CentennialDude
New Member
So, we got back from the holidays to find that the 'cat-sitter/house-sitter' unknowingly tried to flush 'scoopable cat litter' (that clumping crap) down the toilet in the downstairs bathroom... Apparently (since she does not have cats herself) she was not aware that:
1.) You NEVER put litter of any amount - even the little bit that adheres to feces - and try to flush it down the toilet .... (surprisingly , I guess this had to be explained 'better' ...)
and then:
2.) NEVER, NEVER , NEVER ever attempt this with any amount of clumping cat litter to ANY degree whatsoever... (again, THIS had to be explained..?)
I mean, damn, people... I'm pretty certain my wife explained this all to her when she showed her where the cat litter was, as well as where it was supposed to be disposed of... And what the H*** happened with the standard old clay stuff we ALWAYS use rather than that damnable clumping crap ...? My God there is still a 25 lb bag of the dustless clay stuff on the back porch ... right where we showed her ... in the event she had to change the litter (... but over a course of just three or four days, why would that be necessary..?) .. And even so, WHY did she then go buy the damned scoopable stuff, in any event ...(?)
So... today we pulled the toilet and did "the hose trick", thinking it might be an obstruction in the 18" section of the drain line branch, but even after the family member (who is a plumber-type for Roto-Rooter) came and blade-cleaned that 18" long branch off the main sanitary drain, this old American Standard 'high-flush' toilet is still very 'slow', and it certainly was NOT working like this just prior to our "Helpful-Hannah" baby-sitting the cats.
FYI: We chose to replace this old toilet in our 84 year-old house some number of years ago, and at the time I specifically obtained a 'high flush rate' (what are these old American Standards'..? Like < 2.3 GPF..?) since it IS downstairs in the basement and this was most probably necessary, even if it is now connected to our 4-year old, "brand new" sewer line that extends over 150 ft. out to the sewer line in the street (BTW: $39,879 to do that 5" line @ 160 ft. just 4 years ago). So, at the time my thought was this old 'standard flush' from the local "Re-Store" was just the ticket since, in essence, this was the type that has been in this basement for probably over 50 years when the drain was 3 ft. sections of red clay tile... (Oh, BTW: the new line we did 4 years ago? It's has a "100-year warranty" from ARS/Rescue Rooter and is pretty much "all downhill" from the house in the center of the block to the newly replaced (and truly massively HUGE) sewer line under the center of the street (...now THAT was something to see the city install, lemme tell ya. Never saw anything like that before ...).
Of note: None of the other toilets or drains are in any way 'slow' except for this toilet in the basement which now flushes as if there is some form of obstruction within the toilet itself, so I have to surmise the clumping crap is deposited inside the convoluted drain in this toilet, so...
My question: is there any means to clean this crap out of there, or do I just go buy another 'high-flush-rate' toilet and dispose of this one..? I even thought about pouring a dilute solution of Muriatic acid into the otherwise emptied toilet drain throat - and waiting like 2-3 minutes and then flush the hail out of it (knowing that Muriatic acid will most probably 'scar' the inside drain surfaces of the toilet if it stands too long), but I thought that MAYBE, if I was cautious and acknowledging of this fact, and did this a couple of times with a mind that flushing it with buckets and buckets of water, it MIGHT clear this to a 'better point' ...(?) Or am I fooling myself again..?
Oh, and another note: what brings me to surmise it is clumping litter deposited along the sides or 'valleys' of the drain from the bowl, is that, if I simply place a plunger in the bowl of the toilet as I flush it ... but not actually "plunge" it ... It flushes like 'normal'... I figure that the displacement of water by the presence of the plunger 'bell' then makes the water level rise during the flush and (in my mind's eye) allows a 'more normal' flush to occur...
But again... I'm probably just fooling myself once again...
DAMN..!!! I knew we should NOT have gone out of town, let alone ask "Helpful-Hannah" to 'cat-sit'... DAMMIT!
1.) You NEVER put litter of any amount - even the little bit that adheres to feces - and try to flush it down the toilet .... (surprisingly , I guess this had to be explained 'better' ...)
and then:
2.) NEVER, NEVER , NEVER ever attempt this with any amount of clumping cat litter to ANY degree whatsoever... (again, THIS had to be explained..?)
I mean, damn, people... I'm pretty certain my wife explained this all to her when she showed her where the cat litter was, as well as where it was supposed to be disposed of... And what the H*** happened with the standard old clay stuff we ALWAYS use rather than that damnable clumping crap ...? My God there is still a 25 lb bag of the dustless clay stuff on the back porch ... right where we showed her ... in the event she had to change the litter (... but over a course of just three or four days, why would that be necessary..?) .. And even so, WHY did she then go buy the damned scoopable stuff, in any event ...(?)
So... today we pulled the toilet and did "the hose trick", thinking it might be an obstruction in the 18" section of the drain line branch, but even after the family member (who is a plumber-type for Roto-Rooter) came and blade-cleaned that 18" long branch off the main sanitary drain, this old American Standard 'high-flush' toilet is still very 'slow', and it certainly was NOT working like this just prior to our "Helpful-Hannah" baby-sitting the cats.
FYI: We chose to replace this old toilet in our 84 year-old house some number of years ago, and at the time I specifically obtained a 'high flush rate' (what are these old American Standards'..? Like < 2.3 GPF..?) since it IS downstairs in the basement and this was most probably necessary, even if it is now connected to our 4-year old, "brand new" sewer line that extends over 150 ft. out to the sewer line in the street (BTW: $39,879 to do that 5" line @ 160 ft. just 4 years ago). So, at the time my thought was this old 'standard flush' from the local "Re-Store" was just the ticket since, in essence, this was the type that has been in this basement for probably over 50 years when the drain was 3 ft. sections of red clay tile... (Oh, BTW: the new line we did 4 years ago? It's has a "100-year warranty" from ARS/Rescue Rooter and is pretty much "all downhill" from the house in the center of the block to the newly replaced (and truly massively HUGE) sewer line under the center of the street (...now THAT was something to see the city install, lemme tell ya. Never saw anything like that before ...).
Of note: None of the other toilets or drains are in any way 'slow' except for this toilet in the basement which now flushes as if there is some form of obstruction within the toilet itself, so I have to surmise the clumping crap is deposited inside the convoluted drain in this toilet, so...
My question: is there any means to clean this crap out of there, or do I just go buy another 'high-flush-rate' toilet and dispose of this one..? I even thought about pouring a dilute solution of Muriatic acid into the otherwise emptied toilet drain throat - and waiting like 2-3 minutes and then flush the hail out of it (knowing that Muriatic acid will most probably 'scar' the inside drain surfaces of the toilet if it stands too long), but I thought that MAYBE, if I was cautious and acknowledging of this fact, and did this a couple of times with a mind that flushing it with buckets and buckets of water, it MIGHT clear this to a 'better point' ...(?) Or am I fooling myself again..?
Oh, and another note: what brings me to surmise it is clumping litter deposited along the sides or 'valleys' of the drain from the bowl, is that, if I simply place a plunger in the bowl of the toilet as I flush it ... but not actually "plunge" it ... It flushes like 'normal'... I figure that the displacement of water by the presence of the plunger 'bell' then makes the water level rise during the flush and (in my mind's eye) allows a 'more normal' flush to occur...
But again... I'm probably just fooling myself once again...
DAMN..!!! I knew we should NOT have gone out of town, let alone ask "Helpful-Hannah" to 'cat-sit'... DAMMIT!
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