watchwolf49: Thanks for your reply.
It looks like I have a project on my hands tomorrow. It will work out one way or another.
Campaigner8
Hot water would take a long time to dissolve a bar of soap — even if it didn’t hurt the plumbing, it wouldn’t be really hot enough to jellify a bar. Were I you I would look into agents that dissolve soap.
A degreaser, caustic soda, or even vinegar ( which is improbably recommended for almost everything ) with baking soda, etc…
In Britain I would look first at Astonish cleaning products, because they are very cheap ( half the prices of the website ) and cruelty-free ---- their Grease-Off is one of the best products ever made of any type — but although they do have an American branch, they is probably not easy for most people to obtain. But even the listing may spark some ideas.
Vinegar and baking soda? … maybe we think that one through first … there might be some side effects using those two together …
Well, it’s recommended here, on StackExchange; but as indicated I am sceptical of claims for vinegar.
What bothers me about this claim of using vinegar … and I’m not making any opinions either way … just that vinegar is a fairly weak acid … and if this was effective … then a stronger acid would be better …
I’m not talking about 18 normal fuming hydrochloric acid … just the bleach stuff you can buy at the grocery store …
Please note the last comment in the link in Evan Drake’s post … none of these various potions or chemicals cleared the clog … he wound up having to cut the drain pipes open and all these nasties poured out … very bad … and thus a number of folks will recommend never pouring these harsh chemicals down your pipes to clear a clog … first of all, they don’t work all that well, once a small hole is made all the chemicals drain down leaving most of the clog in place only to reclog again soon after … and second anyone who cuts open in pipes to get at the clog proper is going to be splattered with lye, acid or whatever …
Every homeowner should have a drain snake on hand … they’re fairly cheap and are reasonably effective … again the problem is poking a small hole in the clog which quickly replugs … but often enough we can clear the clog completely such that it’s worth the thirty minutes to try …
If it doesn’t work … hire a profession … they’re good at what they do and have the special equipment to really clean out the pipes all the way to the sewer/tank …
The solution to the OP’s problem cost nothing, took seconds and was nowhere near the yukki part of the machine.
For awhile I didn’t get any clogs, then I got a clog so bad I had to call a plumber. After that it got clogged up fairly regularly. Not wanting to spend another $200 on a plumber I bought a pipe snake. It continued to get clogged fairly often. I tried Drano and Liquid plumber, but neither really seemed to help. Finally it stopped getting clogged up and hasn’t gotten clogged up in months. Maybe I knocked something lose with the pipe snake?
Zombie legs, most likely. :eek:
Try this next time you clear the toilet.
Flush it once to be sure it is clear. Take some TP and wrap it around your hand loosely to make a was of TP Flush it. Then repeat and flush. Then repeat and flush. If the toilet backs up then there is something in the toilet.
If an ink pen or truth brush is in the toilet it will cause it to back up. If you use a regular drain snake it may just slip right past the object. Get a toilet snake, bull snake, open snake and use it. The end is open and will grab the object break it so it can be pulled back.
If you can not get the object out this way then the toilet will have to be removed to remove the object.
This is the procedure I used in Hospitals, hotels, office buildings, and my home over the last 40+ years.
Q-tips are murder on a toilet. It amazed me some of the things my kids tried to flush:
Notebook paper
Whole kotex
Tampons.
Toys of all kinds
Food items
Toothpaste
Combs
Cat litter
Makeup brushes
And the dreaded Q-tips
I quit buying Q-tips for awhile after we pulled toilet up for the 3rd time.
Now my kids are all grown and gone, that bathroom rarely gets used.