Boyfriend = plumber

January 17, 2006 10:27 AM

GirlfriendFlushedHerTubeOfDeodorantDownTheCanFilter: Toilet clogged. As the statistically significant other, I have been enlisted to fix the problem.

One stick of solid deodorant or anti-perspirant... I'll update the thread when I find out which one it is :) Floor-drain toilet. Will flow, but very slowly--definitely impeded. Other drains on the same level flow fine, so I assume the clog is still fairly local to the toilet. I can't reach the clog with my hand.

The options I am considering:
a) trying to suck it back into the bowl with a plunger
b) pull the toilet off and investigate

Does anyone have experience/information that would help?

posted by mdpc98 to home & garden (25 comments total)

Start with the plunger, progress to a snake and resort to pulling the toilet up as a last resort.

And ask her to use the trash next time.

It may also dissolve down over the course of a few hours and unclog itself.
posted by fenriq at 10:34 AM on January 17, 2006

I was just reading this post on Gizmodo about someone having a cellphone stuck in their toilet. They have pictures and describe the steps the plumber took, including trying to flush soap down the drain to get the phone moving.

Good luck.
posted by TinTitan at 10:36 AM on January 17, 2006

Warning: I don't know anything about plumbing, but I am a homeowner...

I've been able to fix some plumbing-is-draining-slowly issues with a plumbing snake - essentially a long flexible metal coiled hose that you stick down there and scrape out gross stuff with. Seems worth a try? Less drastic and probably easier than taking the whole toilet off - but be warned, you might pull up some sick rotting hair and other treasures.
posted by raedyn at 10:37 AM on January 17, 2006

start with the plunger. make sure you have enough water in the bowl to cover the head of the plunger. It works much better when there's enough water.

not to sound like a jerk, but I can see dropping the deodorant in the can. I can't understand flushing without removing said tube of deodorant. Also, find out what brand so we can get an idea of the dimensions of the product.
posted by cosmicbandito at 10:39 AM on January 17, 2006

I can't reach the clog with my hand.

Eeew. Maybe its a job for the guy with the little hands.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:39 AM on January 17, 2006

fenriq-lol. i'm pretty sure it was an accident, but i'll make the suggestion. also, it's in a plastic tube like this, so i don't think i'm getting off that easy.

cosmicbandito-she claims the toilet was mid-flush when the stick dropped and that she went after it but was not fast enough to catch it.

maybe i need a faster girlfriend...
posted by mdpc98 at 10:47 AM on January 17, 2006

I assume this includes the plastic container.

I think you'd be better off if the thing didn't go any further than it already has. My guess is that it's stuck in the toilet itself, though it could be at the bend in the drain pipe below. I'd be inclined to pull the toilet and go from there. If it is still in the toilet, dump whatever water you can dip out of it with a cup or someting into the tub, then try to push it back out the bowl of the toilet with something.

You'll need to get a new seal before reseating the toilet. Wax rings are cheap, but can be a pain in the ass. The waxless options, which use gaskets and sleeves aren't that much more (maybe $6) and are both more forgiving and reusable.
posted by Good Brain at 10:48 AM on January 17, 2006

I meant to say that you should dip whatever water you can out of the bowl using a cup, then dump the rest into the tub when you pull it off the floor.
posted by Good Brain at 10:51 AM on January 17, 2006

I think you're kind of screwed. The plastic is tough enough that the thing isn't going to break into pieces and go down easily.

The main drain pipe for sewage is probably 4 inch diameter. So if the deodorant got there, it would probably be fine and go on its way, all the way to the sewage treatment plant.

But I don't think it's going to go past the bends in your toilet. Whacking at it with a plumber's snake risks breaking the toilet.

I think you're going to have to remove the toilet as above, get the plastic out, and reinstall the toilet.
posted by jellicle at 10:58 AM on January 17, 2006

I'm with Good Brain on this one. I'm thinking that use of a snake would push the deodorant further down the pipe, possibly giving it a permanent home to collect hair, poo and other goop and create an even bigger mess.

I'd shut off the water, drain the toilet and lift that sucker up and see if you might be able to stop it from travelling further. Maybe a coat hanger shaped like a hook could yank it out?
posted by willmize at 11:00 AM on January 17, 2006

Try tongs, a fork, or a wire hanger. It is probably just past the curve roughly even with the floor; in many toilets that last section of outflow is quite small, smaller than Secret anyway.

Otherwise, you may need to remove the toilet from the floor (there are many instructions online, heed their warnings about putting a large enough container under the hole in the tank when you remove the water-in hose) and push it out from underneath. Moving a toilet is easier done by two people than one, though I have managed it alone.

If you do pull up the toilet, have a new wax ring handy to put it back with. You can put it back on the old one, but if it's old enough you really don't want to.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:06 AM on January 17, 2006

it's in a plastic tube like this, so i don't think i'm getting off that easy. - mdpc98

ahh... that changes things. For some reason I was thinking it was only the deodorant stuff, not the whole container, etc. In that case, I would retract my earlier advice re: the plumbing snake. As others said, it might just push the thing down further and it certainly won't break it up.
posted by raedyn at 11:16 AM on January 17, 2006

I'm with the people that say that you're going to have to lift up the toilet. Many toilet pipes look like this (the one on the left, the curvy one) - something that might be difficult for the deodorant to freely flow past. (It's there so that the smell doesn't come back through the toilet; leaving the deodorant there will only cause a backup.) Good luck.
posted by itchie at 11:23 AM on January 17, 2006

If you go the snake/auger route, make sure you're getting one that's intended for toilet unclogging and not general drain work. You'll know you have the right one if the bend in the metal (or more) is covered by a plastic sleeve -- also called closet augers. Standard augers are all metal and will scratch the heck out of your bowl.
posted by VulcanMike at 11:55 AM on January 17, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Many people use a plunger to push. I find it most effective when using it to pull. A gentle slow push on the handle followed by an agressive pull. If you can dislodge it back towards the bowl, you may be able to reach it.

It seems unlikely that it could pass the first bend. Maybe some long-nosed pliers could give you that extra reach needed. Any scratching would be invisible, or could be avoided by putting a small rubber mat in the bottom of the toilet. Think really cheap floormat for a car.
posted by kc0dxh at 12:46 PM on January 17, 2006

If you have to use a hanger or something, cover the porcelain with duck tape. Yes, it will work underwater, at least to protect the bowl.
posted by dhartung at 12:58 PM on January 17, 2006

It ain't going anywhere past the commode. Shut off water to tank. Disconnect cold water supply line. Flush toilet. Bail what water is left from the tank. Remove two bolts holding bowl to floor. Remove obstruction from toilet. Replace wax ring, or better yet, waxless seal. Re-install toilet. Tell friends story.
posted by fixedgear at 1:09 PM on January 17, 2006

If you have to remove the toilet the easiest way to move it around is for one person to straddle the bowl facing the tank and then grab onto the bowl right where the lid fastens, one hand on each side. You'll find the toilet is pretty well balanced and you can just carry it where ever you need to go in a kind of duck walk fashion. And because you aren't lifting the toilet very high if you drop it you are less likely to break it.

Do not seperate the bowl from the tank if you have a two piece unit, making everything seal again can be a real problem.

I've never had a problem getting a wax seal to seal if the floor isn't rotted. Don't unwrap the wax seal until you are going to put it in place and don't touch the wax if at all possible. It is very sticky and will get everywhere if you do.

Oh ya, if you have the toilet off the flange for more than a minute stick a wadded up rag into the sewer pipe, sulfur dioxide from an uncapped vent can kill you and everyone in your house faster than you can blink.
posted by Mitheral at 1:28 PM on January 17, 2006

many thanks for the feedback. maybe i'll just drop a m-80 into the bowl and blame it on some meddling kids.

i am going to pull the whole thing and have a peak up its rear.
posted by mdpc98 at 2:14 PM on January 17, 2006

If you're the statistically significant other, surely your pee values are up to this task?
posted by ikkyu2 at 2:47 PM on January 17, 2006

Is there a substance that is both more dense than water and highly corrosive to plastic?Lye maybe? :-)
posted by phrontist at 4:12 PM on January 17, 2006

successful extraction of one (1) arrid extra dry (morning clean) antiperspirant has been performed.

i plunged a while but that wasn't much luck--didn't even hear it knocking around inside. ended up pulling the toilet up, flipping it over, giving it a good shake and...


the only bit of advice i can offer: extraction is much easier when you look at the side of the toilet (profile) and think about all the different ways that object will have to travel before it will land back in the bowl. i shook the thing around for five good minutes thinking it would find its way out. nope. i stopped and plotted the steps; 10 seconds later, i had that feeling of satisfaction that only a dirty toilet and women's antiperspirant can give.
posted by mdpc98 at 4:56 PM on January 17, 2006

That is both wonderful and awful. Congratulations on a successful antiperspirant retrieval.
posted by astruc at 1:17 AM on January 18, 2006

TotallyStrangeCoincidenceFilter: (or: internet == a million monkeys typing)
The Cellphone in My Toilet on Gizmodo (with pictures!) was posted the same day as your question
posted by misterbrandt at 3:00 PM on January 18, 2006

Thanks for the follow up. Congrats on yr success.
posted by raedyn at 3:14 PM on January 18, 2006