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My toilet is clogged. I have issues. (1 Viewer)

Scott Wong

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Scott Wong
Four weeks or so ago, my girlfriend clogged our upstairs toilet. It has been four weeks. I bought a new plunger. I bought CLR's pressurized super-duper toilet un-clogger system that uses a pressurized can of stuff that shoots into the toilet and is supposed to unclog ANYTHING... I also have some Drain Free build-up remover... and nothing. Nothing. Nothing. The water swirls around the bowl and does eventually flush... but it eventually stops flushing. If you toss a Kleenex into the toilet, it'll clog. I shit you not... (no pun intended).

Any suggestions?? I really don't want to call anyone. What else can I use or try? It makes me think she attempted to flush a brick or a piece of concrete down the toilet. How could it possibly stayed clogged for a month?

We have one other bathroom downstairs, but a little mouse ran into it yesterday and he is currently trapped in there. No, I am not kidding. So now my girlfriend is scared to use that bathroom because she is afraid of mice.

So... I basically need to:

1. Unclog the toilet upstairs.
2. Catch the mouse in the bathroom downstairs who keeps disappearing into a little hole.

3. Take some carpentry classes and construct an outhouse in our backyard.

Help??

Scott.
 

Philip Hamm

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I would guess that she put something down the toilet that does not belong there. It is not that uncommon, this is the kind of event that often brings awareness of the non-flushability of feminine products to light.

Mousetraps are available at Home Depot. Peanut butter works very well. Don't feel guilty it's just a friggin' mouse. Needless to say, when you catch it, do NOT flush the dead mouse down the toilet.

You will need to call a plumber for your upstairs toilet and it's going to cost a lot of money.

P.S. It may not have been intended but your pun was hilarious. BTW, I believe that Kleenex is on the list of non-flushable items. Use Scott Tissue in the future, it is easiest on the pipes (though it can be tough on the ass!)
 

Scott Wong

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Thanks for the info... You told me everything I didn't wanna hear. haha.. ;)

I wasn't home when she clogged it so you're probably right about the feminine hygiene product. But I can't say that for a fact. It just seems odd that it could possibly stay clogged this long if it had just been toilet paper??

I bought mousetraps this evening from a local store. I am using a combination of several traps. Some baited with peanut butter... the other with cheese. Sharp cheddar, to be specific. *LOL* And no, I hardly feel guilty. He is in my home and now he must die. It isn't my fault it's -5 degrees outside.

Getting a plumber would suck. We moved into this house just a couple of months ago. I am interested in getting new toilets anyway. Home Depot had a special on the Champion toilet line. Would replacing the toilet do the trick or are we talking about a much larger issue here??

yuck. This sucks.
 

Armando Zamora

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Is it only partially obstructed? You may just need to snake the darn thing to dislodge whatever is causing the obstruction or partial obstruction of the drain pipe. Then take the plunger and just use lots of force to push it through. Messy, but it may save you some $$$ from having to hire a plumber.
 

Scott Wong

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Armando:

Yes, it is only partially clogged. After swirling the water around in the bowl, it does eventually flush... but it is so weak. I'd hardly even call it a 'flush'... perhaps I will look into snaking... that's just one more thing I'll need to buy though. yuck. Way too messy but it's going to have to be a necessary evil.

I'll try the snake.


update: The mouse trap nearest to the door in the garage leading to the kitchen inside has already killed a culprit. I just baited them and set them 45 minutes ago. He looks like the same mouse. haha. Furry. Snall. Little nub of a tail and darker in color. I'd say that's him. The hole near the base of the toilet must somehow lead out to the garage?? The traps in the bathroom and utility room are still fine. Weird.
 

DaveNel

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Actually there is one thing you can try, They make a
device that hooks to your water hose, And when the water is turned on it swells like a balloon. All the water pressure from the hose is forced down the toilet and when it swells up like a balloon it makes a seal. Works much better than a plunger.. :)
 

Scott Wong

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Dave:

Do you happen to know the name of that product? Or what major store carries it? i.e., Home Depot, Menards, etc, etc.

Thanks...
 

DaveNel

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Actually most major hardware stores carry them, And whatever she stuck in there this should pressure wash it on down outa your hair :)
 

Henry Gale

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You can get a simple drain snake for $6.00.
Last week I bought a fancier version that you can attach to your power drill. $35.00.
I also purchased a new wax ring, the kind with no wax. $5.00.
Then I discovered that I still had no idea what I was dealing with and that I had NO clue how much of the snake was going down the drain. In my case it was the downstairs tub and it was full of things that had gone down the upstairs commode. :frowning:
Called a plumber. The results, restored use of two bathrooms, are priceless. Well, actually $365.00. There were roots between the house and the septic tank.
I returned my new and ineffective snake.
 

Bill Cowmeadow

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If I were to guess as to what the real problem is, without looking at the loo, I would say tree roots. Do you have a Willow or any of the Hackberry varieties around the yard? If yes, call a plumber, then a tree cutter and get rid of the ofending tree. It'll cost you more than you could imagine if you have to replace a main line that is under the foundation of a house on a SLAB foundation.

Good luck.

Bill
 

Scott Wong

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We live in a townhome so I can't exactly begin cutting down trees. Nonetheless, there is a single small tree in the front yard. Nothing that looks menacing. And when I say small... I mean, it is very young. The townhome complex we live in was just built in 2001. There is not a tree in the backyard at all.

The downstairs bathroom functions fine. Toilet has a good strong flush and the sink also drains properly. The upstairs bathroom with the faulty toilet also works fine aside from the toilet. We have a jacuzzi tub, shower, and two sinks and everything besides the toilet works and drains well. I don't think it's the doing of any trees.

*shrug*
 

MikeH1

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I just laughed while reading this thread while on the phone with my brother and he said he had "strange" flushing problems sometime ago himself. Apparently a toothbrush ended up stuck in the toilet and it would clog because toilet paper would wrap around it. But after a while the paper would get soft enough and would be flushed easy and things would appear to work alright. But then it would act up again. He said he couldn't figure it out but after getting his hands dirty found a jammed toothbrush to be the culprit.
 

ChuckSolo

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There is something caught in the trap that is located in the toilet drain. Time to call a plumber. As for the mouse, two words, glue boards.....they work every time. As for building an outhouse, better check local ordinances first or the city will give you a load of crap...pun intended.:D
 

alan halvorson

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I can't help you with your problem - sorry - but three weeks ago I went into my basement to find 5" of water at the deepest. The problem was caused by a combination of a plugged sewer line and someone not quite turning a faucet off (no one had been down there for a week). Oddly, all the upstairs drains and toilets continued to work all right; I can't figure that one out. Anyway, my plumbing skills are nil so I called a plumber, who ran one of those power snakes into my sewer all the way to the street. This did the trick. The plumber brought another snake with a camera at the end and I watched the screen as he pulled it back. Nothing I like more than to view the insides of a sewer pipe! It was clean with only a few tiny roots and a couple low spots. Not too bad for a house that's 90+ years old. Cost was $191.

A week later someone noticed a cone of ice on the side of my house. An outside faucet was leaking water. That was bad enough, but this faucet was located right next to my gas pipe and meter. Both were partially encased in ice. I could not get the faucet to turn off and I couldn't budge an inside valve (one of those old, cheap valves with a knob made of weak cast metal). Finally, for now, we decided to cut the inside valve off and plug it and fix it right in the spring.

I hate plumbing problems.
 

Jay H

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An outhouse is so passe', you need to build one those fancy composting toilets! :)

On a similar note, I've heard from plumbers that those liquid drano and the like just makes things worse as it gums up the crap that's down there it becomes more solid. Don't know how true that is or he is just trying to work up some more business but that's what I heard.

Jay
 

DonnyD

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I do contract work for apartment complexes and you wouldn't believe how many toilets get stopped up due to some woman flushing those damned used plugs that swell up more and more as they get immersed in water. I hate that part of plumbing!!!! There is no simple way to fix this and some of these suggestions are not condusive to a long term fix...... I've seen persons use those "pressure" type devices only to blow apart a loose joint and cause more problems or simply lodge the foreign object deeper in the line. I once dealt with one lady who poured clorox in her toilet and when the apartment manager used one of the acidic drain cleaners afterwards, it formed a toxic cloud in the room that took days to clear out.....

All in all, a clogged toilet can be a very bad thing!!! Did your GF admit to flushing a female produt?

The last MAJOR plug I saw was TWO tampons which caused me to pull the toilet.......... Although it's not any fun, it really isn't a big deal to pull a toilet as long as you put in a new wax ring....... the ordeal is a little nasty so so some playtex gloves may be something to obtain before starting.
 

LDfan

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Call a plumber then go out and buy the American Standard Champion model of toilet. That thing has a flush like a jet engine and is virtually uncloggable. It'll cost you about $300 but well worth it. Plus it has a 10 year warranty on all parts.


Jeff
 

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