Monday, November 14, 2011

Toilet Talk Monday

Did I mention that the toilet in the kids bathroom has been plugged up for a while? Noah's turbo turds can plug up just about any toilet I think. Add the turbo turds to the assortment of other stuff he has flushed down and it's no surprise the toilet backs up.

This time I was pretty sure we weren't going to be able to salvage it without help. I tried plunging and nothing was moving (kind of like Noah's constipation, heh). Rich tried a plumbers snake and said it wouldn't go past the first bend. I am so over shit, that I told him to just call a plumber and get it fixed. I mean really, how much could it cost to get a plumber out to roto-rooter a toilet?


Well, the plumber came today and said it was $250 to snake it. Over $400 if he had to unbolt the toilet and clean it out from the bottom. $600 to put in a completely new toilet. Add another $250 if the flange is broken.


He told us the toilet we had was a crappy brand (pun intended).

He could see me struggling over the $600, so he offered to try to snake it first, then if that didn't work we could go right to the new toilet and he wouldn't charge for the snake job.

So he tried to snake it and told me he couldn't get it past the first bend. I believed him since that jived with what Rich told me. Plus, he promised to break the toilet apart outside after it was out so I could take pictures of whatever was stuck in it. (Hey, it's NaBloPoMo guys, I need me some blogging material.)  He seemed like a nice guy. He laughed at my turbo turd joke, people! I am such a sucker. And, he has seven kids, five of them boys. Which may explain more than just his knowledge of poop.


I signed the work order and put half down on a new toilet, and my new best friend left with a wave and an "I'll call you."

And then I started thinking. $600 seemed like a shit load of money for a toilet (again, pun intended). So I went to Facebook, and my thrifty friends concurred.


And that got me a bit irked. So I thought I'd have a go with our snake, just so I could say I tried.


Well damn it all, after some shoving and twisting, pulling and winding, I got that f'ing snake through that toilet. I did it a few times just to make sure. And voila, we have a working toilet again.



I'm not convinced there isn't something further down in the pipes that is a problem, but the plumber said if there was we would be having problems with the sink and tub not draining properly. Of course I believe him. I am such a sucker. And he has 7 kids, y'all.


I guess you could argue that he loosened it for me, but then I'd have to tell you you are full of shit.

I'm going to let Rich call tomorrow and get us out of the new toilet. I wonder how much they are going to charge us for my snake job?



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2 comments:

  1. Hell hath no fury like a poop-poking mom! Yay for going where no man had gone before. (Past the first bend in the toilet, I mean.)

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  2. See, the problem isn't that Rich couldn't snake the toilet, it's that he ran with the usual guy-oriented, cost-benefit analysis: A) Is there shit in the toilet? (yes). B) Can the toilet be replaced without getting shit on the bathroom floor? (yes). C) How much for a new toilet? ($600). D) Is the price of the new toilet less than your pride? (yes). "Pay the man, Kristine."

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