The Best kept secret of the Roto-Rooter man

[W9GT]

I must admit...I never thought I would see the day when members on this list were bragging about who's toilet could out strap everyone else's toilet!   

Are things going down the drain?

73,  Jack, W9GT

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Yea, what a crappy thread. 

[WA1GFZ]

Troopers go further away when you connect to the sewer system

[W1ATR]

If your a water abuser, it's hard to beat the old toilets of yesteryear. The last house I lived in had one in the basement we used to call the 'super dumpzilla'. This bad boy had what was probably a 10 or 15 gallon monstrous tank and an extra jumbo sized bowl. Unlike toilets these days, with they're anemic little 'click, hiss, garble garble', when you pulled the trigger on Zilla, it would come to life with a thunderous, seemingly dangerous, "BBAHHHHWWHHOOOSHH". All 400,000 cubic feet of water in the bowl began rotating with a ferociousness rivaled only by the largest of our universes' known singularity's. As fast as this whirlpool of high speed waste water came into being, it would disappear down into the drain in the blink of an eye, simultaneously accompanied by a forceful 'whoosh' of air from under the bathroom door. Forty minutes later, when the tank had finished refilling, the system ready for another mission.

When I moved out of there, I almost took that toilet with me, but I figured the plastic soil pipes in this house weren't up to the task.

Just felt like writing something silly, 73.  

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Ah yes, buried at sea.

Troopers go further away when you connect to the sewer system

[W3RSW]

But not in one piece. 

[4cx250]

Hello All,
     My prostate gets cloged up every few years. I will have to try the "screw driver" trick and see if it works for me!!

[ka3zlr]

I Have 1600 feet of 1 inch copper line in the ground for my city water supply side, Now that's a ground rod...

this thread is goofy..

[K1JJ]

I want to do an update on this off-topic thread.  My first post repair info is incorrect. The correct info can save lots of money and aggravation.

It seems that the info I was given three years ago by the plumber was wrong about how to make the whirlpool-effect work better in a toilet. Evidently he wanted to keep coming back for more repairs....

When I watched him, he said to chip out the mineral deposits from the single hole at the bottom of the toilet bowl. BUT - it seems when I left, he went to work on the twelve little holes that circle around just under the rim. They were all blocked up.  These add the whirlpool effect.

Today I noticed the toilets were not working well and the water was not spinning. Chipping the single hole at the bottom had no effect. Then I went into the twelve smaller holes under the rim using a small 1" pointed screwdriver. Out fell piles of hard, white mineral deposits, like rocks. They were blocking the whirlpool water flow. It took a good 20 minutes to stab thru both toilets, but now they both flush like a tornado.

It seems this info is not commonly available to the public - we just pour down chemicals and then call the man.

Excuse this way-off-topic thread update, but I couldn't leave this incorrect info sitting from the first post ...   ALL AMers use toilets, so it is AM related, right?  

T

[W1RKW]

Excuse this way-off-topic thread update, but I couldn't leave this incorrect info sitting from the first post ...   ALL AMers use toilets, so it is AM related, right?  

T

Also, many a time a ham states that the band is in the toilet. So it should work.

[Bill, KD0HG]

Just in time for Thanksgiving...

Bill

[KM1H]

I had to give all 4 toilets here a good poke shortly after that original post, they had just reached the 20 year mark! What a difference.

And yes, I did the upper holes also.

I also have to remove and decalcify the furnace hot water coil about every 4-5 years and eventually have to replace as the acid does a number on the copper. Cheaper than a whole house conditioner which is up around 2 kilobucks these days and replacement filters every 3-5 years are $750. Little known side benefits of rural living and well water

I use a full house particle filter which runs $20 once a year but still have to clean the dishwasher filter every 4-5 years, plus the clothes washer screens yearly and then replace the solenoid operated valve every 5-6 years. Now the external shut off valve is starting to drip but its the original from 1989.

[W3GMS]

I want to do an update on this off-topic thread.  My first post repair info is incorrect. The correct info can save lots of money and aggravation.

It seems that the info I was given three years ago by the plumber was wrong about how to make the whirlpool-effect work better in a toilet. Evidently he wanted to keep coming back for more repairs....

When I watched him, he said to chip out the mineral deposits from the single hole at the bottom of the toilet bowl. BUT - it seems when I left, he went to work on the twelve little holes that circle around just under the rim. They were all blocked up.  These add the whirlpool effect.

Today I noticed the toilets were not working well and the water was not spinning. Chipping the single hole at the bottom had no effect. Then I went into the twelve smaller holes under the rim using a small 1" pointed screwdriver. Out fell piles of hard, white mineral deposits, like rocks. They were blocking the whirlpool water flow. It took a good 20 minutes to stab thru both toilets, but now they both flush like a tornado.

It seems this info is not commonly available to the public - we just pour down chemicals and then call the man.

Excuse this way-off-topic thread update, but I couldn't leave this incorrect info sitting from the first post ...   ALL AMers use toilets, so it is AM related, right?  

T

Hi Tom,

So we can now call your first post "shitty advice" but now you have come clean

Great advice....

Joe, GMS

[K1JJ]

I had to give all 4 toilets here a good poke shortly after that original post, they had just reached the 20 year mark! What a difference.

And yes, I did the upper holes also.

I also have to remove and decalcify the furnace hot water coil about every 4-5 years and eventually have to replace as the acid does a number on the copper. Cheaper than a whole house conditioner which is up around 2 kilobucks these days and replacement filters every 3-5 years are $750. Little known side benefits of rural living and well water

I use a full house particle filter which runs $20 once a year but still have to clean the dishwasher filter every 4-5 years, plus the clothes washer screens yearly and then replace the solenoid operated valve every 5-6 years. Now the external shut off valve is starting to drip but its the original from 1989.

Hmmm... you gots me thinking now that if the toilets had calcification, then all the other water appliances must too. I do notice the dish washer flow has dropped way off.  Those solenoids and valves can be a real PIA to tackle for the average bloke.

Yes, I can't emphacize enough how badly blocked those 12 rim holes were. Some I had to use a hammer to pound the little 1" screwdriver thru. They were so sealed that one would think there was no hole at all.   Move the screwdriver around in a wide circular motion to elongate the hole and break up the hard deposits.   When punched thru, the stones started falling and the water flowed again. Don't do a half-assed job - spend the time to get every hole working. It makes a big difference in whirlpool effect.

Our toilets are about 30 years old, so probably need replacing anyway. But now they flow like new...

It's either do it yourself or pay the man $200- $300 for this simple job. This is a plumber's bread and butter...


Bill: Speaking of toilet cloggers, at least you don't have to worry about Barry White dropping by for Thanksgiving.


T

[W1AEX]

Tom,

Does the ever-clogging rim hole clearance project affect the bowl resonance or the amount of bandwidth utilized by the toilet? I also wonder if it degrades the toilet bowl IMD. It's always important to look at the big picture when tackling a risky high performance project like this. There must be a long list of federal regulations about all this stuff. At any rate, as always, I thank you for the enlightenment!

Rob W1AEX

[W1ATR]

Our toilets are about 30 years old, so probably need replacing anyway. But now they flow like new...

I wouldn't do that if I were you. Refer to my old post above.

If you must, I heard there's companies in Canada willing to ship weapons grade high volume thrones over the border in plain brown wrappers marked gift. Just be careful because I'm sure there's a highly sensitive nose connected to a dog somewhere at some customs station vigilantly searching for these felonious fecal eradicators. Before signing for the delivery, turn an ear to the sky and listen for a moment. If you don't hear the familiar sound of a police heli's rotor beating the air somewhere just outside your visual range, then it's probably safe to accept the shipment. Just get them inside in a hurry. There's some states where even having one in the same room with you is a felony.

I have very fond memories of the old Judge I had in my last house. That baby would take your best holidays, or your worse cold/flu, or your wildest night out on the town raising hell, and swish it all away with a comforting and revitalizing whoosh!

He Whom Taketh this Seat Shall Be Judged.   

[kb3ouk]

I remeber a few years ago having a conversation with a guy around here who had a friend that I think lived out west somewhere that was building a house and wanted good toilets for it, so he went to Canada and came back with something like 10 of them on a flatbed truck.

[W1ATR]

I remeber a few years ago having a conversation with a guy around here who had a friend that I think lived out west somewhere that was building a house and wanted good toilets for it, so he went to Canada and came back with something like 10 of them on a flatbed truck.

I heard you can get them out of Mexico too. I guess that's what the drug mules transport in the off season. 

[Opcom]

It took the same amount of time to read this as it took to consume the salted nut roll.

I still stand by the golf-ball-eating throne installed a few years ago. It still has never failed. The American Standard Champion 4:

Meet the Champion 4, the undisputed leader in high performance toilets. With the industry's widest 2 3/8" trapway and 4" flush valve, it created a plunger free world for homeowners and virtually eliminated clogged toilet call backs for plumbers. The Champion will move a mass 70% larger than the industry standard. It achieves the highest bulk removal rating of 1,000 grams and will even flush a bucket of golf balls!

video:
http://www.americanstandard-us.com/products/collection.aspx?d=1&c=66#video

It can also flush sliders, a bucket of childrens clay, a bucket of chicken nuggets, a bucket of cat litter, three cellphones, two washcloths, and I suppose whatever else might find its way into the bowl. videos prove it..

One additional secret is that the water falls through a big 4" opening from a substantially greater height than most toilets.

mega plumber action hero:
http://www.americanstandard-us.com/video/default.aspx?bclid=590068264001&bctid=507093228001&d=1

[Burt]

You said, "I axed him "
Did he survive?

[N8AFT]

 A littel further down the pipes...Best advice I received from the drain cleaning guy is to use Single-Ply paper. I tears up and not catch on roots in the tiles. Also, bleachie thingies put in the tank dry rot the rubber gaskets and o-rings causing leaks. I rebuilt old reliable six yrs ago.
 Yes, the eco-crappers are now much improved from the ones made in the 90's. I'll buy one now when my potty goes bad-order...73