John wrote:

Well I don't think he needs a hammer, but an after action report on
the old unit might prove interesting.

I would disassemble the tank from the bowl and invert the bowl on
the lawn. Using a garden hose, I would "snake the trap" to see if
there was anything stuck inside. My kid once dropped a plastic cap
that caused similar issues.

I could do that, but for the time being we kind of like the
incongruous garden planter. Maybe after awhile, we'll get tired of
it or someone will complain and I'll do a postmortem on the john.


Cracking the thing open with a very large hammer to discover the cause of
all the consternation was just an excuse.

The real reason is revenge.