To steal a line from another website I read it appears I am a celebrated pooper. This tends to create certain unsettling issues with my post-pooping routine.
A normal person might:
[ol]
[li]Sit [/li][li]Poop[/li][li]Read[/li][li]Wipe [/li][li]Make Peace With Your Lord[/li][li]Stand[/li][li]Flush[/li][li]Spray [/li][li]Wash [/li][li]Exit [/li][/ol]
My routine, and I do mean routine, is as follows:
[ol]
[li]Sit [/li][li]Contemplate Life[/li][li]Poop[/li][li]Read[/li][li]Wipe [/li][li]Work Feeling Back Into Legs[/li][li]Stand[/li][li]Cross Fingers[/li][li]Flush[/li][li]Hope[/li][li]Curse[/li][li]Plunge[/li][li]Plunge[/li][li]Plunge[/li][li]Gag[/li][li]Flush Again[/li][li]Wash [/li][li]Exit [/li][/ol]
Now, while this is something all of us have come across, it’s getting ridiculous for my toilet. It’s not something that occurs elsewhere…well, not every time anyways…and I’m left wondering if there’s something wrong with my commode. The clogs tend to free up without too much trouble after putting the plunger to it, but it shouldn’t be a regular part of the routine.
So, how might one fix this? I’m sure I could try using a snake, but I’m not sure that’s going to help here. As I understand it snakes mainly fix persistent existing clogs, I’m not sure what it’d do to a drain that’s flowing freely but happens to be clog prone. Plus, I don’t exactly have one of these things handy. Are there alternative solutions? Could it be due to something other than a partially obstructed drain pipe? Is this the toilet equivalent of high cholesterol? Something more mechanical?
If it’s a partially clogged drain are that chemical solutions that work? Has anyone encountered the same problem? How the hell does the guts of one of these dohickeys work anyways and why does one clog and another not?
All advice, empathy, jokes, and pagan rituals are welcome.
I was able to diagnose the problem easily when analyzing the steps in your routine. The second scenario is missing item #5 from the first. If you don’t make peace with the Lord while taking dump, you cannot expect a quick and easy flush. That is your punishment. If you repent during your next defication, you should have no problems.
The humor of my name in this particular thread does not elude me, but I digress…
Is this a place you own or rent? Are you the sole owner of said commode?
The reason that I ask is because I’m the property manager of an apartment complex and have to deal with issues just like this all of the time. This particular dilemma smacks very similar to one I had to take care of just a few days ago. Woman moved in months ago. And from day one has had a problem with toilet operations. She was embarrassed to report the problem, thinking it was the size of her contributions to the urban sewer system and not necessarily a problem with the toilet itself that was causing the blockages. We removed toilet and low and behold the former tenant in that apartment, who was completely void of any intelligence, had flushed a full pair (hip to toe) of panty hose down the loo. Of course there it sat creating a stink for the following resident. I’m not sure a snake would have helped in this instance. Why do I share this story? Consider either taking the toilet off yourself or having someone else do it check for stuck ‘goods.’ I’d probably snake it first. Are the pipes metal or PVC? I wouldn’t snake it if their PVC, too much risk of leaks and broken pipes. To sum up, call a plumber.
Is this a daily affair or once a week?
Have you considered a change of diet to more vegetables less meat products and an overall reduction in food intake?
Try taking a stool softener before each meal.
Install new plumbing with 4" minimum constrictions throughout.
Assuming your situation does not fit any of the above, I would offer some observations:
First, it is possible you have roots slowing things down in your house-to-sewer part of the drainage system.
Second, it is possible that you have one of the newer low-flow toilets, which like mine, require an occasional plunge to get “things going.” However, in my case, it is very occasional, about once every two months. Nothing unusual in there, just happens.
Or, it could be a combo of the two, perhaps your drainage pipe is already marginal.
Just some possibilities, and good luck, I know doing the plunger thing with a load in the toilet is NOT what one wants after such a soul-satisfying experience!
FYI, this issue occurs probably 4 out of every 5 uses. So I’d say it’s somewhere in the general area code of daily. And while my offerings may be something to behold, other equipment I have had occasion to perch upon handles them more often than not.
I do indeed rent and I have made a maintenence request in the past. Since it’s not exactly something that’s easy demonstrate when it’s cleared, I’m assuming the repair guy just looked at it, flushed and walked away. I suppose I could call them back in and have them disassemble the sucker, but I was hoping something less substantial that I could try first.
Anyways, Squirt One Out, did you attempt to return said pantyhose to the prior resident? Perhaps the tennant wanted to hang on to them? They might have had sentimental value. My theory on how they ended up there…a guy lived there previously, had a somewhat successful evening at a local drinking establishment and returned with some sweet little blossom. Said flower, possibly due to the level of intoxication, had something of a mishap and soiled those hose. Well, it would be in poor taste to for this maiden to deposit the offending garment in the waistbasket of her male escort, so she improvised in the only other manner one might come up with.
Even more scandalous Omniscient, is the fact that the two former residents were college-aged women. The possiblities abound in your scenario, if you replace ‘him’ with ‘her’ and…nevermind. I didn’t try to return the pantyhose. I should have. Just tell the office that you’re toilet backs up every time you use it. Someone needs to snake it or pull it and check it to see if something is plugging it. That way when they write up the work order it says more than just ‘toilet backed up, check it.’
We had a similar problem in a house we rented many years ago. The house had sat vacent for about five years before we (a family of four) moved in. The toilet was fine if it was flushed rarely, but once our free-flowing family moved in, it backed up regularly. Right into the bathtub. We came to discover that the clay sewer pipe had broken. It was no longer up to the task of caring for an active family.
Once it was fixed, everything worked great. We lived there happily for two years.
One of the toilets in my place does this from time to time. Two extremely lazy strategies:
Reduce big payloads with multiple flushes - once before you’re done, then again after you’re all done.
If it does clog, let the clog soak and soften for a while (up to a day), then try flushing again. Obviously, not for everyone - depends on the size of the clog and an individual’s yuck-factor tolerance. Works best if the toilet lets one abort a flush by pushing up on the handle, because you’re probably going to have to abort the first couple attempts.
(Why do I put up with this? The repair-person at my apartment is a nasty little troll with a tendency to argue about what repairs are possible, called for, etc. I hate his guts. I call for maintenance as little as possible.)
Purchase a new toilet with a pressure-assisted flush, or the Toto GMax flushing system (which is what I have).
One flush, every time, never even close to clogging. And it’s low-flow also, so it’s good for the environment.
I’m in agreement with Squirts One Out on this one. The most likely scenario is a partially blocked drain. Common culprits are q-tips, quarters, ballpoint pens, paper towels, and feminine hygiene products or other flushable (Hah!) waste. I have personally seen all of the above do exactly what you are describing and a snake doesn’t work on many of them. The ball point pens are especially tricky. The toilet runs fine after being plunged, but will re-clog with almost any solid waste. The pens tend to float in the top of the trap and snag anything that comes through. Q-tips can do the same thing, and plunging will not always clear them. In some cases, the toilet had to be removed to clear the trap.
Try flushing a large wad of just toilet paper though after plunging. If it causes a backup, then you’ve probably got some blockage.
In addition to the possibility of a blockage, as others have already mentioned, it’s possible that the toilet at issue has a narrow drain/trap. I’ve been plagued by narrow trap toilets in the past. The toilets in my house are all original (about 50 years old), with nice big traps and enormous, water-wasting tanks. Never have a flushing problem. However, a few years ago my in-laws built a beach house, and every time I took my morning constitutional in that house, I created a clog. Brand new throne, and it would clog even before the introduction of paper into the bowl. When it came time for me to replace one of the toilets in my house, I did a little research and found the cheaper units had narrower drains and traps, for some reason. Suffice to say the replacement toilet in my house is well suited for a man-sized visit.
I have to mention, though- I’m intrigued by item #8 in the first list in the OP:
I worked as a factory janitor for several years. For several weeks, one particular toilet got clogged every day. Finally, the pipe fitter removed it. There was a hand-held electronic game wedged in the trap.
I didn’t try to return the pantyhose. I should have. Just tell the office that you’re toilet backs up every time you use it. Someone needs to snake it or pull it and check it to see if something is plugging it. That way when they write up the work order it says more than just ‘toilet backed up, check it.’