Hey folks. Need some advice before I have to call a plumber (or some
other drastic step). One of our toilets has started to back up, not
completely flushing the contents of the bowl (it hasn't overflowed,
yet). I plunged and plunged (using 2 different plungers!) and the
toilet still won't flush as it used to. At best, the water now just
swirls a bit, gets lower in the bowl (often leaving some remains of
the last use) and then starts to re-fill. Is a snake the next step?
Anyone got one I can borrow on the north side of Atlanta? ;-)

Thanks for any input...

Mike

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:35:48 -0700 (PDT), Mike
wrote:

Hey folks. Need some advice before I have to call a plumber (or some
other drastic step). One of our toilets has started to back up, not
completely flushing the contents of the bowl (it hasn't overflowed,
yet). I plunged and plunged (using 2 different plungers!) and the
toilet still won't flush as it used to. At best, the water now just
swirls a bit, gets lower in the bowl (often leaving some remains of
the last use) and then starts to re-fill. Is a snake the next step?
Anyone got one I can borrow on the north side of Atlanta? ;-)

Thanks for any input...

Mike

Do you have kids?

Man, you beat me to the punch... If he does, *anything* could be in there.
matchbox cars, entire rolls of tp, barbie dolls, you name it, none of 'em
friendly to the trap.

jc

Mike wrote:
Hey folks. Need some advice before I have to call a plumber (or some
other drastic step). One of our toilets has started to back up, not
completely flushing the contents of the bowl (it hasn't overflowed,
yet). I plunged and plunged (using 2 different plungers!) and the
toilet still won't flush as it used to. At best, the water now just
swirls a bit, gets lower in the bowl (often leaving some remains of
the last use) and then starts to re-fill. Is a snake the next step?
Anyone got one I can borrow on the north side of Atlanta? ;-)

Thanks for any input...

Mike

Pull the toilet. I have a rental apartment and last week the tenant told
me they had been plunging it for hours and had the result you described
and wasn't there some powerful way to clear the clog. I told him there
was a 99% chance someone dropped something into the toilet and any more
pushing will drive it into the sewer. They didn't believe me. When I
pulled the toilet there was a large plastic cap inside the trap that
couldn't quite make it (thankfully) into the sewer line.

"joe" wrote in
et:


wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:35:48 -0700 (PDT), Mike
wrote:

Hey folks. Need some advice before I have to call a plumber (or some
other drastic step). One of our toilets has started to back up, not
completely flushing the contents of the bowl (it hasn't overflowed,
yet). I plunged and plunged (using 2 different plungers!) and the
toilet still won't flush as it used to. At best, the water now just
swirls a bit, gets lower in the bowl (often leaving some remains of
the last use) and then starts to re-fill. Is a snake the next step?
Anyone got one I can borrow on the north side of Atlanta? ;-)

Thanks for any input...

Mike

Do you have kids?

Man, you beat me to the punch... If he does, *anything* could be in
there. matchbox cars, entire rolls of tp, barbie dolls, you name it,
none of 'em friendly to the trap.

Anyone lose a toothbrush lately? Definately something is in there that
could be removed with a snake, hopefully.

On Mar 19, 10:07*am, George wrote:
. When I
pulled the toilet there was a large plastic cap inside the trap that
couldn't quite make it (thankfully) into the sewer line.

Why thankfully? If it goes down the sewer line it's no longer a
problem, right?

"joe" wrote:


wrote in message

-snip-
Do you have kids?

Man, you beat me to the punch... If he does, *anything* could be in there.
matchbox cars, entire rolls of tp, barbie dolls, you name it, none of 'em
friendly to the trap.

My favorite was a tennis ball. Floats- avoids snakes- plugs tight
with water flow. Couldn't find it until I removed the toilet &
turned it upside down.

Jim

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:35:48 -0700 (PDT), Mike
wrote:

Hey folks. Need some advice before I have to call a plumber (or some
other drastic step). One of our toilets has started to back up, not
completely flushing the contents of the bowl (it hasn't overflowed,
yet). I plunged and plunged (using 2 different plungers!) and the
toilet still won't flush as it used to. At best, the water now just
swirls a bit, gets lower in the bowl (often leaving some remains of
the last use) and then starts to re-fill. Is a snake the next step?
Anyone got one I can borrow on the north side of Atlanta? ;-)

Septic tank or sewer? This time of year a septic could be
full/clogged.

I've got a snake & I'm just a few miles north of Atlanta-- just west
of Albany, NY.

Jim

On Mar 19, 9:57 am, wrote:
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:35:48 -0700 (PDT), Mike
wrote:

Hey folks. Need some advice before I have to call a plumber (or some
other drastic step). One of our toilets has started to back up, not
completely flushing the contents of the bowl (it hasn't overflowed,
yet). I plunged and plunged (using 2 different plungers!) and the
toilet still won't flush as it used to. At best, the water now just
swirls a bit, gets lower in the bowl (often leaving some remains of
the last use) and then starts to re-fill. Is a snake the next step?
Anyone got one I can borrow on the north side of Atlanta? ;-)

Thanks for any input...

Mike

Do you have kids?

Yes, 3 small ones, the oldest one (about to turn 4) goes through GOBS
of toilet paper. This particular toilet is on the main floor and is
the one the kids have the most access to. It's hard to say what might
be in there.

Someone in another reply to this question said to pull the toilet. Is
that something a non-plumber should attempt?

Someone else in yet another reply asked if it is sewer or septic.
It's hooked to a sewer system.

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Mike

On Mar 19, 1:06 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Thanks for any input...

Mike

You should first try using a closet auger before going on to a snake
and/or pulling the toilet.

They are cheap enough so you can own your own and it's less likely to
leave ugly scratches at the bottom of the bowl than an unguarded metal
snake cable run through the toilet.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=1280067

HTH,

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff! I will certainly try this before attempting to pull the
terlet.

Mike

Mike wrote:
Hey folks. Need some advice before I have to call a plumber (or some
other drastic step). One of our toilets has started to back up, not
completely flushing the contents of the bowl (it hasn't overflowed,
yet). I plunged and plunged (using 2 different plungers!) and the
toilet still won't flush as it used to. At best, the water now just
swirls a bit, gets lower in the bowl (often leaving some remains of
the last use) and then starts to re-fill. Is a snake the next step?
Anyone got one I can borrow on the north side of Atlanta? ;-)

Thanks for any input...

Mike


You should first try using a closet auger before going on to a snake
and/or pulling the toilet.

They are cheap enough so you can own your own and it's less likely to
leave ugly scratches at the bottom of the bowl than an unguarded metal
snake cable run through the toilet.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=1280067

HTH,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.