The good folks of alt.home.repair have been seeing me through my
toilet crisis for a few days now, and I'm pleased to report that it's
fixed! To make a long story short, the most heavily used toilet in
our house started flushing slowly and backing up a few days ago. I
plunged and plunged to no avail. It was recommended that I try a
closet auger which I did and still, the problem remained. Several
people told me to pull the toilet and I admit, I was reluctant about
doing that as I've never done it before. Well, today I did it. I
pulled the SOB. I got all the water out, disco-d the water line and
then reached as far as I could into the toilet to see if I could feel
anything (and maybe save some trouble). Alas, I couldn't feel
anything in there. So I unscrewed the bolts from the floor and tilted
it up while looking down at the base. I saw something hanging out. I
couldn't tell what it was at first. I wiggled around and got to the
point where I could lean the entire toilet gently against the while
while I examined the bottom. As it turns out, it was a half-eaten
banana and it's peel. I think the banana would have gone down w/o the
peel, but the peel evidently got somehow tangled up and it wasn't
going anywhere without being pulled. I was relieved that the problem
was so easily solved. I then dragged the toilet out to the front yard
and went back in. I talked the wife into touching up the paint behind
the toilet (thanks to someone here for suggesting that) while I took a
hanger and worked over the holes around the inside of the rim (someone
else suggested that), Then I got all the old wax off the flange. I
went back outside and was hosing off the entire toilet when I decided
I wanted to put a new seat on it. (It's a hassle to install a seat on
this toilet while it's in place as it's close to a wall on one side).
So I popped up to Home D. and got a new seat (two actually, one for
the guest bathroom upstairs), got home, and put it on. At this point
my father-in-law helped me put the new wax seal on the bottom of the
toilet. He smashed it onto the toilet around the edges of the seal
using his thumbs and got a good seal on it. We carried it inside
together and seated it on the flange and gently rocked it back and
forth, then front to back. Then I put the bolts and tightened 'em up
a bit. The bolts (new ones that come w/ the wax seal) had a snap-off
piece as they were long, so I snapped off the top and, sadly, the
bolts are still too tall to snap the little bolt covers on. That's
the only hitch I ran into. I'll hacksaw more off those bolts at some
point in time. Anyway, I re-connected the water and invited the wife
to take it for a test drive (I requested #1 only, hehe). I said, call
me in so I can watch it flush. It flushed like a new toilet. I was
thrilled!

In closing, I'd like to thank all the folks here who gave me info,
advice, and in the case of Salty, a kick in the butt!

Mike

What did you do to the person who flushed the banana peel? )

A Timex watch won't plug the toilet. One of the medium sized plastic rings
from a stacking baby toy will )

Norminn wrote:
What did you do to the person who flushed the banana peel? )


Salty (the dog) got a kick in the butt.

On Mar 22, 5:50 pm, wrote:
On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:16:32 -0700 (PDT), Mike wrote:
The good folks of alt.home.repair have been seeing me through my
toilet crisis for a few days now, and I'm pleased to report that it's
fixed! To make a long story short, the most heavily used toilet in
our house started flushing slowly and backing up a few days ago. I
plunged and plunged to no avail. It was recommended that I try a
closet auger which I did and still, the problem remained. Several
people told me to pull the toilet and I admit, I was reluctant about
doing that as I've never done it before. Well, today I did it. I
pulled the SOB. I got all the water out, disco-d the water line and
then reached as far as I could into the toilet to see if I could feel
anything (and maybe save some trouble). Alas, I couldn't feel
anything in there. So I unscrewed the bolts from the floor and tilted
it up while looking down at the base. I saw something hanging out. I
couldn't tell what it was at first. I wiggled around and got to the
point where I could lean the entire toilet gently against the while
while I examined the bottom. As it turns out, it was a half-eaten
banana and it's peel. I think the banana would have gone down w/o the
peel, but the peel evidently got somehow tangled up and it wasn't
going anywhere without being pulled. I was relieved that the problem
was so easily solved. I then dragged the toilet out to the front yard
and went back in. I talked the wife into touching up the paint behind
the toilet (thanks to someone here for suggesting that) while I took a
hanger and worked over the holes around the inside of the rim (someone
else suggested that), Then I got all the old wax off the flange. I
went back outside and was hosing off the entire toilet when I decided
I wanted to put a new seat on it. (It's a hassle to install a seat on
this toilet while it's in place as it's close to a wall on one side).
So I popped up to Home D. and got a new seat (two actually, one for
the guest bathroom upstairs), got home, and put it on. At this point
my father-in-law helped me put the new wax seal on the bottom of the
toilet. He smashed it onto the toilet around the edges of the seal
using his thumbs and got a good seal on it. We carried it inside
together and seated it on the flange and gently rocked it back and
forth, then front to back. Then I put the bolts and tightened 'em up
a bit. The bolts (new ones that come w/ the wax seal) had a snap-off
piece as they were long, so I snapped off the top and, sadly, the
bolts are still too tall to snap the little bolt covers on. That's
the only hitch I ran into. I'll hacksaw more off those bolts at some
point in time. Anyway, I re-connected the water and invited the wife
to take it for a test drive (I requested #1 only, hehe). I said, call
me in so I can watch it flush. It flushed like a new toilet. I was
thrilled!

In closing, I'd like to thank all the folks here who gave me info,
advice, and in the case of Salty, a kick in the butt!

Mike

HEY! You finally did what I told you to do from the get go, and it worked. So I
get a kick in the butt? Doesn't seem fair!

Glad it all worked out.

I think he was thanking you for the kick you gave him..........

Mike wrote:
The good folks of alt.home.repair have been seeing me through my
toilet crisis for a few days now, and I'm pleased to report that it's
fixed! To make a long story short, the most heavily used toilet in
our house started flushing slowly and backing up a few days ago. I
plunged and plunged to no avail. It was recommended that I try a
closet auger which I did and still, the problem remained. Several
people told me to pull the toilet and I admit, I was reluctant about
doing that as I've never done it before. Well, today I did it. I
pulled the SOB. I got all the water out, disco-d the water line and
then reached as far as I could into the toilet to see if I could feel
anything (and maybe save some trouble). Alas, I couldn't feel
anything in there. So I unscrewed the bolts from the floor and tilted
it up while looking down at the base. I saw something hanging out. I
couldn't tell what it was at first. I wiggled around and got to the
point where I could lean the entire toilet gently against the while
while I examined the bottom. As it turns out, it was a half-eaten
banana and it's peel. I think the banana would have gone down w/o the
peel, but the peel evidently got somehow tangled up and it wasn't
going anywhere without being pulled. I was relieved that the problem
was so easily solved. I then dragged the toilet out to the front yard
and went back in. I talked the wife into touching up the paint behind
the toilet (thanks to someone here for suggesting that) while I took a
hanger and worked over the holes around the inside of the rim (someone
else suggested that), Then I got all the old wax off the flange. I
went back outside and was hosing off the entire toilet when I decided
I wanted to put a new seat on it. (It's a hassle to install a seat on
this toilet while it's in place as it's close to a wall on one side).
So I popped up to Home D. and got a new seat (two actually, one for
the guest bathroom upstairs), got home, and put it on. At this point
my father-in-law helped me put the new wax seal on the bottom of the
toilet. He smashed it onto the toilet around the edges of the seal
using his thumbs and got a good seal on it. We carried it inside
together and seated it on the flange and gently rocked it back and
forth, then front to back. Then I put the bolts and tightened 'em up
a bit. The bolts (new ones that come w/ the wax seal) had a snap-off
piece as they were long, so I snapped off the top and, sadly, the
bolts are still too tall to snap the little bolt covers on. That's
the only hitch I ran into. I'll hacksaw more off those bolts at some
point in time. Anyway, I re-connected the water and invited the wife
to take it for a test drive (I requested #1 only, hehe). I said, call
me in so I can watch it flush. It flushed like a new toilet. I was
thrilled!

In closing, I'd like to thank all the folks here who gave me info,
advice, and in the case of Salty, a kick in the butt!

Mike

For what it is worth, a Dremmel tool is very good at cutting off the
excess length of the bolts. If you have one, it is much easier than a
hacksaw.

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:06:16 -0600, Ken wrote:


For what it is worth, a Dremmel tool is very good at cutting off the
excess length of the bolts. If you have one, it is much easier than a
hacksaw.

What about a hacksaw with the blade in so it's horizontal when the saw
is vertical?

On Mar 22, 9:33 pm, mm wrote:
On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:06:16 -0600, Ken wrote:

For what it is worth, a Dremmel tool is very good at cutting off the
excess length of the bolts. If you have one, it is much easier than a
hacksaw.

What about a hacksaw with the blade in so it's horizontal when the saw
is vertical?

One of these works really well:

http://www.mobilemart.com/product.aspx?sku=49303

JK

Ken wrote:
Mike wrote:
The good folks of alt.home.repair have been seeing me through my
toilet crisis for a few days now, and I'm pleased to report that it's
(snip)

can watch it flush. It flushed like a new toilet. I was
thrilled!

In closing, I'd like to thank all the folks here who gave me info,
advice, and in the case of Salty, a kick in the butt!

Mike

For what it is worth, a Dremmel tool is very good at cutting off the
excess length of the bolts. If you have one, it is much easier than a
hacksaw.

Amen to that- ran into exact same problem, and discovered how hard it is
to get on those brass bolts with a hacksaw in a confined space, trying
not to nick the china. Cut them too long, and caps would not fit on.
Filed for hours with a draw file, until the caps barely seated. Been
meaning to go back in there with a small cupped grinder on a drill, but
always seem to find something more interesting to do.

I'll try to remember the dremel, if and when I ever need to pull a potty
again. I probably oughta buy a generic dremel next time the big-box has
them on sale, just for the blue-moon projects like this. Don't need it
often, but when you do, nothing else works as well.

aem sends...

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:06:16 -0600, Ken wrote:

-snip-
For what it is worth, a Dremmel tool is very good at cutting off the
excess length of the bolts. If you have one, it is much easier than a
hacksaw.

Amen! And if you don't have a Dremel- then nows the time. Next to
the compressor, the little Dremel might be the handiest all 'round
tool in my shop.

Get a real Dremel- it will outlast you. But I've had good luck with
knockoff bits and cutoff wheels.
I bought one of the giant boxes of discs, sanders, etc at Harbor
Freight- a couple hundred pieces for $20. They seem to work
alright. Those disks are the handiest thing to cut off bolts, rivets
or whatever in hard to get at places.

Jim

The Dremel is handy but the little bits are pricey and die a quick death.
For cutting bolts my first choice is a cut off wheel on a HF hand grinder.


--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.


"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:06:16 -0600, Ken wrote:

-snip-
For what it is worth, a Dremmel tool is very good at cutting off the
excess length of the bolts. If you have one, it is much easier than a
hacksaw.

Amen! And if you don't have a Dremel- then nows the time. Next to
the compressor, the little Dremel might be the handiest all 'round
tool in my shop.

Get a real Dremel- it will outlast you. But I've had good luck with
knockoff bits and cutoff wheels.
I bought one of the giant boxes of discs, sanders, etc at Harbor
Freight- a couple hundred pieces for $20. They seem to work
alright. Those disks are the handiest thing to cut off bolts, rivets
or whatever in hard to get at places.

Jim

On Mar 22, 10:57 pm, aemeijers wrote:
Ken wrote:

For what it is worth, a Dremmel tool is very good at cutting off the
excess length of the bolts. If you have one, it is much easier than a
hacksaw.

Amen to that- ran into exact same problem, and discovered how hard it is
to get on those brass bolts with a hacksaw in a confined space, trying
not to nick the china.

Try test fitting, marking, then cutting them with whatever before
installation, or use the old ones as a reference.
-----

- gpsman

gpsman wrote:
On Mar 22, 10:57 pm, aemeijers wrote:
Ken wrote:

For what it is worth, a Dremmel tool is very good at cutting off the
excess length of the bolts. If you have one, it is much easier than a
hacksaw.
Amen to that- ran into exact same problem, and discovered how hard it is
to get on those brass bolts with a hacksaw in a confined space, trying
not to nick the china.

Try test fitting, marking, then cutting them with whatever before
installation, or use the old ones as a reference.
-----

- gpsman

Chuckle. I actually did try to do that- but I was a little pressed for
time, as I was dragooning the flooring guy into helping me spot the
thing before he drove away. Small alcove, no way to lift and steer at
the same time, etc. (I didn't seperate bowl and tank.) I lifted, he
steered the bolts into the slots. Floor was taller, so I couldn't just
match the old ones. I broke off the new bolts at the logical thin spot,
but they were still about 3/16 too long.

Next time, I'll use a wad of plumbers putty to keep the bolts upright,
instead of balancing them ever-so-gently and trying to drop the WC on
top of them.

--
aem sends...

On Mar 23, 3:32 pm, aemeijers wrote:


- gpsman

Chuckle. I actually did try to do that-

Next time, I'll use a wad of plumbers putty to keep the bolts upright,
instead of balancing them ever-so-gently and trying to drop the WC on
top of them.

Wax seal instructions say to put the ring on the toilet. Disregard.
Put the ring on the floor and press the bolts into the ID of the ring
to hold them upright.

Nothing succeeds like success!

Good for you, Mike.

Jeff

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


Mike wrote:
The good folks of alt.home.repair have been seeing me through my
toilet crisis for a few days now, and I'm pleased to report that it's
fixed!
snipped



In closing, I'd like to thank all the folks here who gave me info,
advice, and in the case of Salty, a kick in the butt!

Mike