge pump attached to the plunger head. Add some tubing on the out spout and your idea would work.

The kayak pump is not really heavy duty, but it does feature one-way flow and handles a large-bore of water... I'll put this one on my to-do/experiment list and get back to you!

[bowmaster]

Cool, but it might work better to push air INTO the clog, forcing it down the pipe.

[Barcode80]

Nope, it's actually the sucking backward action that clears the clog. Yours is a common misconception. What you want to do is not to force it further into the pipe, but to pull back enough of the clogging matter to make it small enough to pass.

[VagsmaCutter]

I'd say that it would depend on the location of the clog, the size and what it was mainly comprised of (kernel content) etc. But, when push comes to shove the way that sucks might be the way that doesn't.

[ehrichweiss]

That's a great design for the handle but the problem we have around here is that the plunger lets more air/water around the plunger than into the pipes, thereby giving you the HIGH possibility of splashback of the gross kind. I'd love to hear any thoughts on how to get around that...those inflatable bladders, etc. apparently have similar problems so I don't really consider them solutions...

[VagsmaCutter]

Splashing is fun, make a game out of it...Yuk yuk yuk but seriously, before you begin the, "dirty deed", take a couple of pieces of saran wrap about a yard/ meter long estimate the angle of the plunger when plunging and with the plunger inside the bowl, put one piece in front of it and one over the back overlapping with the plunger sticking out of the middle of them. If you lined everything up right and a little patience/ self control, total containment can be achieved.
** Your results may vary. This comment was included for educational purposes only. Use at your own risk!

[Robot Lover]

In MAKE volume 23 I believe it is, there is a toilet plunger with a check valve. This should solve your problem! : )

[CrLz]

Sounds like an improvement for the "Super-Duper Toilet Plunger" !

RE ehricweiss's ?: I pull more than push (just as n0ukf suggests), greatly reducing splash.  Better typically to loosen a plug, than trying to push further down system.  Either way, the longer handle keeps me a safe distance from burps.  Having more hand control allows for more finesse also. 

_{I suspect I'm the only person in the world that is concerned about toilet plunger finesse...}

[freakyqwerty]

No, no I'm pretty sure the olimpic commity would be outstanded by your suggestion if you suggested a plunger finesse compition!

[CrLz]

Actually, looks like the cast of STOMP has already taken my humble skill to a whole new level. Those dancers have skills...

[freakyqwerty]

I'm pretty sure that guy on the left could really make use of this idea, I mean look how far he has to bend over, can't be good for his back...

[Seanie11]

A plastic bag or 2 around the brushhead or plunger help no end, and make the clearup process a little easier and a little less unpleasant.

[kyle brinkerhoff]

hmm. you gave me a crazy idea, im gonna build one that uses a phneumatic piston with a co2 powerlett ! mmm..... destructive plunger......

[Darwinfish]

Hope your plumbing's in good working order or your plumber's going to get a rather unusual call. :-)

[joen]

You might want to think that through a little more. By using a compressed gas mechanism for the plunger you loose control of the action of the plunger.. You might come up with the great killer plunger or you might end up with a face full of ... err well stuff you don't want your face full of.

Think again

[kyle brinkerhoff]

this is when i go build it and say " forethought is for losers" then moments later come back covered in indescribable horror lol:]

[joen]

My comment was drawn from experiance. I was under the house trying to get a clog cleared from the toilet. The plunger bit didn't work so I was going to unscrew a clean out with a bucket under it. My sister asked if what I was doing was safe. Just as soon as I told her that I knew what I was doing I lost my grip on the cleanout cap as it came loose and the bucket at the same time.and the sewer water w/crap ended up all over me! FYI! Sewer water all over you is not nice!
Hopefully you will be smarter than I was, LOL

Take care

[kyle brinkerhoff]

haha actually around hear since we have cast iron plumbing we use an air compressor with the end of the plunger w/ a hole cut in it with the hose running into it, works great as long as you keep a good seal......

[CrLz]

Remember to always wear safety glasses...

[CrLz]

Love to see that Instructable!

[nickodemus]

Nice write up, you certainly made the plunger more ergonomic.

[CrLz]

Thanks!

[n0ukf]

In one case, our problem isn't so much the plunger design but the bowl design, there's effectively a square notch that prevents one side of the plunger from making a seal.

Despite this, with most toilets you can get more effective action by slowly pressing down then quickly pulling. The suction will pull stuff loose while not squirting out the sides. Or after that initial slower push you can quickly oscillate it up and down to work the clog loose.

[CrLz]

Quick oscillations is what I use to clean my apartment's drain. A nice benefit of the horizontal handle is you can push AND pull very well. Typically this works a whole bunch of scum free from the pipe walls, which then drains out by gravity, speeding the pipe up.

I still get a little burp of air after finishing, but I just deflect this with the plunger head, muffling the splash.

[mikeasaurus]

The worst time to discover design faults is during a crisis- when you need a toilet plunger!  
Crisis is a perfect word to describe the scenario. Great hack on an everyday tool!

[CrLz]

Thanks, it was definitely born of frustration. My apartment has a slow drain that I need to work every few weeks. I was really getting angry with the original plunger.

[NachoMahma]

. Genius! Yet so simple. Great job.

[CrLz]

Thanks!