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    duckwing's Avatar
    duckwing Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Nov 17, 2006, 07:12 PM
    Winterizing a Toilet
    I have two Eljer floor mount, pressure flush, rear discharge toilets that I need to properly winterize. I talked to Eljer customer service. They were no help. There are water jackets on the side of the bowl that froze and broke last year. An expensive lesson. Will repeated flushing of antifreeze fill all passages of this toilet and prevent winter damage?

    NOTE: THE SUGGESTIONS SO FAR ARE WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR USING RV WATER SYSTEM ANTI-FREEZE. THIS TOILET DESIGN HAS WATER JACKETS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BOWL. That's WHAT FROZE AND BROKE. DRAINING THE TANK AND FILLING/FLUSHING THE BOWL WITH ANTIFREEZE DID NOT PREVENT THE DAMAGE. ALL I GOT FROM ELJER WAS TO REMOVE THE BOWL AND DUMP ALL THE WATER OUT. THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY.
    dbek's Avatar
    dbek Posts: 74, Reputation: 4
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    #2

    Nov 17, 2006, 07:41 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by duckwing
    I have two Eljer floor mount, pressure flush, rear discharge toilets that I need to properly winterize. I talked to Eljer customer service. They were no help. There are water jackets on the side of the bowl that froze and broke last year. An expensive lesson. Will repeated flushing of antifreeze fill all passages of this toilet and prevent winter damage?
    My husband just winterized our toilets of another home we have. He drained the water and put antifreeze in them. Not sure if this helps any.
    andrewcocke's Avatar
    andrewcocke Posts: 439, Reputation: 22
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    #3

    Nov 17, 2006, 08:42 PM
    Antifreeze will keep it from freezing to a certain point, EPA might not like dumping antifreeze down the toilet, but I really haven't heard either way.

    Don't forget to drain the closet tank, and bleed your water pipes.
    letmetellu's Avatar
    letmetellu Posts: 3,151, Reputation: 317
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    #4

    Nov 17, 2006, 09:54 PM
    There is a liquid that is made for motor homes and RV's that you can use in the water system and then flush it is the summer and the water will the be drinkable. So with your pressure commode there may be a way that you can use this product for what you need. I don't know how cold it gets where you live but if the low is not below 20 degrees F the windshield washer water that you use in you car will withstand freezing down to that point. Be sure and read the protection point before buying, some do not protect that low.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
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    #5

    Nov 17, 2006, 11:31 PM
    One thing not to forget when you're "winterizing" a toilet is the gallon of water that's left in the trap. Whatever you pour in there, pour enough to flush the bowl . Just draining the tank and filling the bowl ain't going to get it.
    You have to pour enough in the bowl to make it flush. Then and only then will the toilet be "winterized" Good luck, Tom
    duckwing's Avatar
    duckwing Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #6

    Nov 19, 2006, 03:36 PM
    Winterizing a Toilet
    I'M POSTING THIS AGAIN. ALL THE CURRENT SUGGESTIONS ARE THE THINGS I DID LAST YEAR USING RV ANTIFREEZE. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS TOILET BOWL HAS WATER JACKETS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BOWL. THAT'S WHAT FROZE AND BROKE. ELJER COULD ONLY SUGGEST THAT I TAKE THE BOWL UP AND POUR OUT ALL THE WATER. SURELY THERE'S A BETTER WAY.

    I have two Eljer floor mount, pressure flush, rear discharge toilets that I need to properly winterize. I talked to Eljer customer service. They were no help. There are water jackets on the side of the bowl that froze and broke last year. An expensive lesson. Will repeated flushing of antifreeze fill all passages of this toilet and prevent winter damage?
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #7

    Nov 19, 2006, 04:41 PM
    I'm not familiar with the toilets in question.I've attempted to access the specs on the toilets you describe with no luck. How did the water get in there in the first place ? From the flush? If fact why is it in there at all? I can see no earthly reason to jacket a toilet bowl. However if the tank is what supplies the jackets, as you say, why not simply fill the tank up with anti-freeze and flush a few times.. If the manufacture can't give you a simple way to winterize the toilets other then pulling them and turning them upside down then that might be your best bet. Good luck, Tom
    duckwing's Avatar
    duckwing Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    May 12, 2007, 01:23 PM
    This flush system works by storing pressurized water in two small "tanks" within the main tank I finally decied that if I turned off the water supply then held the flush handle down, it would expell/drain all the water from the two small tanks. Then I removed all the water from the bowl which also removed the water from the jackets on the side of the bowl. RV anti freeze poured in to the main tank will run down through the jacket and fill the bowl. This seemed to work as the toilets did not freeze this winter.

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