# [2007] Ugh, toilet problems



## DianeH (Mar 21, 2007)

We are really stumped and I thought I'd ask the tuggers if anyone else has encountered this problem.

The toilet seemed plugged so I plunged it and it flushed normal.  Then when I flushed again (later) it was back to the same way.  Re plunged to no avail.

Mark tried the snake but didn't get anywhere.

I did the hot water and detergent mix that I found from an internet  search.

No help.

We were away for 2 weeks and hoped the toilet would somehow fix itself during our absense.  

But its still not working right.

So in a nutshell, it will flush normal, then it will flush as if there is no 'umph'.  Mark thinks it might be the vent?

Any suggestions?  Would rather not call a plumber!

Thanks
Diane


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## fnewman (Mar 21, 2007)

I sounds like you have  partial blockage that has moved down the pipe a bit or could even be outside the house due to tree limbs growing into the line.  When only partially blocked, the line will drain over time, then will flush hormally once or twice.  Then the line is full again so the next flush backs up.  

You will likely require a plumber's snake to find and clear the clog entirely.


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## moonstone (Mar 21, 2007)

We had the same problem with 1 of our toilets and after plunging until I broke the plunger we called a plumber/neighbour. He said the problem was the little hole at the front bottom of the bowl where the water is supposed to rush in to force the bowl contents down the drain was nearly totally blocked with hard water deposits. After turning the toilet's water supply off he picked away at the deposits with a nail then an old paring knife (his!). It took quite a while to scrape the hole smooth but after it was done & the water was turned on the toilet flushed better than any of the others in the house! He also had to unplug a few of the holes under the rim. Now that I know what is causing the problems I can treat the toilets with vinegar regularly to disolve the deposits.
Good luck!
~Diane


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## camachinist (Mar 21, 2007)

I hope you're aware you need to remove the toilet (or access the soil stack or cleanout) to properly snake the line....

After (or before, if you choose) snaking, a hose down the toilet pipe will verify whether the pipe/system is the problem, or the toilet is. I think it's likely the former.

Or, call a plumber 

Pat


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 21, 2007)

*Toiletology.*

Click here for more information than most folks would care to know about performing _el fixo_ on e_l commodo_. 

We recently had a rental townhouse potty problem similar to the one described.  It would have cost less to buy & install a brand-new 2007 Home Depot toilet than to have a plumber come fix the intermittent blockage -- we know, because we got the plumber to quote prices before we ordered any repairs.  Just to auger out the intermittent blockage, $85.  If the toilet auger didn't take care of it & the toilet had to be de-installed then re-installed in order to clear the intermittent blockage, $225 + parts. 

So we told ourselves*:*  OK, we'll give it a go ourselves with the toilet auger 1 last time & see what happens.  If that doesn't work, then we'll spring for a new Home Depot commode. 

Turned out a toilet auger job took care of it.  Somebody in the departing tenant's household had dropped a rat-tail comb into the toilet bowl & flushed it down -- only it didn't go down but just got stuck in the trap, creating intermittent blockages.  By giving it 1 more go ourselves with the toilet auger, we lucked out & cleared the clog & saved big bux. 

Meanwhile, I can testify that a drain snake is just about useless for unblocking clogged toilets.  A toilet auger -- in which the snake-like cable comes out through an L-shaped tube that you use by poking the short leg of the "L" into the upswirl of the trap -- is what it takes to unblock the biffy. 

Good luck. 
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## northwoodsgal (Mar 22, 2007)

We've had a toilet problem too, but of a different type.  A large chunk of the toilet beneath the tank broke loose two days ago.  I contacted the Mansfield Corporation about it since the toilet has a lifetime warranty.  They told me it wasn't covered because the hole had to have been caused by either the toilet freezing or using an auger.  Funny thing is, the toilet is used in our heated basement by two of our kids on a daily basis and we don't own an auger.  Go figure.


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## Icc5 (Mar 22, 2007)

*Same Problem-Solved*

We also had the same problem  and for us it was the hard water.  We had to poke the little holes and then found a cleaner to use every so often to eliminate the buildup caused by hard water.
Bart


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## Patri (Mar 22, 2007)

We had a problem once. Could tell toilet had a plug. After initial plunging water was running clean. Then it would plug again with just a little bit of toilet paper. Snake didn't show anything. Had to call a plumber. He found a straw from a broom wedged in there.


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## DianeH (Mar 22, 2007)

Thanks everyone.

Alan I looked at the site you provided.  I noticed a clogging or inadequate flush can be caused by a blue puck added to the tank.  Well I had done that around the time the toilet started acting up.

Long story short - I cleaned it all out of the tank and have done several flushes.  It seems better but I'm still not doing the happy dance.  Incidentally, there seemed to be alot of 'waxy' substance in the blue puck.  Not good for the toilet I'm sure.

I'll post again in a few days to let you know how its flushing!

Diane


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## caribbean (Mar 22, 2007)

Can any of you suggest a name and where to buy the cleaner suggested for hard water??

Thanks,


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## Htoo0 (Mar 23, 2007)

My newest commode has a 10-year warranty which is voided if you use a cleaning tablet in the tank.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 19, 2007)

*Busted Biffy.*

My brother didn't complain, but he had a W.C. problem out at his place.  Fortunately the other biffy in his 2BR place was still functional, so the malfunction was only an inconvenience, not an emergency.  That's why he didn't complain. 

Installation of his tax-free HotPoint dishwasher went so well that I decided I'd have a look at the commode while I was out there.  Big trouble -- cracked tank.  

A week later, the Chief Of Staff, ever resourceful, scored a free Kohler WellWorth via Craig's List.  It was a package deal -- free (used) toilet came with free lavatory & vanity base -- so we loaded the whole works into the minivan & headed on out to my brother's place, thinking we could give away the sink & base or if necessary consign them to Mt. Trashmore.  Shux, the broken biffy was going out there anyway. 

The WellWorth wasn't that much trouble to install.  The worst part was scraping all the wax-gasket residue off the floor flange so that the new wax gasket would go on OK.  With that taken care of, I put the new gasket in place, & carefully lowered the free potty onto the flange, taking care that the bolts sticking up from the flange lined up with the holes in the base of the bowl. 

I mooshed the bowl down onto the wax ring & turned down the nuts, avoiding over-tightening.  (Didn't want to crack the porcelain.)  

I screwed on the water-supply tube, hand-tightening the plastic nut onto the plastic tank intake. 

I rechecked to make sure everything was squared away, then turned on the water.  

The tank filled.  I flushed the handle.  The WellWorth operated fine.  

Case closed?  No such luck. 

After a few days, my brother discovered a few tablespoonsful of water on the floor in front of the newly transplanted Kohler biffy.  I went back over & investigated.  I found that the lower end of 1 of the 3 bolts securing the tank onto the bowl was wet, & that it had been dripping ever so slightly.  That was the bad news.  The good news was that the seal between the top of the flange & the bottom of the toilet bowl was _not_ leaking.  

The Chief Of Staff went over to Home Depot & came back with some new fabric-reinforced rubber washers.  After emptying the tank, I unscrewed the bolt from the leaking hole, added a new washer specially made for the purpose, & reinstalled the bolt through the hole.  

The good news is the new washer stopped that leak.  The bad news is that 1 of the 2 other bolts started a minuscule drip that I had not noticed before -- I don't think it _did_ drip before.  I think the jostling around involved in fixing the original leak provoked a copycat leak.  So it goes. 

Fortunately, more of those new fabric-reinforced rubber washers were in the package, so I redid the 2nd dripping bolt the way I had redone the original leaking bolt. 

When I got everything screwed down & all wiped off for a final check, I saw no moisture anywhere around the tank bolts & felt no moisture either.  

I don't have enough confidence in my biffy-repair ability to declare it Case Closed over at my brother's place.  However, my brother reported no signs of any drips as of 10PM this evening.  If everything stays dry all week, _then_ I'll declare it Case Closed. 

It's always something. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Pat H (Nov 20, 2007)

Unless I missed it, no one mentioned Liquid Plumber. It's worth a try.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 21, 2007)

*Skeptical -- Bigtime -- About Liquid Plumber.*




Pat H said:


> Unless I missed it, no one mentioned Liquid Plumber. It's worth a try.


That's for unblocking drains, right?  (Not toilets.) 

Plus, it comes in a plastic bottle -- so it's unlikely to dissolve plastic combs, etc., stuck in toilet traps. 

Not only that, it's no good for fixing leaks & drips originating in the toilet tank. 

Believe me, I hate working on anything related to plumbing -- drains, leaks, water supply, faucets, _anything_ -- so if I could just open up a bottle of something & pour than in all neat & clean instead of getting down & dirty, I would do that in a flash if I thought it would do any good. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 26, 2007)

*Brother's Commode O.K. Now, He Says.*

No more water on the floor. 

Case closed. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## M. Henley (Nov 26, 2007)

*Soap?*

Had a problem similar to what is described.  Turned out that someone had dropped a bar of soap into the toilet.  The soap would plug up, then when plungered unplug until next time.  Had to take the toilet up and broke it while trying to determine what was up in there.  Fortunately, I did the work myself and did not need a plumber.


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## AwayWeGo (May 31, 2008)

*Oops! I Did It Again.  (Installed 1 More Toilet.  Sheesh.)*

This time it is a non-free & non-used semi-upscale biffy from Home Depot -- their _Pegasus Colonnade_ house brand generic model at a ridiculous price because it has been discontinued & so they wanted to get the remaining old stock out of there.  It made an ideal if unusual combination birthday gift & housewarming present for a family member who just moved across county lines. 

The old biffy worked OK, but had issues with the flush handle.  Rather than replace the handle & lever assembly on the old commode, we went with the complete new semi-upscale W.C. 





-- hotlinked --​
De-installation of the old commode & installation of the new 1 went smoothly.  The new model is all in place & functional -- looks good & works fine (lots better than the old 1, even ignoring the issues with the flush handle). 

The 1 remaining piece of unfinished business is getting rid of the old commode.  I hate to send it to Mt. Trashmore, in that it is a complete & functional American-Standard white china toilet & thus might be of use to somebody.  So as of last night the old model is in the _freebies_ section of Craig's List.  If there are no takers by midweek, however, it's out of here. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Keitht (May 31, 2008)

Watching a programme a while back on the broad subject of waste disposal.  One part of the programme was with plumbers on call out.  The incident in question was to a partially blocked toilet.  They tried various solutions, much as outlined in the posts previous to this.  In the end they had to cut a section out of the soil pipe because they could rod from above and below to the same spot but couldn't clear it.  When they examined the removed section they discovered a pager!  They showed it to the house owner whos reaction was simply "Oh.  I wondered where that had gone".  He had assumed he had lost it in the street somewhere, not that it had come off his belt in the bathroom.


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## timeos2 (May 31, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> The 1 remaining piece of unfinished business is getting rid of the old commode.  I hate to send it to Mt. Trashmore, in that it is a complete & functional American-Standard white china toilet & thus might be of use to somebody.  So as of last night the old model is in the _freebies_ section of Craig's List.  If there are no takers by midweek, however, it's out of here.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



Why do I get the feeling that every day at the Cole Homestead is a new adventure and not one day is boring? Just an observation.  Makes it worth hanging around for the next day doesn't it?


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## AwayWeGo (May 31, 2008)

*This Too Shall Pass.*




timeos2 said:


> Why do I get the feeling that every day at the Cole Homestead is a new adventure and not one day is boring? Just an observation.  Makes it worth hanging around for the next day doesn't it?


The glimpses of what life is like around here that come from these occasional TUG-BBS entries are just the tip of the iceberg. 

The only honest & appropriate response to the life that has been given to me to live -- for however long it remains -- is _Gratitude_.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## rickandcindy23 (May 31, 2008)

Our nephew is a plumber, and he thinks the reason my toilet never looks clean and white anymore is because it is old and needs replacing.  I think I have warn out the porcelain on it, plus it doesn't flush like it should.  He suggested that we clean out all of those little holes, if we were not going to just buy a toilet.  Costco has one that has a two-stage flush.  A light flush for number one, a nice  big flush for number 2.  I like the idea of that, so we were going to get one.  We always talk about it, anyway.  It's been a year now of poor flushing, so maybe I should just get Rick to Costco today.


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## pjrose (May 31, 2008)

Keitht said:


> Watching a programme a while back on the broad subject of waste disposal.  One part of the programme was with plumbers on call out.  The incident in question was to a partially blocked toilet.  They tried various solutions, much as outlined in the posts previous to this.  In the end they had to cut a section out of the soil pipe because they could rod from above and below to the same spot but couldn't clear it.  When they examined the removed section they discovered a pager!  They showed it to the house owner whos reaction was simply "Oh.  I wondered where that had gone".  He had assumed he had lost it in the street somewhere, not that it had come off his belt in the bathroom.



I flushed my cell phone, but didn't know if it was stuck in the S curve or if had gone all the way down.  The plumber said to put a bunch of TP in the bowl and flush - if TP didn't go down, phone was clogging the curve.  TP didn't go down.  DH took one of those long springy grabbers and shoved it down the curve, and, amazingly, snagged the phone by the little wrist cord thing I had put on the phone.  Out of curiosity I checked online and found directions for drying out the phone - followed them and it worked.  I haven't actually used it again, though.....


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## pjrose (May 31, 2008)

timeos2 said:


> Why do I get the feeling that every day at the Cole Homestead is a new adventure and not one day is boring? Just an observation.  Makes it worth hanging around for the next day doesn't it?



I'm with you - the posts fun.  But how does any work get done with all the posting?


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## AwayWeGo (May 31, 2008)

*Modern Management.*




pjrose said:


> But how does any work get done with all the posting?


It's easy. 

Just delegate. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Jaybee (May 31, 2008)

*Yea, Alan!*

I do so enjoy your interesting, informative, and amusing bits of wit and wisdom.  You have a delicious sense of humor, and anyone can tell by your writings that you are a genuinely nice person. (and I don't care what anyone else says..LOL)
Thanks for all your sharing and insights.  Jean


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## AwayWeGo (May 31, 2008)

*Narrow Escape.*




DianeH said:


> I'll post again in a few days to let you know how its flushing!


My face was flushed but my broad shoulders saved me. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## wackymother (Jun 1, 2008)

We had a crappy toilet, you should excuse the pun. We got our bathrooms redone, and we bought a POWERFLUSH to replace the old toilet in both. It uses vacuum pressure to flush and there's no inside works to mess around with--if you open the tank, all you see is a big black container. I think it's hooked up to the electricity as well as the plumbing. (If anything ever went wrong, we'd have to call a plumber--it's not like the old ball-and-chain insides.) 

It flushes magnificently! It's one of the best things we ever got. No problems in at least four years with a family of five. Ours are made by American Standard and you can buy them at Home Depot. Our contractor tried to talk us out of them b/c they are noisy, but I totally don't care. They're great!


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## Icc5 (Jun 1, 2008)

*Toilet Bowl Cleaner*



caribbean said:


> Can any of you suggest a name and where to buy the cleaner suggested for hard water??
> 
> Thanks,



That is all it is called and it comes in a white plastic bottle wrapped in a plastic bag and the only place we have ever found it at was Home Depo.
Bart


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## AwayWeGo (Jun 5, 2008)

*Re-Use Is The Sincerest Form Of Recycling.*




AwayWeGo said:


> So as of last night the old model is in the _freebies_ section of Craig's List.  If there are no takers by midweek, however, it's out of here.


After approximately 48 hours on the Craig's List freebies section, the old biffy got picked up & taken away. 

I helped the guy load it into the back of his fancy new Land Rover Range Rover. 

Waste not, want not. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## billymach4 (Jun 5, 2008)

*Toilets in Timeshares review*

Well let me tell you I am here at Willowbrook in the Poconos. So far during my stay here I have had to fetch the maintenance guy and plunge on 2 separate occasions. They have the low flow type of commodes here. As far as toilets in timeshare resorts I think the toilets here need more waterpower to move the waste down the drain. So this Timeshare toilet review is a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best!:hysterical:


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## wackymother (Jun 5, 2008)

billymach4 said:


> Well let me tell you I am here at Willowbrook in the Poconos. So far during my stay here I have had to fetch the maintenance guy and plunge on 2 separate occasions. They have the low flow type of commodes here. As far as toilets in timeshare resorts I think the toilets here need more waterpower to move the waste down the drain. So this Timeshare toilet review is a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best!:hysterical:



They need....the POWERFLUSH! Feel the Power! :whoopie:


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## pjrose (Jun 6, 2008)

wackymother said:


> They need....the POWERFLUSH! Feel the Power! :whoopie:



Do-it-yourself-Powerflush:

Fill bucket or pitcher with water
Flush
While toilet is flushing (or trying to), rapidly dump the water into the center of the bowl.
and Whooosh....down it'll all go!

Not recommended for regular use, but in a pinch, works almost every time!


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## wackymother (Jun 6, 2008)

pjrose said:


> Do-it-yourself-Powerflush:
> 
> Fill bucket or pitcher with water
> Flush
> ...



Unless it's clogged.


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## AwayWeGo (Jun 6, 2008)

*Impressive Sound Effects.*




wackymother said:


> We got our bathrooms redone, and we bought a POWERFLUSH to replace the old toilet in both. It uses vacuum pressure to flush and there's no inside works to mess around with--if you open the tank, all you see is a big black container. I think it's hooked up to the electricity as well as the plumbing. (If anything ever went wrong, we'd have to call a plumber--it's not like the old ball-and-chain insides.)
> 
> It flushes magnificently! It's one of the best things we ever got. No problems in at least four years with a family of five. Ours are made by American Standard and you can buy them at Home Depot. Our contractor tried to talk us out of them b/c they are noisy, but I totally don't care. They're great!


Several Florida timeshares where we've stayed in recent years have those. 

Very impressive -- not just hydraulically but acoustically too. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Kozman (Jun 6, 2008)

*Toilet Problem*

I once had a toilet that would not flush and would overflow.  I took the toilet off and ran a snake about 15 ft. into the pipe with no luck.  Finally, I went down into the basement and put the snake in through the bath tub drain on the other side of the house.  The blockage was at the elbow just before the main sewer down pipe.  When I pulled the snake out, it wasn't a pretty situation.


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## AwayWeGo (Jun 6, 2008)

*Serious Risk Of Too Much Information.*




Kozman said:


> When I pulled the snake out, it wasn't a pretty situation.


We know people who had a 4BR split-level home near here rented out to Japanese families for several years.  Between tenants 1 time, there was a major serious sewer blockage, calling for the services of Roto-Rooter.  Turned out the trouble was a massive wad of dental floss blocking the sewer pipe at an underground bend way out in the yard.  People had been flossing daily for years, keeping their dentist happy no doubt, but disposing of the used floss down the biffy instead of into the wastebasket.  Not a good idea.  It took Roto-Rooter all afternoon to get the sewer line cleared.  What a mess! 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## jschmidt (Jun 7, 2008)

Here's a web site I've been using for years to get an accurate evaluation on water consuming products.

http://www.cuwcc.org/products_tech.lasso

CUWCC stands for California Urban Water Conservation Council.  They test all the new water consuming products, toilets included, and update the test results frequently.  I’ve been using the Toto Drake toilets, which are great, but expensive.  My last purchase was an American Standard Cadet 3, which I made about a month ago.  The CUWCC rated it very high and at half the price it was a good bargain.  So far it's performing very good.

Only in California!


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## Texasbelle (Jun 8, 2008)

*Another suggestion*

We have used a hose.  Takes two people, because one holds the hose in the bottom of the toilet and the other turns the faucet on and off.  A kink in the hose can stop the flow if the faucet turner isn't fast enough.  The force of the water sometimes can clear a clog.  Both of our toilets are now low water use.  The plunger works in one, but the other has a strange shape and the plunger doesn't fit right.  Fortunately, they seldom clog.  The latest one cost over $300 [special order for off-white]  and over $300 to have it installed.  It better last my lifetime.  BUT, the lid closes gently with a small push.


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## AwayWeGo (Dec 27, 2012)

*Oops -- The Cleaning People Flushed A Cleaning Rag Down The Commode.*




timeos2 said:


> Why do I get the feeling that every day at the Cole Homestead is a new adventure and not one day is boring? Just an observation.  Makes it worth hanging around for the next day doesn't it?


Just now finished getting the toilet unblocked. 

The cleaning people flushed down a rag, which got stuck -- bigtime. No amount of auger-snake twisting or plunger pumping did any good. I had to take the tank off the bowl & de-install the bowl from the floor. Then I was able to hook a corner of the rag by extending a tool into the downstream drain hole at the bottom of the toilet bowl, making it possible to pull out the nasty old rag. 

Fortunately a new wax toilet flange seal was on hand down in the basement, an absolute necessity for re-installing the unblocked biffy.   

In retrospect, I think it was good that the rag stayed stuck in the toilet trap, even though that meant unbolting & removing the toilet to get at the clog.  If the rag had gone on down the drain, it might well have blocked the waste pipes farther downstream, a major calamity that would have meant calling in the professionals. 

Getting the job done ourselves is semi-satisfying.  But any feeling of accomplishment is blunted by the realization that the work involved only got us back to zero -- i.e., exactly where matters stood before the cleaning rag got flushed. 

So it goes.  

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 24, 2014)

*I Have Lost Count Of How Many Toilets I Have Installed . . .*




AwayWeGo said:


> Oops! I Did It Again. (Installed 1 More Toilet. Sheesh.)


 *. . .* & that's _after_ vowing that I would not install any more toilets.  (Dishwashers too.  But that's another story.) 

The Chief Of Staff decided the cerulean blue 1-piece lowboy toilet in our guest bathroom was outdated & in need of replacement.  What was once current & stylish in home decor had become odd & passé after the passage of 30 or so years.  

So we picked out an efficient 2-piece "comfort height" conventional white china toilet at Home Depot & bought that at a favorable price with the idea in mind of installing it ourselves.  That was in August.  Toilet installation got put off till today. 

The process is straight-forward.  Plus, we've done it so many times that we knew what to expect.  Piece of cake.  

The only problem is that once the toilet was fully installed & all hooked up, we noticed that what we initially thought was just loose dust & debris at the bottom of the bowl, right where everything flushes down the hole, was not loose debris at all but a factory defect in the porcelain glaze.  That is, it's not temporary dirt.  It's permanent, fired-in dirt which will not scrub out.  (I tried.) 

Next step is to de-install the new toilet & take it back to Home Depot for replacement.  That means doing 1 more toilet installation job on top of the 1 I did today.  

Anything worth doing is worth doing twice. 

So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Kal (Oct 24, 2014)

I just went thru that same drama.  Installed a new one and it had a hairline crack in the bottom of the tank.  The manufacturer delivered a replacement by FedEx and instructed me to dispose the leaky tank.  Only fun part of the deal was smashing up both the old toilet and the new leaky tank.  Amazing how little volume the broken parts take up!


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## Passepartout (Oct 24, 2014)

Other than the poor fit and finish of your example, when we moved in here, we put one of those low profile, all-in-one terlets in  the master bath, and a 'comfort height' one in the guest suite. After a period of time when (I'm one to make a sojurn late at night) I would prefer the higher, elongated, quieter throne to the stylish one in the MBR, I effected the swaperoni. It's made those late night trips so much better. Let the infrequent 'guests' enjoy form over function.

Jim


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 25, 2014)

*Why Does The Factory Pack & Ship Items With Conspicuous Surface Defects ?*




AwayWeGo said:


> Next step is to de-install the new toilet & take it back to Home Depot for replacement.  That means doing 1 more toilet installation job on top of the 1 I did today.


Bought an exact replacement with the idea in mind of returning the defective item after installing 1 that's OK. 

Before installing anything (or de-installing the new toilet we installed yesterday), this time we did some due diligence.  We put a gallon or so of clean water in the tank, to make sure it's leakproof -- no hairline cracks, etc.  Plus, having learned from yesterday's experience, we took a good look at the porcelain glaze of the toilet bowl. 

New tank is A-OK.  No leaks after 60 minutes or so.  

New toilet bowl is not OK -- has a flaw in the porcelain glaze that's worse & more conspicuous than the defective glaze at the bottom of the toilet bowl installed yesterday. 

There's 1 more exact replacement at the store where we picked up the replacement toilet today.  Next time, if they'll let us, I'd like to open the box & unpack the next toilet bowl while it's still in the store to make sure it's OK before we go to the trouble of bringing it home.  

If the 1 remaining exact replacement is not there when we go back, then we'll start trying other chain store locations.  I know of 4 more in the area without even looking'm up.  Seems reasonable to expect that at least 1 of'm will have an exact replacement toilet in stock that has both a leakproof tank and a bowl without conspicuous defects in the porcelain glaze.  

We'll see.  

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 27, 2014)

*Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Twice.*




AwayWeGo said:


> Next time, if they'll let us, I'd like to open the box & unpack the next toilet bowl while it's still in the store to make sure it's OK before we go to the trouble of bringing it home.



Went to a different branch of Home Depot Sunday afternoon. Instead of just buying another exact replacement Glacier Bay comfort height 2-piece white toilet, we told the guy in that store department that we wanted to open up the carton & make sure the porcelain glaze was OK before buying the item. He said OK, even helped. Three out of 3 toilets of that model in stock at that store had defects. Sheesh. 

Monday afternoon we went to yet another branch of Home Depot. Told the guy in the plumbing dept. what we were up to. He said OK. One Glacier Bay toilet of that model was in stock. We opened up the box & took a close look at the toilet bowl, which was (is) OK. So we bought that commode, brought it home, de-installed the Glacier Bay commode with bad glaze, & installed the OK commode in its place. 

All that's left now is to pack up the two _-- 2 ! --_ defective toilets we brought home before checking'm out in the store, then taking those 2 back for refund.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 28, 2014)

*Case Closed.*




AwayWeGo said:


> All that's left now is to pack up the two _-- 2 ! --_ defective toilets we brought home before checking'm out in the store, then taking those 2 back for refund.


Returned two -- 2 -- Home Depot Glacier Bay toilets, each with conspicuous porcelain glaze flaws inside the bowls. 

Those are in addition to the three -- 3 -- at another Home Depot location that were similarly defective (which we checked right in the store). 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Passepartout (Oct 28, 2014)

Those Glacier Bay terlets are something! Talk about the low-bid producer. Last Summer we were up to our elbows refurbing my dear departed FIL's house to market and finally rid ourselves of it. We replaced EVERY light, speck of paint, more than a few walls, upgraded and brought up to code the plumbing and the electrical panels (there were 3 totaling 60 amps). Long story short(er), 6-12 yard dumpsters were eventually used for disposal at the job site.

On the same day, at the same Home Depot, I bought 2 'identical' Glacier Bay elongated, comfort height johns. After a couple of weeks residing in the garage awaiting their time in the installation que, I removed them from their boxes and one-by-one went about the installation. It was then that I noticed that they were different from one another. Both had the same numbers printed on the box, but the mechanism for the 'dual flush' business was not the same. I let it go as possibly they had come from different factories, or from different production runs, and let them be. I suppose the new owners (whom, by all accounts are happy with their new house) shrug their shoulders with indifference with the different dual flush buttons on top of the toilet tanks. I didn't check the glaze inside the bowls, but if it had been imperfect, I shouldn't have been surprised.

Jim


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## billymach4 (Oct 28, 2014)

What country are the glacier bay terlets manufacturered?


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 28, 2014)

*South Of The Border . . .*




billymach4 said:


> What country are the glacier bay terlets manufacturered?


 *. . .* down Mexico way. 

Maybe not all of'm, but the model we had such trouble getting with non-defective porcelain glaze is inscribed _Made In Mexico_.  

The reason we went with Glacier Bay is that we've used that brand (but maybe not the same model, I don't know) twice before with no trouble whatever -- good product & good price.  

This most recent experience won't drive us away from that brand, but will make us more cautious -- i.e., we'll open up the cartons for pre-purchase inspection in the stores. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## billymach4 (Oct 28, 2014)

*How many more toilet fixtures do want to replace?*

Well Alan you sure are an expert on the old Terlet remove and replace. But do you really expect to replace any more in your lifetime? 

When I stop to think about it... It is really not a big undertaking. But they are rather bulky items. I have never had the pleasure of replacing a crapper, however I will always be sure to inspect the bottom of the toilet if and when I have the opportunity to replace the porcelain throne!


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 28, 2014)

*The Answer Is No.*




billymach4 said:


> But do you really expect to replace any more in your lifetime?


Shux, I didn't specially expect to replace the one I just replaced.  The way it worked out was lots different from my expectations.  Go figure. 

When we were leaving a different location of Home Depot today on totally other business, The Chief Of Staff noticed a customer wheeling out a Home Depot toilet that turned out to be the same make & model as the one that gave us so much trouble.  After she described our experience, the guy opened up the 1 he had just bought. Sure enough, there was a little flaw in the glaze -- bad enough so that we would have returned it, but not so bad that the guy wanted a different 1.  (To each his own.)

At my advanced age (pushing 72), possibly my toilet installing days are over at last.  If so, it won't hurt my feelings any.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## billymach4 (Nov 30, 2014)

*OK now my turn at the terlet!*

During a flush yesterday I popped open a box of baby wipes and the plastic cover that is supposed to be hinged to the opening just took off and fell into the flushing vortex and went down the drain. 

Now I know this was not a good thing, but a few test flushes with the 50 yr old porcelain throne powered by an old school industrial water wasting flush o meter  did not immediately yield a problem.






So I decided to sit and wait it out. As more usage of the toilet was exercised via normal business usage my Chief of staff noted a slow down of the flush vortex, and I readily agreed to call in handyman "Schnider". Normally I use my handy plunger but this required an industrial solution.... " The Toilet Auger!"







Schneider had to use 2 different toilet augers to dislodge the blockage. Needless to say he was successful after 15 minutes of rotary action!

However I now have what appears to be permanent metal scratch marks at the bottom of my bowl from the auger activity!

I am thinking I may need to have Alan come up and help me change another toilet?

Anyone care to vote? lend a hand.... LoL:rofl::rofl::rofl:


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## Kal (Nov 30, 2014)

Yes, those metal devices do mark the porcelain.  Good news, Bad news:

 Good news! I had the same problem and was successful in removing the marks.

 Bad news - I don't remember how I did it. 

 I'll give it some thought and I'm sure the total recall system will kick into gear.


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## Kal (Dec 1, 2014)

After further review....

 Drain the water out of the bowl.  Then use your choice of cleaning agents applied with a sponge or rag and wearing rubber gloves.  Do not use steel-wool or other metallic products.  A cleaning agent could be:

 - oxyclean
 - Bar Keeper's Friend (containing oxcalic acid)
 - baking soda
 - chlorine bleach

 You might also try lightly applying a pumice stone.


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