Toilet advice (1 Viewer)

[Jay H]

Joys of home ownership! Clogged the only toilet in my house yesterday, ran out and bought a 3' closet auger and had a helluva time trying to get it up through the trap (going to practice now with an semi-unclogged toilet now). Anyway, the toilet is now actually flusing but absolutely not a normal pressure. The toilet is a newer American Standard 1.6g cheapo toilet. Basically what happens now is the water empties into the bowl and slowly but surely the water will drain into my septic system (which is absolutely brand new so that can't need draining). It's horrible so I'm thinking that something is still slightly blocking it. I'll have to play with the auger again tonight but I never was able to get the whole length through the small trap due to the weird sharp angle.

Anyway, just to make sure I'm not going crazy, there is nothing mechanical/valve-like between the bowl and the main drainage to my septic? The main drain is in the basement and is a flat about 5" PVC piping leading to the outside septic tank which I doubt is clogged.

I'm considering replacing this lemon of a toilet with something good, any recommendations?

Jay

 

[Craig]

Try the link below. I ended up with the Toto Drake model which was one the highest rated, and reasonably priced to boot. It's performed flawlessly for the 9 months I've had it, no clogs and very powerful flushing action.

Toilet Reviews

 

[LDfan]

American Standard Champion. That thing has a flush like a jet engine.

Jeff

 

[Jay H]

Checked out both of them, the Drake looking cheaper. I saw that website for Terry Love in my google search. He must have some killer business being on top of the google metalink.

Anyway, I think I'm going away from American Standard after this model that I have. My parents have circa 30 year old American Standard toilets (not the Low Flush ones) and they are great. I'm sad to see how mine is just "crap".

Jay

 

[Jacinto]

I'll second the vote for the Champion. I put one in last May and haven't had a single problem with it. I got the regular height elongated bowl model (a special order from Home Depot) and put the thing in myself. A wonderful toilet for flushing, and easy to clean because of the design where the bowl meets the tank. That said, I have never heard anything negative about Toto toilets, and know of several custom builders who won't put anything else into their houses.

 

[Tim L]

Toto-one of the best home updates I've made
Tim

 

[Jay H]

OK, my toilet is now flushing normally, I gave it another 20 seconds of plunging and now it seems back to normal, but I am really about to give a no-confidence vote to this thing if it keeps going like this.

Also, my closer auger is useless, I cannot get the thing down the trap which is small and at a high angle it seems (probably another reason why this lemon clogs all the time... design flaw!). Anyway, this doesn't inspire any more confidence in me if I can't even get a snake down it.


Anyway, installation question. It sounds fairly simple to remove and install a new toilet, however, is there a standard for the distance from the back of the toilet to the drain hole? What if I buy a new toilet and it doesn't fit the drain hole, like say the lenth between the drain hole and the back of the holding tank is too long. I never seem to see any kind of measurement for that on websites.

Jay

 

[Craig]

The standard distance from the back of the toilet to the drain is 12" & 99.99% of all the toilets you look at will have this offset. You can get one with a 10" offset, but they're usually special order.

 

[Jay H]

Thanks Craig! Never having seen the underside of a toilet, I can kind of see where the trap is in the porcelain toilet so I gather I can probably take a ruler and measure just in case this toilet falls in that .01%

Hate to order a toilet and find out it can't fit. I've seen some inexpensive internet plumbing companies with the Drake selling for $238 with free shipping.

Never thought one could order a toilet online, just think, online crap removal device!

Jay

 

[Matt Gordon]

All About Toilets

 

[Jay H]

Well, seems like I was told that I have a 12" rough-in so to speak. I did see they do make 10/12/14" rough in kits, so there does seem to be a 14" length.

Anyway, I have priced up a Toto Drake (round) right now, all ready to go if I do have more problems with my current one. But I think I'll hold off now and wait and see.

Jay

 

[JonZ]

I vote for what I have in both bathrooms of my house, the American Standard nonclogging system(Im too lazy to look it up for you)

With my brother in the house,I need it and its worked great.

I picked both of mine up at Home Depot. $260 or so, I forget exactly how much it was, but it was worth it IMHO.

 

[todbnla]

$260 Each, I suppose?

 

[JonZ]

yes (sorry for the delay in response)

 

[Janna S]

Ah, Jay, the joys of homeownership. I warned you - but it's worth it!

And now you understand a little better why I refuse to consider putting plumbing into my cabin in Talkeetna - having nothing plumbing-related to worry about up there (except the grizzly bears getting into the outhouse) makes for great peace of mind.

I do admit that visiting the outhouse at ten below zero (as it was there this past weekend) is a little tricky. No sudokos or catching up on the paper out there this time of year . . .

 

[Jay H]

Janna S: HAHAHAHAHA, you just made my day!

Are you saying I should forgo the indoor plumbing and install an outhouse? Heck, I've used many an outhouse in the woods and many of them are not pretty. Hopefully, finding one without a huge cone on it and not rat infested. However, there are a few "privies" (I won't call them outhouses) in the ADks and the Catskills where I know that are open air ones, with a fantastic view from it so you can do your Sudoku and enjoy the fresh air.


Then there's the one privy on Shandankan Brook in the Catskills near Margaretville, NY which has a METAL seat.... What happens in winter when your *ss gets stuck to the seat????

I'll stick to indoor plumbing no matter how mad I get at this thing.

Jay

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Man, i've truly seen everything here at the HTF now and it proves once and for all that one can gather info about ANYTHING on this wonderful site, your not only talking about toilets, but name brands, prices and model numbers!

 

[Jay H]

Yeah, and there are models with heated seats! And then there are seats that wont slam down:

http://www.totousa.com/ProductPage.asp?pid=138

According to Toto:


Now, does any organization (NTSB? National Toilet Safety Bureau?) keep statistics of how many Americans are injured by their toilet seat?

Dad: Son, how many times do I have to tell you, do NOT put your head on the bowl

Son: But dad, I was tired and it looked comfortable!

Dad: Son, if that toilet seat happens to obey gravity and crashes down upon your head, I'm not going to be the one to explain to your mommy, how you got a huge welt on the upside of your head. Now cut that out!

Son: OK dad.. I wont do it again

Dad: Good boy!

 

[DonnyD]

Nothing worse than a toilet problem.... but with a toilet being a simple mechanical siphon device, problems are usually NOT the toilet itself, but an install problem or flush valve and flapper problem. Problems with a new install is usually misalignment of the wax seal or refuse that fell in to the open line prior to the toilet install, therefore restricting the toilet from emptying into the drain line.

The there's the stuff some persons flush... once found few tampax neatly crowding in the trap area, a childs toy in another, just about everything..........

Pulling a toilet is no big deal..... just make sure you replace the wax seal with a new one! Toilet snakes are difficult to use sometimes are most of the time more trouble than actually pulling the toilet.

Good luck with your crapper......

 

[Jerry Almeida]

You have to get yourself a Ferguson, The King of Bowls. They only come in one color, white.



BaaWoosh!



Sorry, I'm a big Married With Children fan. :b