Toilet bowl reality check
Comments (25)
Bunny
10 years agoRelated Discussions
toilet water high in bowl
Comments (2)Judging from your description that is an older 3.5gal/flush toilet. Try an experiment. Instead of flushing in the normal manner put 3.5gal of water in a bucket and pour it directly in the bowl and see if it flushes normally? If it flushes normally when you pour water directly in the bowl both the vent and drain lines are ok. The problem most likely is that the water from the tank is entering the bowl too slowly, which is a very common problem as the bowls age. Under the rim of the bowl there is a row of small holes where the water from the tank enters the bowl. As the bowl ages those holes become partially obstructed from mineral buildup or waste material from the bowl. You can don a pair of latex gloves, then take a small diameter drill bit, just slightly smaller than the holes and go around opening those holes so the water can flow out quicker and that should resolve the problem....See MoreSeptic System Problem - Reality Check Needed
Comments (34)no my tank definitely needed replacement. the output baffle was gone (corroded, dissolved). that could've been replaced with PVC, but the 2nd chamber manhole rim was also gone/corroded. so the lid fell in. at that point there was no effective way of keeping surface/rain water from flooding the tank and hence the field. ironically, my county health department did not require me to replace it. they flushed a dye pack, ran 50 gallons of water, and when the dye didn't surface in the field they said it "performed satisfactorily". of course they weren't here whenever we had heavy rains and effluent surfacing in the back yard. technically speaking, since my tank had no output baffle for (years maybe?) my field lines are probably clogged with debris to some extent. I'm keeping an eye on that. I have 9 lines each 100ft long. the first two drop boxes i opened and found what I can only describe as giant "sludged hair balls" clogging the lines - I could only clean out as far as I could reach (a very nasty job). the other 7 boxes were clean. with the new tank in place the last 5 lines stay completely dry all year whereas before they were all full of water all the time. in your case I'd put a hose in the tank and fill it -- this may take all day. then see if the water level drops back down - and how quickly it drops. measure the levels with a long stick. this will give you a sense for how much water may be leaking. if its a slow leak and not a big breach of the tank they can actually repair it - although that may not be a good long term fix. but replacement is a big nasty job that will destroy your back yard -- just know what you're getting into before you do that....See MoreReality check on my kitchen plan before I get in too deep
Comments (48)Re: cooktop on the island: I know you are starting to move away from this concept, but I want to emphasize how important I think it is NOT to have the cooktop on the island. This is from my experience, and I know everyone is different, but there is no way I would have the cooktop on the island simply from a safety standpoint. When my kids were younger, they sat at the island to do homework. They would have never felt comfortable sitting there if I was cooking. My mother had her cooktop on the island for 37 years, and she loved it, but the island was essentially a gigantic cooktop. She didn't do her prep there, and no one sat at the island while she cooked. Think of the times you are cooking and your oil spits. All it takes is one time...and your kids will never sit at the island again. And I wouldn't want them sitting there. Do you want your precious sweeties injured? No. Re: prep sink in the island even though you are not far from you main sink. My cutting board is in the island, and even though it is a mere 3-4 ft. from the garbage disposal, I remember the first time I used it thinking,"How do I get this crap over to the sink without making a mess on the floor?" Our house is 27 years old, and prep sinks weren't the thing in our area at the time it was built. There are times when I wish I had it, but if I would redo the kitchen, I wouldn't put one in, and here's why: our island is the perfect party magnet. Guests and family just love to hang out at the island when someone is cooking or just to socialize. When we have a large party, we use the island as a buffet table. I think I would just view the prep sink as being in the way in a situation like that. But that's me. Because we don't have a prep sink, the floor between the island and the sink can get dirtier than the rest of the kitchen. I joke that it's amazing how dirty the kitchen can get when you use it! But isn't that what kitchens are for? My mother washed her kitchen floor almost daily. But she made everything from scratch, plus she canned and froze her own vegetables and fruit. So if I have to wash that section of the floor more frequently than the rest, so be it. Another thing I would consider is the clean-up triangle. One plan had the clean-up area include the sink, DW, and table. But the refrigerator is a huge part of clean-up. There's a lot of 'stuff" you have to put away. Also think about your landing area for putting leftovers into containers. We use our, yes, you guessed it, island for this. We keep out containers in a cabinet in the island. I'm glad you are keeping an open mind about your plan. There are so many good ideas here. No kitchen plan is perfect. You're doing the right think by being more aware of your habits this week, so you can determine what your needs are. Oh, and one more thing. There are many things in our gorgeous, upscale kitchen, that are wrong, mostly due to placement. But after living her for 22 years, we have gotten so accustomed to it, that we would never spend the money to "make it right". Now that we are retired, we would rather use that money for travel. Just food for thought, no pun intended....See MoreSeptic owners: keeping toilet bowl clean?
Comments (56)I learned this trick from a guy on you tube and it works! My toilet was getting hard water rings, we have well/septic. The ring was impossible to remove. This guy said to pour white vinegar into the bowl, put on some rubber gloves, and make "spit balls" with toilet paper. You dip the TP into the vinegar in the bowl and then apply the soaking TP to the ring. Let is sit over night...sparkling clean in the morning. Just flush!...See More
anna_in_tx
10 years agoBunny
10 years agoanna_in_tx
10 years agoBunny
10 years agoanna_in_tx
10 years agoFrom my understanding, aim is not the issue. it is a combination of the way the water flows from the underside of the rim of the bowel and the way the water goes out of the toilet and pulls the solid out with it. The solid may actually rub or smear more against the sides of the bowl with the new designs and thus leave marks. Plus there is less water sitting in the bowel and less to wash the bowl out behind the solid. So it is a function of these new low flush designs that have to meet the government water restriction rules.
Putting one or two bricks in the toilet tank to displace the water was what we did in the late 70's and early 80's to conserve water in the 3 gal toilets. If I were to sell my house then I would have to make sure the toilets were maximum 1.6 gal because of the year it was built.
I am like you, I use the closest bathroom, so both bathrooms get equal share. I am short and really prefer a regular height round front toilet. I should probably install that in my MBR and install a comfort height elongated one in my second bath for guests.
Here is an ad on my local craigslist - toilets for $25. I'm going to check them out. I need to research restoring and maintaining a vintage toilet.
This post was edited by Anna_in_TX on Wed, Mar 19, 14 at 15:38
hunzi
10 years agoanna_in_tx
10 years agohunzi
10 years agoraehelen
10 years ago
suzanne_sl
10 years agoFive or six years ago we installed 2 new Caroma toilets. I think it was this one
We'd been to Australia where they are really common because that's where they're made. We loved the half/whole flush buttons on the top and the low water use. Because of the way the inside is built, an adult user poops right over the outlet. Streaking is not an issue, although it might be an issue with a small child, not sure. If someone has diarrhea, that can cause a clean-up, but that may be the case regardless of which toilet. It also has a slow-close lid! At the time we didn't know what "comfort height" meant, but now I wouldn't want to go back to the lower height. Wish I'd had "comfort height" when I had knee surgery!Here is a link that might be useful: Caroma toilets
Bunny
10 years agoanna_in_tx
10 years agodekeoboe
10 years agoDreamingoftheUP
10 years ago@Anna, be sure to check your home's rough-in and that of any used toilet you are considering. 12" is standard now, but there was also 10" and 14" (and who knows what other measurements in old installations).
If your rehab is done with permits, note that the inspector may not allow you to install an older toilet with high number of gallons per flush. My American Standard Cadet model from the 50's which I will be replacing is 5 GPF from what I've read. In the Chicago area, 1.6 GPF is required; toilets that work on less are optional, but we have a Great Lake from which to draw water from. I don't know about other areas of the country.
Also be careful on the seat. I believe there were some odd-ball designs over the years and availability might be a problem. For example, the Case Kidney style toilet which hunzi mentioned is a very nice one-piece that dates to the late 20's and early 30's but an exact fit seat is no longer available. Worse yet, for some models, the ballcock is no longer available.
herring_maven
10 years ago
williamsem
10 years agoBunny
10 years agoanna_in_tx
10 years agoraehelen
10 years agodebrak2008
10 years ago
dedtired
10 years agoanna_in_tx
10 years agoBunny
10 years ago
anna_in_tx