seaquake
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-23
Millersville, MD
clubs:  
 ·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | Toilet Clog
Got a dreaded toilet clog and from what I've tried online, nothing has gotten to it:
0. Toilet Plunger....Nope (Edit, forgot to mention the first try).
1. Hot water and liquid dish detergent....Nope.
2. Closet Snake....Nope.
I've read about not using any type of chemicals for a clog in a toilet....So unless someone has another idea, I'm stuck trying to use a longer snake or calling a plumber.
By the way, I have inlaws visiting and I believe the culprit is excessive use of toilet tissue. I'm 99% certain that an inappropriate foreign object (ie, toy) was flushed causing the clog.
The clog is not complete but substantial. Upon flushing, the water level rises to just under the rim and goes down to normal in about 45 to 60 seconds.
So....any ideas of things I have not yet tried? |
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Candoo3
join:2005-01-24
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
| The closet snake you have, is it a good heavy duty one, or the small shaft? My HD one, I've modified the head slightly, and opened the end of the head a bit, so it can "hook" whatever may be blocking, if I can't push it through. If it doesn't work, you may have to take the toilet off and try snaking backwards, thru the base, and push the blockage into the bowl. |
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seaquake
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-23
Millersville, MD
clubs:
·Verizon FIOS
| It's the 3' model, fairly sturdy. It goes in and out, the entire 3 feet without any problems.
I'm looking at trying out Kleer Drain. Even if it doesn't work on the toilet, it sounds like it will work on other sink clogs around the house.....frustrating. |
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CylonRed
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
| Any idea what it is clogged with? I have a good closet snake given to me by a mater plumber that could not get a blockage out - took the toilet up and removed the wad of TP/flushable wipes causing the problem. Removing the toilet is not that hard - it is a pain but it can be done by the average homeowner.
--
Brian
"It drops into your stomach like a Abrams's tank.... driven by Rosanne Barr..." A. Bourdain |
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Tyreman
join:2002-10-08
| reply to seaquake
The Good Lord have Mercy
Shut off the water, disconnect supply,drain closet part and remove most of the water,Take off the toilet see whats inside it.
Some of the toilet clogs I dealt with no less than a fork small spoon and a bic pen,cassette tape holders large apples, womens things,paper towels
one guy wiped his arse with half a roll of paper towels then would plug it, plunge it and just give up leaving it
One toilet wouldn't flush and an impacted brick of shit was up inside it blocking the bend.
I don't know how the guy passed it out his a**
This brick of shit was so bad a small group of people(workers) watched me get it out by chipping at it from underneath, at the flange mount end with a long screwdriver breaking it up
Removing pieces as I went.
--
Southern Ontario,Canada |
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alphapointe
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-10
Columbia, MO
clubs:
 ·Mediacom
| OK, that's just wrong...
There are times that I REALLY hate my speech software...
Hard to explain to my co-workers what the hell I'm over here reading... 
Reading things like this make me glad I'm a telephone operator. |
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dcurrey
Premium
join:2004-06-29 | reply to seaquake
You shouldn't use hot water. It will damage the wax ring. |
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Greg_Z
Premium
join:2001-08-08
Springfield, IL
·Comcast
| said by dcurrey  :You shouldn't use hot water. It will damage the wax ring. The ring will be replaced if the commode is removed, but yes, do not use hot water if not pulled from the flange.
--
I threw out the map a long time ago. Now I follow my own direction! |
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tcope
Premium
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT
·Comcast
| reply to seaquake
Oh yeah... another toilet thread! 
If the toilet is still working properly (and it may not be) then there is something in the S tube blocking it. Most everything except a solid object is going to deteriorate from the water and flush. Using a snake you want to try to catch the object and pull it out.
Take a 5 gallon bucket and just pour 2-3 gallons into the bowl as quickly as possible. See if the toilet flushing properly. If it does, your toilet is not blocked, it's just not filling up with water quickly enough for a good flush. This is different then flushing the toilet and allowing the bowl to fill that way. If the tank fills the bowl slowly, you won't get a good flush.
If you get a good flush by manual putting water in the bowl, take a coat hanger to the holes around the rim of the bowl and ream them out. This might help a little.
Slow flush:
»www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-N6cXYsic
If that does not work I highly recommend pulling the toilet up and inspecting the bottom opening. Wiggle the toilet (upside down) after it's been removed to see if you can shake the object out of the S tube.
Good flush (only thing changed is a new, good, toilet was installed):
»www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbSE5lvn2wk
But this is a toilet with a 4' tube from tank to bowl and a 3" fully glazed trap. |
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Loco
Premium
join:2002-11-09
So Cal | reply to seaquake
Took a mean one, eh ?
Been there, done that....many, many times, meng ! |
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Tyreman
join:2002-10-08 | reply to tcope
Its amazing on some toilets if you break them the lime that is bridged in the porcelain up under where the rim flush holes are
--
Southern Ontario,Canada |
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tcope
Premium
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT
·Comcast
| said by Tyreman :Its amazing on some toilets if you break them the lime that is bridged in the porcelain up under where the rim flush holes are For those, where a coat hanger cannot do a good job, I'd suggest using Murial Acid. However, this stuff is dangerous! Remove as much water as you can from the tank and bowl. Cover the bowl with Saran Wrap. Wear rubber gloves, old cloths and glasses. Use a funnel and pour the acid down the over flow tube in the tank. Make sure the bathroom is vented (window open). Wait 30-45 minutes and flush the toilet. Pour a box of baking soda in the tank and a box in the bowl. Flush a few more times. Add another box to the bowl and flush again.
Pour the acid as quick but safely as possible and some of it will enter the rim around the bowl. |
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Shadow01
Premium
join:2003-10-24
Wasteland
·AT&T Midwest
| reply to alphapointe
said by alphapointe :OK, that's just wrong... There are times that I REALLY hate my speech software... Hard to explain to my co-workers what the hell I'm over here reading... Reading things like this make me glad I'm a telephone operator. Could you post a wave file of this thread. It would give us a sense of what you have to endure.
--
GUN CONTROL:
using both hands |
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PolarBear
The bear formerly known as aaron8301
Premium
join:2005-01-03 | reply to Tyreman
You should have prefaced your post with a warning. |
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seaquake
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-23
Millersville, MD
clubs:
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to seaquake
Thanks for the feedback. I'll try to hit most of the points and suggestions since my last post:
* I'm fairly confident it's clogged with toilet paper.
* The closet snake came up completely empty, even after it was fully deployed into the commode.
* I've used hot water in the past with no issues. Never thought about the wax ring, especially since many DIY sites mention that as a possible solution to the problem.
* There is some type of blockage. A quick pour of a bucket of water does not cause the siphon action that clears the contents of the toilet. I've run into that issue before
* Looks like the next resort is pulling up the toilet. If it gets to this point, I'll probably just replace the toilet. It's original to the house (1972) and I'd prefer to get a more efficient model. Granted, I'll still have to find out where the hell the clog is....but if I'm going to go through the effort of removing it, I may as well replace it....this is something I really don't want to try.
* The muriatic acid trick is something I'd be worth giving a shot. I use it for the pH in my pool so I'm quite familiar with the dangers of using it. I'll wait until our company is gone though before getting down to trying that.
Thanks to all for the suggestions....it's giving me some ideas that I had not yet considered and weren't covered on any of the web sites I've visited. |
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CylonRed
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County | The clog is likely where the piping gets a bit smaller just after the S - right at the flange. |
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Tyreman
join:2002-10-08 | reply to seaquake
When I removed the fork out of one toilet the lady of the house said
"I've been looking for that for years"
--
Southern Ontario,Canada |
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Tyreman
join:2002-10-08 | reply to PolarBear
It got really bad when a couple of the workers were wanting Thick as a Brick to be played while I was working
--
Southern Ontario,Canada |
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Candoo3
join:2005-01-24
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to Tyreman
OK, that is a classic. LOL
Over the years I have pulled toothbrushes, make-up containers, toys, stuffed animals, large candles, underwear, kotex, to name a few. Two of the most remember-able were a large sunfish, and a left over ham with part of the bone still in, tho neither of those people had any idea how they got in their toilets. |
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ramsfansam
join:2002-08-27
Springfield, MO
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to seaquake
Those white mice are usually what I run into at work - for some reason, even with a 5 gallon Sloan Flushometer, those things just won't go all the way out of the 4" lines!
Before you pull the toilet, IF it is in a bathroom with a tub, run a bunch of water into the tub - enough to be just a little higher than the toilet's normal water level. Open the tub drain. Try flushing then - if the water doesn't go down at all, or backs up slightly in the tub, then you have a clog a little further down the line, and may have to call a professional turd herder.
If you do end up replacing that old crapper, I found one that actually can handle my kid's overuse of the T.P., and it flushes better than any other "new" style toilet I have seen. It's made by Jacuzzi, and it's got a 3" (maybe larger) flapper - it lets all the water out in a rush and it forces the crap to move out fast - literally. I got mine at Lowe's for about $120. Sounds expensive, but after buying one of those "toilets to go" I decided I would never go cheap again. I really like this toilet - it's been almost a year, and not one time has it plugged. I even TRIED to plug it - I unrolled a whole roll of Charmin into it just to see if it could handle it - it did. |
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