# Solved: A plumber I am not: snake issues



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

Greetings. Here's the short story:
1) I think I have a toy in my toilet. It's flushing very slowly and we have to plunge it most of the time. All other drains in the house are fine.
2) I purchased a toilet snake. I can't get past the curve in the toilet drain(about 6-8in in). I've done searches and can find no one else with this problem. 

Please give any advice you have. I'm very close to pulling the toilet, and I don't really want to.

Is this snake just outsmarting me?


----------



## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

What kind of toy is it??

Depending upon what it is I could see it preventing a snake from going past it. 

I would be careful how aggressive you are with the snake. Or you might end up buying some new porcelain. If you twist around the snake and still no luck i would bite the bullets and take the toilet apart.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

wacor said:


> What kind of toy is it??
> 
> Depending upon what it is I could see it preventing a snake from going past it.
> 
> I would be careful how aggressive you are with the snake. Or you might end up buying some new porcelain. If you twist around the snake and still no luck i would bite the bullets and take the toilet apart.


I have no idea. My 2 year old niece and nephew were here a week ago, so it could be anything from a car to a stuffed animal

I think I may have to bite the bullet. I've twisted until I'm actually worn out, no dice.

Thanks for the help.


----------



## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

Good luck

I really is not that difficult of a job.


----------



## muppy03 (Jun 19, 2006)

flushing very slowly? do you mean going down the s bend or the water coming from the cistern?


----------



## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

If there is a toy or other blockage, its probably past the S bend and blocking the outlet before it gets to the main sewer lateral (hence the other drains still work).

If it is big enough to do that, the problem is unlikely to be fixed with a snake, all you may end up doing with the snake is forcing the blockage further into the drain where it may cause a problem with all the drains, not just the toilet.

There is often an inspection point beyond the toilet, in the point just after where the drain go underground. If not you might end up with one.

How old are the drains? Older clay pipes get blocked with tree-roots, plastic are much better in that regard.


----------



## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Sounds like your have to take the toilet up to get to it.


----------



## Knotbored (Jun 5, 2004)

Pulling up a toilet isn't as hard as it looks.
Buy a new wax gasket and a pair of new hold-down bolts. The bolts seem to almost always break, and they are cheap.
Turn off and disconnect the water supply line at the wall, flush to get rid of as much water as you can, dip out with a sponge whatever else you can (but be prepared for about a pint of water you cannot reach spilling on the floor.) Remove the caps over the hold-down bolts and rock the toilet looks from the floor (it might be glued down loosely with calk.)
If you are lucky the whole unit can be lifted clear, try to lift from the bottom half so the upper half gaskets aren't damaged.
Replace the wax gasket when reinstalling-don't reuse the old one-almost a guarantee it would leak.
Instructions are on the wax gasket-follow them closely.
I have replaced about 4 toilets and it wasn't difficult-about a half hour operation.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

Thanks for all of your inputs. I feel better now. I'm going to pull the toilet this weekend, and hopefully get this taken care of. I'm going with the assumption that the blockage is in the lower portion of the S. Hopefully, there are no root issues. I don't think there are, as this happened recently and not gradually.

Thanks for the tip on the wax seal and bolts also, I wouldn't have thought to buy those before removing the toilet.

I'll let you folks know how it goes, thanks again.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

muppy03 said:


> flushing very slowly? do you mean going down the s bend or the water coming from the cistern?


The S bend.


----------



## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

be careful when you bolt down the toilet

it is not that hard to break the flange the bolt hooks under or crack the toilet


----------



## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

Root issues do tend to happen suddenly, the root mass adheres to the inner surface of the clay pipes but when the mass gets big enough it dislodges and forms an almost impenetrable (to water) flap in the pipe.

But a rotary snake with a cutter tip fixes these real quick, lasts a few years.

We ended up renewing all drains with plastic for these exact reasons. Lots of trees and shrubs.


----------



## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

doubt it would be roots if there is only one toilet acting up. unless there are two leads that Y together into the mainline leaving the house out to the sewer main.


----------



## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

We had the exact issue a few years ago, the roots were in the line before the join to the rest of the drains, about 4' of pipe involved.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

kiwiguy said:


> We had the exact issue a few years ago, the roots were in the line before the join to the rest of the drains, about 4' of pipe involved.


The problem: one strategically wedged tinker toy. I found this out after I removed the toilet and looked into the snake drain. Fun fun.

This really wasn't a hard project. I do wish I wouldn't have cracked it on the reinstall. I feel like such an idiot right now. Oh well, it's a slow leak at least. Slow enough for me to try some caulk first...and eventually buy a new toilet I'm sure.

Take care.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

wacor said:


> be careful when you bolt down the toilet
> 
> it is not that hard to break the flange the bolt hooks under or crack the toilet


And I did listen Just not well enough, obviously-


----------



## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Well that is good you fixed it. What did you find down there?
But if you got a crack and a small leak I would replace the toilet soon. 
If water gets under the lino it will stain it and look really bad. Then if it is not on a slab but wood floors other added damage will start also.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Also, since the toilet is the trap, you now have escaping sewer gas. If water comes out, so can the gas.


----------



## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

ckphilli said:


> And I did listen Just not well enough, obviously-


Bet you don't do that a 2nd time. 

I can only warn. I can not prevent.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

hewee said:


> Well that is good you fixed it. What did you find down there?
> But if you got a crack and a small leak I would replace the toilet soon.
> If water gets under the lino it will stain it and look really bad. Then if it is not on a slab but wood floors other added damage will start also.


A tinker toy wheel. All this for a tinker toy wheel. I just bought a new toilet today, so all the worries will be over.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

wacor said:


> Bet you don't do that a 2nd time.
> 
> I can only warn. I can not prevent.


I most certainly won't be doing that a second time. Gentle turns, very gentle turns.


----------



## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

ckphilli said:


> I most certainly won't be doing that a second time. Gentle turns, very gentle turns.


You push down evenly to set the wax seal. then just a little snug of the nuts.  just to keep the toilet from rocking.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

wacor said:


> You push down evenly to set the wax seal. then just a little snug of the nuts.  just to keep the toilet from rocking.


One toilet successfully installed! No leaks! Now I can get on with my life.

You know, on the upside of this ordeal...now me and my Wife know that our family is the only one that's used this toilet....if there is an upside


----------



## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

ckphilli said:


> One toilet successfully installed! No leaks! Now I can get on with my life.
> 
> You know, on the upside of this ordeal...now me and my Wife know that our family is the only one that's used this toilet....if there is an upside


funny :up:

see now you know how to do it. 

i remember an old saying which my dad told me but regularly ignore it seems. never force it.


----------



## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

ckphilli said:


> One toilet successfully installed! No leaks! Now I can get on with my life.
> 
> You know, on the upside of this ordeal...now me and my Wife know that our family is the only one that's used this toilet....if there is an upside


So when guest come over you send then out to the backyard where you cracked toilet is that will have flowers growing out of it.


----------



## Knotbored (Jun 5, 2004)

I ran across this-another use for the old one.


----------



## ckphilli (Apr 29, 2006)

hewee said:


> So when guest come over you send then out to the backyard where you cracked toilet is that will have flowers growing out of it.


Yes, LOL. And it could double as a bird bath


----------



## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Yep and you got kids so they can play house out in the back yard.


----------

