It's pretty easy to stop up the toilet. It gets plenty of water and a good flush normally, but sometimes it will get clogged up and we have to use a plunger to get it working again. Any ideas?
- posted
18 years ago
It's pretty easy to stop up the toilet. It gets plenty of water and a good flush normally, but sometimes it will get clogged up and we have to use a plunger to get it working again. Any ideas?
Buy a better toilet.
you may want to run a closet auger into it a few times in case something is clogged in it.,once had one that would flush water but not solids, had a pencil stuck in it,once a toy. clean the holes under the rim out with a nail or screw, make sure the vent pipe on roof is open by running water into it with hose.
Do you have a septic tank or are you on "city" sewage?
If you have your own tank, when was the last time you had it pumped out?
stool softener
Do you have small children? If so you might have a small toy stuck in it. If something is stuck in the p trap of toilet you probably won't be able to get it out. Might be time for a new one.
Rich
"Dr. Hardcrab" wrote in news:PWs6f.4622$gF4.1529@trnddc07:
That's the right things to consider. Might also want to check vent pipes, too, look for bird's nests or other clogs.
Are any pets missing ( kitten size)
Try removing the toilet and look for anything stuck at the discharge outlet on the bottom. Our kids threw a round metal lid from a can of peanuts in there once. It usually stayed in the vertical 'open' position - but every so often would flip closed.
Removing it was a ...gagging.. experience.
Found weird chalky off white build up blocking 1/4-1/3 of the toilet drain pipe - clinging to the rear wall of the pipe thicker at the flange and tapering to nothing at the elbow (about 10 inches down) - think it may be lime scale. It was causing toilet to flush strangely (swirling bits of TP left over) and clog frequently requiring plunging. I scraped it out, and I am about to put a new flange in.. hoping for the best, but thinking hard water/metal flange may be the issue. Toilet was put in about 25-30 years ago, so it was a slow process.
Yeah, that's not lime scale. Not that thick, and not that easy to scrape.
Here's my guess. You had some repairs done, either dry wall or paint or both, and the contractor took a short cut and dumped drywall mud or something similar down there when he was cleaning up.
On Fri, 14 May 2021 06:13:31 -0700 (PDT), TimR posted for all of us to digest...
requiring plunging. I scraped it out, and I am about to put a new flange in.. hoping for the best, but thinking hard water/metal flange may be the issue. Toilet was put in about 25-30 years ago, so it was a slow process.
Never thought of that. Sometimes plumbers dump cement down if they don't like victim or their pay.
Thanks, TimR. Pretty sure drywall mud, etc. would not cling to a vertical pipe...
Are you saying lime scale would not be that thick or easy to scrape? What would you expect with lime scale? (This stuff was the texture of frosting mixed with sawdust.)
Also, maybe it's possible wax from the ring may have been in the mix, but it didn't look waxy/greasy/shiny at all.
Do you think cement would cling to a 3 inch vertical pipe and not settle in a horizontal pipe? I don't think so....
Have you ever tried to scrub lime scale out of the inside of a teapot? It's almost as hard as the metal. You might dissolve it with something acidic but abrasive pads don't even dent it.
Yes drywall mud will definitely stick to the side of the pipe but I would have thought that would be more solid than you describe. So I don't know. It sounds like something got poured down that shouldn't have been, but I'm not sure what.
How to Dissolve Lime Buildup With Vinegar and Soda
For a teapot vinegar does a decent job. For a toilet I would go straight to hydrochloric. My water is very hard and the toilet bowl cleaners that contain hydrochloric acid get the job done.
That said, I've never seen a lime buildup like the OP described.
On Mon, 17 May 2021 17:31:25 +0000, Na'ilah posted for all of us to digest...
Yes, it could, depending on the mix. I don't think cement is your problem, cement would harden. You posted that it is spongy. That leads me to another thought. Could the pipes have had a previous leak in them and then the pipe was "re-lined"? If you pour a bucket of water down the open pipe-with the toilet off-does it flow freely? If so it's the toilet. If not then there is an obstruction somewhere.
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