A blog by Jorge Garcia.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Culprit

We've had a clogged toilet in the bedroom for a while and we finally got around to getting a plumber to the house. 

Beth had left messages with a couple but no one ever called her back. Then a plumbing van passed us on the road. I told her to catch up and grab the number. This time we didn't mention the toilet at all. (That was my theory, get him to call you back first,  then tell him it's the toilet. Because even a plumber doesn't want to work toilet duty - or doodie). 

I had a feeling it was this travel sized bottle because I came across the cap and could not locate the bottom at all. 

The plumber had to remove the toilet because the snake wasn't working. I had bought my own snake to try to DIY the clog but I had no luck so I figured this was going to be the case. I wanted to remove the toilet myself because I had read the instructions how to do it on the internet but Beth wasn't going to let that happen.

SO looking up the bottom of the toilet we could see that we had a bottle face down against the bottom of the toilet. It moved all the way down around the curve in the toilet. (I might have helped it get there when I was trying to snake it. ) But it wasn't making the last turn.
What we finally decided to do was find a wire hanger. 
By the way, do you have any idea how hard it is to locate a wire hanger in this day and age? Everyone has plastic now. I think it's a conspiracy started by the tow truck guys. The fewer wire hangers in the world, the more we need them when we lock our keys in the car. 

So the plumber heated up the hanger end with his blow torch in an effort to get it to burn through the plastic and then when it cools it will be stuck inside the bottle and he could try to pull it out. 

That part worked but it still wasn't coming out. So he figured to try to push it out the other way. Still nothing.

Man is this story as suspenseful for you? 

So with me holding the toilet he worked the bottle back and forth until presto it popped out. I knew it was that bottle all along. 

48 comments:

Olivia said...

Glad you got your crapper working. And also glad it was just a bottle blocking it up. That could have been way, way worse. (shudder)

Anonymous said...

Wonderful to hear you are no longer plugged up. Exactly how did the bottle get there?????

The Dutchess of Kickball said...

But the real question, who shat out that bottle?

Christopher Scott said...

Yes. I would definitely say "How the hell did the bottle get there??" would be the question ofthe moment.

Mimi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mimi said...

Regarding the lack of wire hangers, the locksmiths could be to blame, or perhaps we've all taken "Mommie Dearest" literally. "There will be no. wire. hangers. EVER!"

Anonymous said...

Maybe Nunu pranked you.

Ali said...

that's intense! I wonder though, how did the bottle manage to get flushed down the toilet?

Hoku said...

I noticed the same thing about hangers last year when I locked my keys in the car. I ran to all the neighbors and no one had a wire hanger! I ended up using a back scratcher LOL!

Good thing that bottle wasn't combined with an upper decker!

Albie said...

This is a spoiler isn't it? Great! Now I know how the season ends!

Chris said...

You coulda totally removed the toilet yourself. The internets is an amazing thing.

King J, Queen M, Princess E and Princess M said...

We once had a juice can lid stuck in there. It acted like a swinging door, only letting some stuff through. It had the plumber really perplexed because his snake went right through just fine. Ours was from the kids, but I agree with the pp's, how did yours get in there?

Rachie said...

You totally could have lifted the toilet off yourself, but I know from watching my dad do it that it induces a great deal of cursing. So maybe it's better that you left it to the pros.

Also, is it just me or does that bottle look bigger than just travel size?

Wiccababe said...

glad your blockage is cleared sweetie, ours gets blocked on a regular basis - thanks to a 2 year old who has a penchant for throwing tletubbies and toilet rolls down and flushing.
x

Wendy said...

It's because you get wire hangers from the dry cleaners... and I don't know very many people who regularly do dry cleaning any more. In fact, I avoid buying anything that says "dry clean only."

Tammy said...

Glad the shi++er is working again )
I hoently thought it was all of that toilet paper.

SaraghA said...

try cutting the bottle into smaller pieces before flushing it. works for me!

haaaahaaahaa

Kathleen said...

Dude, If I found a lid and no bottle... the loo wouldn't be my first place to look. btw, yes very suspenseful!! lolol

La Pixie said...

I really really wonder how that bottle got there...

if you figure it out, let us know!

Daniel said...

Does the plumber watch Lost? I wonder what it's like for you when people like a plumber come to do something for you and they know who you are and they are crapping themselves.

Liz said...

dude- I am with the crowd wondering how the hell you flushed the bottle in the first place LMAO

But ah yes the wonders a metal hanger can do- And yeah- TOTAL conspiracy

nirese said...

Our then 2-year old threw my Costco membership card in without us knowing. I didn't like the idea of my face down there in the u-bend. Blech!

KatieButler said...

Reminds me of the time my daughter flushed a 3 oz plastic bathroom cup--with the same result. Those things are banned from this house like the spinning wheels were in Sleeping Beauty!

Fred said...

Inquiring minds want to know how a bottle ended up there???

We had an action figure stuck in the toilet that the four year old put in there.

Das Mutter said...

Okay, I'm just gonna say it, "NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!!!!" Sorry, Joan Crawford just left the building. Anyway, in answer your question about your followers doubling, I really think it was b/c of Cakewrecks.

redelf said...

I just want to know what you guys were doing for a toilet before you chased down a plumber??

Michael Dines said...

Something similar happened to a toilet at my house when I was a kid... but it wasn't a bottle, it was my dad's Philishave.

The second time it was Luke Skywalker.

The third time it was a microphone.

Brinna said...

I totally agree on the endangered existence of wire hangers. Only, when I think wire hanger, I think, time for some 'mallow roasting...

Brinna said...

I totally agree on the endangered existence of wire hangers. Only, when I think wire hanger, I think, time for some 'mallow roasting...

Bethany James Leigh Shady said...

you forgot to mention that this entire time that the toilet's been clogged we've had to use your garden as a bathroom.

mmmmmm, human fertilized cucumbers! now that's recycling.

Jodi said...

LOL We had a full size toothbrush in a toilet before. One of the kids did it when they were little. Trust me, hiring a plumber is the way to go. We took the toilet off ourselves. Icky job. As for the wire hangers, I can get a ton of them. Anyone that has work uniforms can, such as mechanics, etc. But I think your case is going to be one of those unsolved mysteries.

Anonymous said...

I am reminded of the post regarding the TP coupons at the market. See, getting that extra dollar off went right into the pocket of the plumber.

There are no coincidences.

Jules said...

NO MORE WIRE HANGERS! *beat beat beat*

Glowstars said...

I don't think I've ever read a post about a toilet with such interest!
Dry cleaners for wire coat hangers - they're about the only people who use them anymore.

Lula! said...

Man, I totally want to watch Mommie Dearest now. And send you the bojillion wire hangers we have--courtesy of the dry cleaners.

aims said...

Ewwww - just - Ewwww.

Hyla said...

LMAO, what an adventure!

Anonymous said...

We can always count on your for an adventure, Jorge! On or off the island!

Please Type Legibly said...

I'm with the people who are wondering how it got flushed in the first place....and how it made it through the flushing at all?

*~Dani~* said...

So I really do know how hard it is to find a wire hanger. We recently moved and now are the proud owners of a great fireplace and I decided I wanted to roast marshmallows. Without any sticks in sight, I went off searching for a wire hanger. Finally found one, but it was hard. Not even going to think about the dry cleaning poisons I ingested. And I dont think my marshmallows were vegan. Sorry :(

Littlefoot said...

We had the same situation happen last month. My hubby also attempted the DIY snake method to no avail. The plumber came by and handled business in 15 min flat. His snake was bigger than ours...hee hee

Barry Traylor said...

I agree with your comment regarding wire hangers. Last year my wife wanted to throw an bunch of them away and I kept them. Darn but they are handy to have around. When I was in high school I tied the muffler of my car back on with one of them. Ha! Like to see you try doing that with a plastic hanger. Love the show btw!

Julie said...

Jorge - I know what you mean about plumbers -- I called about six of them until one showed up, he fixed one of the problems and then said he'd come back the next day to fix the other because "he needed a part" (I think that's code for 'he didn't feel like doing it').

I finally did a trade with a guy from craigslist -- he did the rest of my plumbing work, and I designed some marketing material for him.

I tell all my friends with kids -- if college isn't their thing, become a plumber or an electrician.

James Hernandez said...

Jorge,

I have family members who run a septic tank empty/installation service. Geez talk about all kinds of crap! :-) Hee Hee

nomad said...

lol good one . i use to do a lot of plumbing and the worst one was. this little kid had the habit of throwing all kinds of stuff in and clogging his mommys and daddys toilet. so one day i got the order to come and well i pulled he toilet and dragged it out on the front lawn. and yes they are fricken heavy as hell. first i pulled out a G.I. JOE lol yes this is the gods honest truth then all the other little goodies came out,makeup compact,little dinosaurs,a little car,and finally breakfast sausages,lol. i still can't figure out how such a big G.I.JOE could get down there. i know what ya went through dude. if you have SMALL problems like that again call a handyman next time. big plumbing company's don't want to come out on small jobs. :)peace man.

Anonymous said...

My hubby is big on do-it-yourself which was very good when the little boys were little and we lost a few star wars figures...but alas, the last brand-new expensive one piece toilet broke when he dropped it and is still sitting in the garage for one of those miracles...as he always says, one day I'll know what to do with it...like a lawn ornament?
Glad yours is fixed...never try to do it yourself...it's just not worth it.

Ruby Zee said...

I had to move and re-seat a toilet last weekend. Just make sure if you ever have to do it again to buy the wax ring that creates the seal against the floor--and caulk around the bottom of the toilet :)
lot's of people forget those two things...

ValMo said...

The bottle grumbled, "I would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddlin' kids..."