Earlier this week I was suffering from a slow-flow toilet. It wasn't blocked, but it was on the cusp and I decided to try and do something about it before it got to a dire situation. Unable to get my traditional plunger to work on my non-traditional toilet (it's a low-flow and has a different 'mouth' shape on it so it doesn't create the needed seal with the plunger), I decided to head downstairs and try my luck with the security guy. A couple of dictionary look-ups later to indicate the problem, he sent me on my way with a different kind of plunger which also proved useless. For the same reason.
Dejected, I headed back downstairs to return the plunger and beg for help when I ran into Tim, one of the other public school teachers who lives in my building. As I was carrying a plunger, he astutely guessed my problem, and given the pouty-face I was making also astutely guessed how the fixing part was going. And then he offered some advice:
Take a large, plastic soft drink/water bottle and fill it with water. Quickly turn it upside down in the toilet, with the neck of the bottle in the mouth of the toilet. Give it a quick, hard squeeze. The water in the bottle with be forced out in a jet and hopefully unblock the problem.
Skeptical, but willing to give anything a try, I headed back upstairs and grabbed a bottle out of my recycling. Within minutes I had a perfectly working toilet again! I plan on keeping that little do-it-yourself tidbit stored safely in memory! Brilliant!
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Recently Updated...03.25 - Two posts! About Me...Out and about in the world, teaching others and educating myself. Stuff I Like...Traveling. Cuddling a cat. New toothbrushes. Friends. Socks of the Joanne Younes variety. The smell of sun-dried laundry. Baking. Archives
March 2008
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