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aboyle · Dec 17, 2008, 06:48 PM

To anyone who knows how to fix this problem:

About a month ago, a small pick (comb) was flushed down my toilet. It hasn't worked right since, and then about a week ago, the bowl overflowed and I have some serious carpentry damage to the floor below.

We called a plumber. He took the toilet off and I believe he power augered it and put a new seal on it. It worked OK at first and then is doing the same thing it is doing now.

Now, it will flush by letting the water get almost to the top of the bowl, it will slowly receed, until it barely covers the siphon jet. The plumbers came out again and closet snaked it. It worked great at first, and is now doing the same thing, filling to about the brim, slowly draining, and then barely filling.

The pick was never retrieved. He thinks that the pick is stuck in the trapway/weir? He suggested replacing the toilet itself. However, I'm not sure that it is stuck in the toilet still. Does anyone have suggestions??

twinkiedooter · Dec 17, 2008, 06:53 PM

I don't think the comb is stuck in the actual toilet itself but has probably gone farther down the line. If it was in the toilet, I am sure he would have dislodged it and had it mangled into pieces using an auger.

aboyle · Dec 17, 2008, 07:02 PM

That's what I thought because there would be no way that thing is still that far up. But the other toilets flush well in the house. It seems to be this one toilet. It shares a Line? With another toilet on the same floor, the one on the middle floor flushes OK and the basement flushes OK. So why is this 1 toilet giving me a hassle?

afaroo · Dec 17, 2008, 07:35 PM

When you flush the toilet does it "gurgle" if it does this indicates a vent problem, and if it "bubbles" indicates a blockage.
In your case it is most likely that you have a vent problem and needs to be snaked from the roof vent, one other thing if the wax is not installed properly you will have the same problem, good luck.

John

letmetellu · Dec 17, 2008, 08:09 PM

My suggestion is take the top off the tank so that you can control the water going into the bowl. Now was up a fairly large piece of toilet paper, about half the size of a tennis ball, now push the paper as far as you can into the trap way. Now flush the commode and let the water rise in the bowl but do not let it run over, you can drop the flapper down to stop the water form going into the bowl.
Now just let it set for a few minutes, if in a few minutes it flushes with force that probably means that the comb is no longer in the trap but if it goes down very slow that means the paper has hung up on something, if you have the skills take the commode up and outside now try to get a small rope through the commode, if you do then tie a hand towel onto the rope and then pull it back through the trap of the commode, if the comb is in there is should be pulled out with the towel. If not at least you are sure that there is no blockage in the bowl.

I hope this helps, please let me know.

ballengerb1 · Dec 17, 2008, 08:53 PM

I think the pick is still in the toilet. Toilets have integral traps built into them and the drain line gets smaller and smaller as it does its goose neck turns. The pick never could get past the tightest bend and there it lays collecting toilet paper. Rodding on gets the paper off the pick but leaves the pick behind. WI see 2 options. #1 Remove the toilet from the floor draining the tank completely, be prepared to catch another pint of water in the integral trap. Now comes the hard part, someone with very small hands and wrist can reach up from the bottom of the toilet and get to that really tight last turn, maybe they can snag it. Do you have kids who aren't sqeemish? #2 Keep the toilet where it is, Get a treble hook from a fishing buddy and put about 16" of heavy line on the hook tieing the loose end of the line around a stick or dole rod. Now flush the treble hook down and then pull back sharply. You might have to do this 10X but I think you will eventually snag it. You must let all of your line flush down so your hand is almost into the water. Tell me which one you select and how it worked.

Milo Dolezal · Dec 17, 2008, 11:05 PM

If the water gets all the way to the top immediately after you flush it - than the obstruction is within the china bowl. Since it is a comb, it will be hard to auger it out. Remove toilet and try to reach for it from the bottom up.

speedball1 · Dec 18, 2008, 07:26 AM

Now, it will flush by letting the water get almost to the top of the bowl, it will slowly receed, until it barely covers the siphon jet. The plumbers came out again and closet snaked it. It worked great at first, and is now doing the same thing, filling to about the brim, slowly draining, and then barely filling.

Milo nailed it with.

Remove toilet and try to reach for it from the bottom up

Pulling a toilet and going into the bottom to clear a obstruction is a dirty messy job best left to us dirty messy plumbers. Having said that.
If you have used a closet auger on it and it's still clogged, chances are you will find it in the bend of the trap in the bowl. Turn off the water at the angle stop. Sponge out the tank and bowl. Remove the closet bolts and lift straight up. Have a piece of cardboard to set it on. Now tilt it over on its side. Careful, you still have about a gallon of water left in the trap. Now take a coathanger, put a hook in it and go fishing up the bottom to see if you can hook the ,comb, ballpoint pen, pencil or whatevers caught up there. All you will need to reset the stool is a new wax seal. If your tub and lavatory drains OK and nothing backs up in your tub or shower then it's almost certain it's in the bowl. Good luck and thank you for rating my reply. TOM
Rating : 5

Missouri Bound · Dec 18, 2008, 10:42 PM

Does the toilet flush more quickly with just water than with paper and / or waste? If the obstruction is in the bowl (and I'll bet it is) water will flush reasonably well, but paper will get stuck. A thourough plunging will usually dislodge the paper, and the toilet will flush OK until the next time paper is used. Does this scenario seem to apply?

Milo Dolezal · Dec 19, 2008, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Missouri Bound

Does the toilet flush more quickly with just water than with paper and / or waste? If the obstruction is in the bowl (and I'll bet it is) water will flush reasonably well, but paper will get stuck. A thourough plunging will usually dislodge the paper, and the toilet will flush ok until the next time paper is used. Does this scenario seem to apply?

Here is what happens with comb inside the toilet trap: you will flush papers, papers will wrap around the comb and enclose the trap area. Water will flow around it OK, but solids will not...

mygirlsdad77 · Dec 19, 2008, 05:17 PM

Hope you can get this fixed yourself by using the methods described above. May take some time but its free.

If you can't get the comb out, and decide to call another plumber in, I would recommend just replacing toilet. You can get a new toilet(nothing fancy) for around 85 bucks. If the plumber spends more time trying to get the comb out, it may cost more in labor than the toilet is worth. This only applies if you can say for sure that the toilet is the problem. If you do decide to replace toilet, you can do it yourself very simply. I would start by removing toilet, dump a five gallon bucket of water down toilet drain as fast as possible, and see if the water goes down as fast as you can poor it. It it doesn't back up at all, then work your toilet over as described above. If still can't retrieve obstuction(comb) from toilet, install new toilet.

If you decide to install new comode, break old one with a hammer(be smart about it, do it where the porcelin won't be a problem cleaning up, and be very careful not to cut yourself or others.) When you break the toilet, you will most likely find the comb. Please let us know what you find, and what you decide. Good luck, Take care and Merry Christmas.

ballengerb1 · Dec 19, 2008, 05:25 PM

If you have any handiness, if that's a word, a plumber is not needed for the retrieval or even a replacement toilet. I really need to restate my post #6. Do not replace that toilet until you have tried the treble hook on a line many times, cheap, easy, effective. The comb is not really wedged in place, the pipe just gets smaller so the comb is not hard to snag with a treble hook.

VIII2368 · Dec 19, 2008, 06:14 PM

Follow mygirlsdad77 advice. This happened to me once. A jambo leggo piece was floating in the trap. Replace with new .ok.

mygirlsdad77 · Dec 20, 2008, 02:54 PM

Just to clarify. I only recommend replacing toilet, after you have tried all above suggestions. Good luck.

Thanks for the backup VIII2368. Replacing toilet is a fairly inexpensive fix. I do hope they can get the comb out of the old toilet, that would be even better. We shall see what they find and decide.

Pivoman · Dec 22, 2008, 11:38 PM

First and foremost, DITCH THIS PLUMBER, HE'S TRYING TO SELL YOU A NEW TOILET PLUS INSTALLATION... You have two options, #1 remove the toilet, gently put it on it's side. Use a piece of garden hose, it's pliable and it won't scratch the porcelain. Push this back and forth until this pick dislodges itself. If that's not the solution... You need to either rod the waste line yourself or hire a professional. BY ALL MEANS DO NOT CALL THAT PLUMBER BACK...