Clogged Toilet Bowl? How to Clear a Toilet Bowl Choke

When a toilet bowl gets choked up, it can be an unpleasant strain on your time and efforts, but there are some easy ways to fix the situation before things get messy.

The Simple Approach

First, evaluate the situation to determine how bad the choke is. If you have a short toilet and not a lot in the bowl or if it is clear that the choke is a minor one, you may try the simple approach.

1. Wait for the water and plumbing to settle and become totally silent.

2. Slowly press down the toilet bowl handle and hold it.

3. If you hear the bowl having trouble, release the handle immediately.

3. If the flush sounds fine but prolonged, keep holdi ng until you hear the clog release. It should make a distinct thick and muted popping noise as the toilet paper lets go and clears the pressure.

Sometimes this is sufficient to clear a minor choke. However, sometimes a choke is not minor and it's time to escalate to other household tools.

The Troubleshooter Approach

If the toilet bowl clearly has more than a minor choke or there is significant debris inside the bowl, troubleshooting the problem will be more effective and avoid making an unpleasant mess.

1. Locate and retrieve the household plunger.

2. Evaluate the water level to determine whether inserting the plunger will cause an overflow.

3. If the water level is too high, wait up to twenty or thirty minutes to allow it to settle.

4. If the water level is low enough, insert the plunger over the drainage hole.

5. Press on the plunger handle until you feel or hear it create a suction. Hold it down until you hear the clog release.

6. If you lose the suction and do not hear a release, repeat as necessary.

7. Once the clog has released, flush the toilet and clean.

Toilet Seat Risers For The Elderly And Disabled

Anyone suffering from the inability to sit down comfortably on a toilet seat due to a disability, injury or aging problems will benefit from a toilet seat riser or a handicap toilet seat. There are many styles and designs on the market that will meet the particular needs of almost any type of problem including obesity.

There are styles that include handles, extra firm, and extra padded elongated styles just to name a few. It is important to understand just what your particular need is before shopping for the commode seat riser and what will be your best choice regarding price as well as performance.

Handicap seats are not just sold in medical equipment stores any more. Most big box stores carry many different makes and models. The prices for a riser seat can range anywhere from a low end of $25 to over $100 for specially designed seats with hinges or an elongated design to fit an extra-large toilet rim.

If you are a senior citizen suffering from an inability to bend at the knee or hip, a toilet chair riser will ease the pain of bending down to lower yourself onto a conventional seat. Using sore or arthritic muscles and joints can be painful and increase your chances of a dangerous fall; something most elderly people should take precautions to avoid. Using a toilet seat riser will eliminate the fear of bathroom mishaps.

Many handicap toilet seats come with side handle bars for more stability and ease of use. There are a few different styles on the market with handles attached to the sides of a riser. There are also seats that have a separate steel attachment that has added legs on the side to create a more stable platform for the handicapped person. You can easily search online for photos and prices of the type of riser that will suit your situation.

If you are interested in a different type of riser altogether, there is a special model that attaches to the base of the commode, making the toilet higher up on the pedestal so the regular toilet chair is accessible to the disabled or handicapped person. The necessary height is achieved by adding to the base of the toilet leaving the conventional seat intact. This eliminates the need for a padded rise and can be equally effective as a Styrofoam or plastic elevated seat.

Finding the right riser should be simple. It may help to measure the height of the handicap or disabled person before purchasing your handicap seats or riser. Make sure to get a receipt to return your item if it turns out to be the wrong style or height or look for an adjustable toilet seat.

Hemp Toilet Paper

If you could use hemp toilet paper, would you do it? The choice seems obvious. Many people don't know about all the problems with regular toilet paper, and the various chemicals that are used in the process that can ultimately lead to personal health problems and environmental degradation. Hemp offers a novel solution to the toilet paper problem, and as technology improves and hemp gains more support, these quality alternatives will be available throughout the world. It is only a matter of time, because once enough people start to use these products, they will see how superior they are to the traditional options we have had to use for so long.

Toilet paper is one of the few things that we absolutely cannot go without. Even Kleenex can to some extent be replaced with a handkerchief (although many people find that to be unpleasant), but bathroom paper definitely cannot be reused. Because of this, toilet paper is a very high turnover product and millions of tons of it must be produced every year, with many companies playing a role. This production subsequently destroys millions of trees, and considering how much we use trees for all kinds of other paper products, being able to offset a lot of that with hemp could truly help the planet.

There is also benefit for the economy if hemp started to be used more for this purpose. Hemp can be grown virtually anywhere and would be a great boon for our farming industry, but of course the benefits do not stop there. New companies will be needed to harvest, process, and add value in a variety of ways to hemp. It doesn't need to stop at this particular product, as hemp can be used to make a wide variety of different paper products. But there's no better place to start than toilet paper, because as was mentioned before, it is one of the things people absolutely cannot live without. And once people start seeing how well this works and realize how much better it is for the environment and their bodies, the hemp market will be able to explode for other sectors as well.

Until recently, there were no hemp toilet paper products on the market, so purchasing such a product was not even an option. Thankfully, firms are starting to realize the value of such a product line, and these kinds of hemp-based papers are now starting to be released. It isn't far until yet more hemp products make their way into the American economy, because there is nothing else out there that can make so many different things and improve the economy in such a dramatic fashion. When hemp finally does reclaim its rightful place at the top of not only American industry but global industry itself, the world will be a much better place.

Fixing a Rocking Toilet and Toilet Leakage

The causes of Toilet Rocking and Leakage
A Toilet rocking and leaking is one of the most common problems that a property owner may face. leakage on the floor, coming out from under the toilet, is sometimes caused by rocking toilets. The leakage can also be caused by sewer back-ups breaking the wax seal or leaking supply lines. The rocking toilet is usually caused by a problem with the toilet flange height compared to floor height, or the floor being slightly off level from the original construction.

How to fix a Rocking Toilet
If there is no water on the floor, no odor, and the toilet is only rocking, sometimes the rocking problem can be fixed without the need of a plumber. Home Depot, Lowe's and other Hardware stores sell a part called a wobble wedge. These wedges can be slipped in under the high edge of the toilet. They also are made of plastic and can easily be trimmed to be even with the outer edge of the toilet. If you have caulk around the base, you may need to trim this caulk off before installing the wobble wedges. Place the wedges into the largest gap area, pressing them firmly under the toilet. Then check to see if that solved the rocking. If the toilet is still rocking you may need to loosen the bolts on each side next to the floor, and push the wedge under a little further. Check again after tightening these bolts to see if that corrected the rocking.

How to fix Toilet Leakage
If you have water coming out from under the toilet, it will need to be reset because the wax seal or the flange could be broken. To reset the toilet yourself, you will need to turn off the water to the toilet. Then disconnect the pipe going to the flush valve. Then remove the bolts holding the toilet to the floor. Drain off all the extra water with a wet/dry vacuum, or by dipping it out of the toilet. Place a tarp or plastic trash bag on the floor to set the toilet on. Pick the toilet up and set it on the tarp. Then scrape off the old wax seal and replace it with a new wax seal. Also, place your bolts into the slot for the bolts on the flange. Then reset the toilet, being careful to line up the holes with the bolts. Tighten all the bolts and supply line. Also, add the wobble wedges to help level the toilet. Then check for leaks and adjust the wobble wedges, as in the instructions above, until rocking stops.

The Different Types Of Toilet Paper And Paper Hand Towels

There are 4 main types of toilet paper on the market today. These include;

*Standard toilet roll
*Jumbo toilet paper roll
*Mini jumbo toilet roll
*Interleaved toilet paper

Standard toilet paper is the type of toilet paper you see in residential or office restrooms and is usually packaged 48 rolls in a case. In residential homes typically a 3 ply toilet tissue is used and similarly in a commercial environment a 2 ply sheet. The 2 ply 400 sheet toilet roll is generally the most popular bathroom tissue amongst distributors and resellers. The 2 ply 700 sheet is becoming increasingly popular as it is more cost effective per sheet compared with the 2 ply 400 sheet and as of equal quality. There is also 1 ply 850 sheet and 1 ply 1000 sheet toilet tissue which are used on a smaller scale. Due to the large number of sheets on a roll they are very economical, however suffer on quality as they are only 1 ply.

Jumbo toilet paper is typically see in a public restroom and packaged 8 to a carton. For a 2 ply jumbo usually the rolls are about 30cm across and measure about 300m when unrolled. For a 1 ply jumbo this doubles to 600m when unrolled. Mini jumbo toilet tissue is a smaller version of the jumbo roll and usually measures about 170m when unrolled for a 2 ply sheet. Jumbo toilet rolls are sometimes referred to as JRT rolls. Jumbo toilet paper is by far the most economical form of toilet paper compared with standard rolls and interleaved toilet paper.

Interleaved toilet tissue is also seen in public restrooms and packaged 36 to carton. Like toilet rolls and jumbos, interleaved toilet paper is manufactured in 1 ply and 2 ply. There are normally 250 sheets to a pack for 2 ply and 500 sheets for 1 ply. Instead of being on a roll the paper folded in layers, one on top of the other. Typically interleaved toilet paper is more expensive than the standard and jumbo roll toilet paper which is why it's not frequently used.

The softness of a roll of toilet paper is normally proportional to the ply of the paper. When we talk about the ply of the toilet tissue we are talking about how many layers the toilet paper contains. The two most common are 1 ply and 2 ply sheets. One ply toilet tissue has one layer and 2 ply toilet tissue has two layers bonded together. The type of material used in making toilet paper can also be a factor in the softness. Some toilet papers use finer paper material to make the toilet paper softer. If the paper is recycled then it won't be as soft compared with paper that is derived from virgin material. Recycled toilet paper is significantly cheaper than virgin and is becoming progressively more popular as there is now more focus on environment sustainability.

There are a number of options when it comes to toilet paper dispensers. The most common form of dispensers are as follows;
*Triple-line toilet roll dispenser - This dispenser holds 3 standard toilet rolls, one on top of the other. The paper is manually dispensed by the user.
*Single jumbo roll dispenser - This dispenser holds one jumbo toilet roll and is manually dispensed by the user
*Double jumbo toilet roll dispenser - This dispenser holds two jumbo toilet rolls side by side and is manually dispensed by the user
*Interleaved toilet paper dispenser - This dispenser holds approximately 4 packs of interleaved toilet paper and is stacked vertically and is manually dispensed by the user.

There are 6 main types of paper hand towels on the market today. These include;
*Ultra slim paper hand towels
*Slim line paper hand towels
*Extra large paper hand towels
*Compact hand towels
*Roll hand towel
*Centre feed hand towel

Ultra slim and slim line paper towels are typically seen in a public or commercial restroom and usually packaged anywhere from 2400 to 4000 sheets per case depending on the manufacturer. The sheet size for an ultra slim towel is usually 24 x 24cm and similarly for slim line 23 x 23cm. Although the slim line towel is slightly smaller its girth is wider in cross section. That is why different paper towel dispensers are required for each product. You would find that an ultra slim paper towel would fall out of slim line dispenser quite easily due to the decreased width. On the other hand a slim line paper hand towel would be too wide to fit in an ultra slim paper towel dispenser. The ultra slim is normally manufactured 2 ply which is the reason why it is considerably more expensive than the slim line paper towel. Extra large paper hand towels are just a larger, more expensive version of the ultra slim paper towel. They are normally 24 x 37cm in dimension.

Compact towels are on the smaller end of the spectrum in the paper hand towel family. They are very popular in the medical & dental industry amongst nurses and dentists and usually packaged 2400 to a carton. The compact towel is designed to fit a smaller profile dispenser so is ideal for confined wall spaces. The size of compact hand towels varies quite considerably from manufacturer to manufacturer. Common sizes include 20 x 25cm and 19 x 28cm.

Roll towel is another alternative to the interleaved towel and is typically seen in public and commercial restrooms. Roll hand towel is normally manufactured in 80m or 100m rolls and are packaged 16 to a carton. The roll is approximately 19cm long. The user manually pulls the roll towel from the dispenser and tears the paper off using the teeth on the dispenser. For this reason there is usually more wastage with this type of hand towel as a user tends to pull out more paper towel than needed. There are also larger rolls that are used in auto cut dispensers and are between 200-300m. These are packaged 6 to a carton. Auto cut dispensers are used to ensure automatically dispense the paper to minimise wastage.

Centrefeed hand towel is the ideal hand drying format in markets such as food manufacturing and processing, clubs, education and other facilities requiring a high capacity hand towel solution. Centrefeed towel as a standard is manufactured in 300m rolls and are packaged 4 to a carton. The roll is normally 19-20cm in length. The difference between centrefeed and roll hand towel is the paper is fed through the core of the roll.

There are a number of options when it comes to paper towel dispensers. The most common form of dispensers are as follows;

*Ultra slim paper towel dispenser - Fits ultra slim hand towels 24 x 24cm and is manually dispensed by the user
*Slim line paper towel dispenser- Fits the wider slim line paper hand towels 23 x 23cm and is manually dispensed by the user
*Compact paper towel dispenser - Fits the compact hand towel 19 x 25cm and is manually dispensed by the user
*Roll hand towel dispenser - Fits either the 80m or 100m paper hand towel and is manually dispensed by the user
*Auto-cut hand towel dispenser - Fits a 200m paper hand towel and is automatically dispensed to minimise wastage.
*Centrefeed paper towel dispenser - Fits either 300m paper handtowel and is manually dispensed by the user

Overview Of Toilet Types And Design

Toilets are not really given too much thought until they start to leak or become clogged. Then most people are very interested in them. While not being the topic of too many conversations, knowing what types of toilets are available on the market and how they work just might come in handy some day. After all, it has been estimated that up to thirty percent of the water we use in our homes is used by our toilets. The more we know, the better our decisions will be when the time comes to repair or replace one.

In terms of functionality, there are basically two primary types to keep in mind. There are single flush and dual flush models that are predominant in home these days. Single flush models are more common having been the earliest design but dual flush types are gaining traction as more people become aware of the environmental impact of wasted water and the savings that using less water can deliver. The difference between the two models is that single flush toilets have a single flushing mechanism and use the same amount of water for all types of waste. Dual flush models have two flushing mechanisms and allows people to choose between using a large water volume for flushing solid waste and a smaller water volume for flushing liquid waste.

In regards to design, there are three primary methods utilized for actually performing the flushing action. The first one makes use of gravity to get the job done. Gravity design toilets probably account for around 98 percent of all toilets in our homes. As one might guess, the water from the tank gets dispensed into the bowl by the flushing lever on the toilet, and through the use of gravity and a design that creates a siphon effect, the waste contents get carried out into the sewage system.

The other two mechanisms for performing the flushing action are vacuum and pressure aided designs. While these have their place and purpose, you won't be seeing these in too many homes. These were designed with commercial and institutional use in mind. A vacuum design toilet has a device located in the trap that is used in conjunction with the water to flush the contents of the bowl. The pressure design combines air with the water to accomplish the flushing. These are more expensive and more powerful than gravity design models.

There you have the basic overview of the types and designs of toilets. For residential use, there are really just two to focus on for your needs, the single and dual flush gravity type toilets. If you are replacing an older toilet, always opt for the water saving dual flush type. Making the choice to go eco-friendly might cost a little more upfront, but the savings over time will more than compensate for the extra initial cost of purchasing the toilet. By making the wise choice, you get the double advantage of being able to lower your environmental impact and save money.

How To Fix Clogged Toilet

Clogged toilet is a big issue we all want to avoid. The knowledge of how to deal with clogged toilet can help you very much in saving lot of money and frustration. There are several hardware tools that can be found at any store and will help you in solving your clogged toilet situation. The drain blockage can be released with simple tools such as plunger, rag and even a closet hanger.

When we have problem of clogged toilet, the plunger is the best and most powerful tool to do the unclogging job quickly and efficiently. A toilet plunger has a rubber flange shaped to fit the bottom the clogged toilet bowl, this round shape block the pipe tunnel and creating high pressured vacuum inside the toilet pipeline. This high level vacuum will remove almost everything that is blocking the toilet. It is very simple to use the toilet plunger. You just need to insert the rubber flange deeply into the end of the toilet bowl. The next step is to move the plunger backward and forwards. Repeat this action few times until you successfully opened your clogged toilet.

Sometime we don’t have a toilet plunger, therefore we can try using a rag to fix our clogged toilet. The method is the same as the plunger technique. Take rag and wrap it until you get a shape of a ball. Then insert it to the bottom of the toilet bowl until it completely blocking the pipe. Next, use your hands to pump the toilet in a very similar way as you might use the toilet plunger until the toilet pipe is clear. The rag method to fix clogged toilet can be very dirty action as you must insert your hands deeply inside the toilet bowl and also the water might splash everywhere while trying to fix it.

A Closet hanger might be also useful to fix your clogged toilet. All you have to do is simply to make a hook shape at the edge of the hanger and thread it inside the toilet. The hanger will navigate through the curves of the toilet pipe until it reached to the blockage zone and release it.

Hopefully you managed to unclog your toilet successfully by now with those simply and useful techniques. If the problem is not solved yet it might be the time to call a professional plumber. Sometimes fixing the toilet is much complex than we think.

All About The Dual Flush Toilet

A dual flush toilet provides you with the option to select from two flushes. There reason for this is essentially to save water because it doesn’t take as much water to flush liquid waste as it does for solid waste. When you but a toilet that has both a high and a low volume flush, you’ll reduce the amount of water that your toilet uses by over half which is not only good for the environment but will also save you a lot of money during the lifetime of the toilet.

The difference that two different can make is nothing short of amazing. There have been studies of dual flush toilets show that have demonstrated that when compared to a traditional toilet they will lower the amount of water that is used by as much as 67 percent. The fact is that the amount of water that is saved is so significant that some counties like Australia which is starved for water, now have laws that make it mandatory that all newly installed toilets are dual flush. In an effort to conserve water where it is short supply, there are even some places in the US where drought is a primary concern that have enacted statutes.

The dual flush toilet is only just now becoming popular in North America and especially in the US. The idea of a twin flush is somewhat of a new technology, although these toilets first came on international market about ten years ago, and, until recently, they haven’t been so popular in the United States. But, with the widespread occurrences of drought that have plagued many parts of the US combined with the growing concern about our environment, many companies have gotten into the business and started to make these innovative toilets fairly popular for the smart homeowner who wants to save natural resources and money.

Another advantage of the dual flush toilet is their innovative appearance and design. Since this will soon be a very popular and competitive item in the marketplace and is somewhat of a new item, businesses are trying their best to make them as easy to use, aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable as possible. They are available many different styles that are all cutting edge, such as different types of mechanisms for flushing. The latest models have a button for each flush and come highly recommended over the pull/push models, primarily since they reduce the option of selecting the wrong flush volume. Although it sounds unlikely, but if you’re still groggy in the early morning or if you need to make a midnight trip to the bathroom, you shouldn’t have to stand there trying to remember if you should pull or push the handle so that you can save the environment and some money.

The only disadvantage to this system is that the plumbing that is needed to install one of these systems is considerable more complicated than the normal installation of a regular toilet and usually beyond the means of your average homeowner. If you decide to install one of these systems at your house you should get in touch with a plumber who is a professional to make sure they your new money and water saving toilet works precisely the way that it should and is free of problems for many years.