How to Get Sand Out of Toilet Tank or Bowl: 6 Easy Steps
No one likes the sight of sand building up in their toilet for whatever reason. It wouldn’t give you top points from your guests especially when you expect them over for a party.
Luckily for you, removing sand from any toilet is not a daunting task if you follow the easy steps below. You only need the help of your hands, a wet vacuum, and a few other tools to get the work done!
Want to find out more? Let’s dive in!
How to Clean Sand From Your Toilet Tank in 6 Steps
Toilets sound gross, but put your worries aside. You won’t get your hands dirty!
- Turn off your water supply. Prevent more water from coming into the tank by turning off the water inlet supply. You can use the valve mostly located behind the toilet bowl to achieve this or cut off the whole water supply to your bathroom as well.
- Flush away the water reserve in the toilet tank to allow you easy access to the sand residue.
- Clear the little remaining water at the bottom of the tank. Use a sponge or a rug to soak up the remaining water so that you remain with the sand alone.
- Remove the sheet of sand using either a rug or a clean cloth. Make sure that you make multiple swipes to get everything out of the tank.
- Turn the water valve back on afterward and allow the tank to fill up again.
- Flush your toilet for the water to carry away any remaining sand residue left in the tank.
Most of the time, you won’t have to fear battling toilet stains from the sand if you detect the problem early and deal with it properly. In such cases, you can use your favorite laundry detergent to clean the tank after removing the piled-up sand.
Do NOT dispose of the sand in your sink as it can lead to a blockage. Instead, put the sand in a wrapping bag and throw it away in a trash can.
How to Get Sand Out of Toilet Bowl in 6 Steps
You may sometimes find sand deposits inside your toilet bowl. This may happen when someone pours sand-filled water into the bowl or when your creative kids want to transfer their sandbox into your toilet!
Other times, it may result from accidental spills from renovations around your bathroom (most unlikely to happen).
It does not matter how you get there…
These steps will help you to clear off the sand from your toilet’s bowl:
- Cut the water intake into the tank by turning off the inlet valve.
- Use a scrubber and some toilet cleaner to clean your toilet tank first. This is to ensure that there’s no muck or residue left to leak down into the bowl.
- Flush the tank to allow all the water to go down. Hold down the handle to ensure that all the water has left the tank.
- Use a wet vacuum to suck up all the sand from the base of the bowl along with any water left. Do this until you’re certain that the bowl is clear of sand.
- Let the water fill the tank by turning on the inlet valve then flush once again.
- Wipe your toilet bowl using a clean cloth or a piece of rug to remove any traces of sand left.
Frequent sand deposits in your bowl can also be an indicator that you might have serious issues with your pipes. If this is the case, then you must get a professional plumber ASAP to diagnose, fix, and prevent future episodes!
What Makes Sand Accumulate in Your Toilet?
Sand can accumulate inside your toilet due to a variety of reasons. Some are pretty subtle and mainly go unnoticed most of the time while others may cause you to reconsider your entire house’s plumbing.
However, the main cause of sand sediments in most toilets is a problem with the water supply. This might be a well or the council supply.
It is normal for water supplies to carry bits of sand in them. These are usually not noticeable to the human eye and after a while, these particles settle at the base of the tank to form a layer of sand.
One way or the other, we are always bound to find sand in our toilet tanks after some time.
Whether it’s from your kids’ play sand, well, or from a recent masonry work within your house, you need to get rid of it before it causes damage to your plumbing!
… and How to Prevent It?
One common way through which you can prevent or reduce the flow of sand into your toilet is through the use of a centrifugal sand filter.
Once installed, a centrifugal sand filter traps sand travelling in your supply and reduces the amount that makes it to your home or toilet tank.
The best thing about it is that it doesn’t have lots of moving parts and won’t need a lot of maintenance. It also doesn’t have cartridges that need constant replacement or many filter screens to clean.
Once filled, you just have to take it out, dump the collected sand out, and fix it back in position. (You’ll know it’s filled when you notice it’s taking longer for your tank to fill up after a flush)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a dry vacuum to remove sand from my toilet?
It is okay to use a dry vacuum to remove sand from your toilet. However, you must try as much as possible to remove any excess water so that you only deal with the solid sand alone.
A wet vacuum is better to handle such jobs, as in the video below.
Can sand leave stains in my toilet?
Sand deposits may leave stains in your toilet if left uncleared for long.
This is especially true if the sediment comprises other metallic elements that can develop rust over time. It is the rust that stains your toilet tanks and bowls if not cleared out early enough.
Can you flush sand down the toilet?
It’s probably safer if you don’t flush sand down your toilet. Doing so is a good recipe for a drainage block that will eventually lead to a nasty backflow into your bathroom’s floor.
And you don’t want that, do you!?
