things you find when you pull a toilet up
#11
Over the course of years being a DIY kind of guy, I have had occasion to have to
pull up a toilet now and then. Today, it was to replace a leaky wax ring. Naturally,
as I had not done this one before, I found that the closet bolts were needing to
be replaced too.

 Not a problem. The fix did not involve a trip to the hardware store. Had the wax
ring and the new closet bolts waiting in the plumbing supplies box.  
( Yup, already wrote em on the to get list )

 Cleaning the mess around the flange I found something caught on it. Looked initially
like a clog of hair.  Nope.  It was part of a corn/straw BROOM.  
Remarkably "clean" for where I found it , ie, it was still readily identifiable as 
such. Full length of bristles, about an inch or two in "diameter."

How that toilet never clogged is beyond my understanding. We have lived here for
thirteen years and it has never been a problem.

What is the strangest thing YOU ever found?

And, who in their right mind would try to unstop a toilet with a broom????


Confused
Mark Singleton

Bene vivendo est optimum vindictae


The Laws of Physics do not care about your Politics   -  Me
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#12
Nice, just sweep the clog away right.

I have a son with Down Syndrome and Autism spectrum. We had a point in time where I was pulling the toilet almost every weekend for something. He flushed the toilet paper roll holder, a tube of tooth paste, a bottle of tooth paste, various toys, lots of cardboard and the like. Almost everything that was in the bathroom that would fit in the toilet. The worst thing though was a clear piece of flat semi-rigid plastic. It was blocking things up but I couldn't see it because it was clear and it held its position well. It took a bit to remove that clog.

I finally ended up getting a borescope (camera on a rope) so I could see if the clog was one that needed a plunger or if it needed a toilet removal.
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#13
Only thing for me was my toothbrush.  Probably dropped into the toilet by one of the kids.

One day it was just gone, I got a new toothbrush out.  Next day the toilet wasn't flushing.  Tried everything, finally yanked it and found my toothbrush.

I can't remember saying anything to either of them that would have made them do it on purpose, so figured it was accidental.

When my oldest daughter was just a toddler, she enjoyed tossing my car keys into the garbage.  We had employees and often my wife/daughter would be there for lunch.

Sometimes after everyone had tossed their lunch remains into the bag, my daughter would toss my keys in there.  About 6pm I'd be getting ready to head home, and when I couldn't find my keys, I knew exactly where they were.

I often had to go fish the bag from the dumpster.

I'd try to remember to keep my keys up high, but it seemed every time I was rushed and forgot, I'd have a date with lunch leftovers.
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#14
When boys were toddlers or a little better main toilet started not flushing solids without plunging but would flush liquids quite nicely.


finally gave up and pulled it.

Found a Pencil wedged in siphon area. Too deep for plunger, snake went right past.
Wink
"Truth is a highway leading to freedom"  --Kris Kristofferson

Wild Turkey
We may see the writing on the wall, but all we do is criticize the handwriting.
(joined 10/1999)
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#15
Got asked to look for a set of dentures once. Neither asked how nor found them. 
Got asked if the quart jar of big crab apples might have blocked a throne. Said I'll get my auger. Lots of toys, small bottles of women stuff, pens and a cell phone.
Blackhat

Bad experiences come from poor decisions. So do good stories. 


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#16
Had a tenant drop a visine bottle in snake wouldn't get it and when she finally admitted what happened I had her call a plumber because I was done.  She had to replace the toilet the guy said he couldn't get it out.  As for sewer line the oddest thing I found was 20' of redwood root that filled the pipe almost tight, no idea how it went so long before clogging.  I had to replace the entire line, the 20' moved to side of house remainder went beyond house and required a trench to get it done
Phydeaux said "Loving your enemy and doing good for those that hurt you does not preclude killing them if they make that necessary."


Phil Thien

women have trouble understanding Trump's MAGA theme because they had so little involvement in making America great the first time around.

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#17
I win. Not a win I want to have, tho.

HfH house, towards the end of my involvement. Was working as a paid punch list fixer, somehow most of the punch lists had not been done(7 years
Raised ).

Family had been in the home just under a year. Filed a complaint about a toilet that would not flush----the first month in the home---I get the ticket 11 months later.

Wait! It gets better.

They still tried using it, maybe weekly. For 11 months.

Wait! It gets better.

I had just bought a new Rigid wet/dry 16 gallon shop vac.

Yeah, broke it in on that job.

It gets better. After vacuuming out the contents, the toilet worked fine, no clog. I think there was a HUGE wad of TP clogging it up at the bottom of the bowl.

The chapter had run out of qualified applicants and lowered the standards for getting a new HfH home. The chapter had to repo six of the last ten we built. And extensively remodel four---all less than 15 months old.

And, the floor in the bathroom had to be replaced.
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#18
(09-11-2018, 01:36 PM)K. L McReynolds Wrote: I win. Not a win I want to have, tho.

HfH house, towards the end of my involvement. Was working as a paid punch list fixer, somehow most of the punch lists had not been done(7 years
Raised ).

Family had been in the home just under a year. Filed a complaint about a toilet that would not flush----the first month in the home---I get the ticket 11 months later.

Wait! It gets better.

They still tried using it, maybe weekly. For 11 months.

Wait! It gets better.

I had just bought a new Rigid wet/dry 16 gallon shop vac.

Yeah, broke it in on that job.

It gets better. After vacuuming out the contents, the toilet worked fine, no clog. I think there was a HUGE wad of TP clogging it up at the bottom of the bowl.

The chapter had run out of qualified applicants and lowered the standards for getting a new HfH home. The chapter had to repo six of the last ten we built. And extensively remodel four---all less than 15 months old.

And, the floor in the bathroom had to be replaced.

Yep, you win. 
Sick
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#19
(09-11-2018, 01:36 PM)K. L McReynolds Wrote: I win. Not a win I want to have, tho.

HfH house, towards the end of my involvement. Was working as a paid punch list fixer, somehow most of the punch lists had not been done(7 years
Raised ).

Family had been in the home just under a year. Filed a complaint about a toilet that would not flush----the first month in the home---I get the ticket 11 months later.

Wait! It gets better.

They still tried using it, maybe weekly. For 11 months.

Wait! It gets better.

I had just bought a new Rigid wet/dry 16 gallon shop vac.

Yeah, broke it in on that job.

It gets better. After vacuuming out the contents, the toilet worked fine, no clog. I think there was a HUGE wad of TP clogging it up at the bottom of the bowl.

The chapter had run out of qualified applicants and lowered the standards for getting a new HfH home. The chapter had to repo six of the last ten we built. And extensively remodel four---all less than 15 months old.

And, the floor in the bathroom had to be replaced.

You won nothing why the hell didn't you tell them to clear it before you started?  Free labor rarely involves cleaning up a mess to get started
Phydeaux said "Loving your enemy and doing good for those that hurt you does not preclude killing them if they make that necessary."


Phil Thien

women have trouble understanding Trump's MAGA theme because they had so little involvement in making America great the first time around.

Reply
#20
(09-11-2018, 10:36 PM)Bob10 Wrote: You won nothing why the hell didn't you tell them to clear it before you started?  Free labor rarely involves cleaning up a mess to get started

?????

I was being paid. And cleaning that mess was the job.
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