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Toilets

TeaSea

TeaSea

SOH-CM-2014
I'm fixing a toilet for the 4th time.....

I don't ever remember my dad having to repair toilets with the exception of unstopping them after my brother flushed GI JOE weapons down one....

Yet I'm fixing these things all the time.

Is it just me?
 
you can probably thank the new "low flow" toilets...
or should i call them "multi-flush" toilets...
the plumbers gold mine.
 
Cheap plastic parts is the source of the problem. Things break way too easy these days. Nothing is made to last longer than the blink of an eye....
 
You're not the only one that seems to have to play plumber more often in the last few decades.

I think that the water here in Puget Sound must be more acidic than where I grew up in Colorado as the ruber parts and even the metal parts in the tank all deteriate much faster than I recall back home.

We're in the process of remodeling the house and new high-speed, low-drag toilets are getting installed next week. Hopefully they will hold up better. My contractor swears they are the best thing short of a garbage disposal. We'll soon see.

We can all thank congress for the legislation requiring low flow toilets. Once again, unintended consequences rears its ugly head, and we still probably use nearly as much water to flush our waste products down the drain.
 
Jagdflieger said:
You're not the only one that seems to have to play plumber more often in the last few decades.

I think that the water here in Puget Sound must be more acidic than where I grew up in Colorado as the ruber parts and even the metal parts in the tank all deteriate much faster than I recall back home.

We're in the process of remodeling the house and new high-speed, low-drag toilets are getting installed next week. Hopefully they will hold up better. My contractor swears they are the best thing short of a garbage disposal. We'll soon see.

We can all thank congress for the legislation requiring low flow toilets. Once again, unintended consequences rears its ugly head, and we still probably use nearly as much water to flush our waste products down the drain.
Click to expand...

garbage disposals are HORRIBLE,,,i come from a family of plumbers..i started in summers when i was 12 and went fulltime at age 18 until i got hurt at age 32,,,disposals were our worst enimey,,,the things are worthless,,,people put rice down,potato peals,carrot and other things that DO NOT grind,,they mush and then reconsitute and plug up and cost you money...ofcourse they kept me drinking at the bar for years...and low volume toilets.....arrrrrrggggggg,,,they have that double flush thing..one for yellow one for brown HA!!! put two wads of paper in and hold the handle and then continue...waist waters...they need to just go back to a 5 gallon tank and 3 inch mouth,,,let it go instead of three flushes for 7 1/2 gallons through a 1 1/2 mouth..arrrg
 
I wouldn't have a dispose-all, no way, and since I currently have a septic tank, it's not an issue. As for toilet repairs, cheap plastic parts are part of the problem. The chlorine and chloramines used in public water systems are caustic to many grades of rubber and plastics. There are special formulas of rubber and plastic that are resistant to these chemicals.
 
stuartcox said:
About time you called in a professional...:icon_lol:
Click to expand...

I'd agree with you Stuart, but I'm repairing what the two separate professionals repaired. I'm telling you, toilets are made by alien life forms now.....it's all part of their invasion plans. The day will come when we're all in the privy trying to get these things to flush!

That's when they'll make their move.
 
TeaSea said:
I'd agree with you Stuart, but I'm repairing what the two separate professionals repaired. I'm telling you, toilets are made by alien life forms now.....it's all part of their invasion plans. The day will come when we're all in the privy trying to get these things to flush!

That's when they'll make their move.
Click to expand...

Just get ya a shovel, lumber, hammer, and nails, head out to the back yard and build one that don't need water or flushing!
 
Nothing last these days. Things are purposely manufactured to just get the other side of their warranty period. Or items that trying to get them replaced or fixed is just too much trouble. Things we have had to replace that were not even 5 years old.
1. Kettles - we've had 3 in that time.
2. Toasters - 2, and the current one (No.3) by Kitchen Aid of all people, the plastic knob just split, to get it repaired is one huge hassle of finding receipt, box it up and send back to the manufacturer not the store + paying postage blah blah. I'll wait for it to die a natural death which should be in about 6 months. They could not just mail me a spare knob, oh no that would be wrong.
3. In house Vac, died an ignominious death because we used it it wrongly, apparantly it was not designed to pick up sawdust from a minor repair to a window frame.
4. Stove - knobs fell off now held on with crazy glue.
5. Clothes Drier, committed Hari Kari on a fast spin.
6. Lawn mower (electric one) died a smokey melting death
7. Don't talk to me about George Foreman!

I could go on but I risk boring you all to death and this keyboard is approaching a mid life crisis.
My old mum bought a Hoover washing machine in 1960, she was still using it in 2001 when she died. Equally she "rented" a b/w "Baird" TV around then and she still had it up to around 1990 when I convinced her to buy a colour TV. She must have paid for that old black and white set a hundred times over.
 
Some petrol-heads say, that MB ceased making their wagons as robust as practically feasible after the W124 series. Might be true, seen high digits on them.
 
We installed one of those small toilets downstairs. Have to flush it twice to get everything down. Does not plug up, just uses a lot of water to do the same job.
 
TeaSea said:
I'd agree with you Stuart, but I'm repairing what the two separate professionals repaired. I'm telling you, toilets are made by alien life forms now.....it's all part of their invasion plans. The day will come when we're all in the privy trying to get these things to flush!

That's when they'll make their move.
Click to expand...


TeaSea , you have to go to Germany to sit on a good toilet . Just don't be sitting down when you flush it or they might be calling 911 to extract you !:icon_lol: I went TDY in the late 80's to Weisbaden(not sure correct spelling) and those babies were powerful .

Rich
 
Ohhh nearly forgot we moved in here 6 years ago, we have 3 bathrooms, every damned toilet has failed in one way or another. Two, the innards packed up, the one in the basement decided not to stop filling up one day when we were out, it attempted to fill up the entire basement. Flushing a newly reno'd basement aint fun. Oh and woe betide the innocent user of those blue dye pill thingies, they eat the seals inside given time. These were all new toilets and it's not like we have a tribe of Neanderthals living here overusing or being unduly rough with the darned things, just me and the Mrs.
Lifes full of these little inconveniences. Thank heaven for insurance companies. :icon_lol:

Next installment, Episode 2 - "Finding a contractor who is
a) vaguely familiar with building tools
b) not trying to rip you off
c) not trying to kill you with badly installed electrics.
d) has at least heard of building codes and regulations.
 
When we added on two extra bedrooms and a bath, all we could find was those low flush toilets. Yep, if you don't double flush, it won't do the job.
 
Hate installing toilets err. I live outside the Green Bay Metro area to the NW and yes I have my own outdoor Latrine. Just needs a heater in the winter:icon_lol:. Although mowing don't cost me a dime, let the neighbors donkey's and sheep mow the law:icon_lol:
 
Willy said:
When we added on two extra bedrooms and a bath, all we could find was those low flush toilets. Yep, if you don't double flush, it won't do the job.
Click to expand...

When we remodeled I got in contact with several local building contractors. Over a period of a few months I went to some of their demolition sites (normally farm homes) and looked over the toilets.

Ended up with two nice old toilets that refurbished nicely; look nice and when you flush the local water supply drops a couple of inches.
 
I just can't seem to muster up the energy to fix my main commode. The flapper quit sealing some months ago, and I picked up a kit to replace it when I was in Menards (building supply chain), but...

...I've been filling a pot and using it to flush for the past few months. :icon_lol:
 
Crusader said:
TeaSea , you have to go to Germany to sit on a good toilet . Just don't be sitting down when you flush it or they might be calling 911 to extract you !:icon_lol: I went TDY in the late 80's to Weisbaden(not sure correct spelling) and those babies were powerful .

Rich
Click to expand...

Actually, I've spent a decade of my life in Germany and yes...don't mess with the toilet. It will come get you....:jump:

I will say I don't remember EVER having to repair one, or even un-stop it.
 
n4gix said:
I just can't seem to muster up the energy to fix my main commode. The flapper quit sealing some months ago, and I picked up a kit to replace it when I was in Menards (building supply chain), but...

...I've been filling a pot and using it to flush for the past few months. :icon_lol:
Click to expand...

I should clarify that the issue I'm having is the insides leaking, which is the same thing as leaving your water running. The tank continually attempts to fill the bowl. This is the insidious little leak that you don't hear, but can see on the face of the water in the bowl. What's shocking is how much water this wastes. Since you won't necessarily catch it right away, your first indication is the jump in your water bill.

Even though we ride on a cushion of water here in my part of Floriduh, it's an expensive commodity and I hate to waste it. I've had repeated issues with this, and I agree that it's most likely the little cheap parts that break down easily.
 
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