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I rented for the last five years but living in an apartment complex just wasn't my cup of tea. A great buying opportunity got me into an older home built in 1947. It is a small two bedroom on a concrete slab with a newer roof and siding and a fantastic detached garage/workshop.. The electric has been updated in recent past. I have new kitchen and bathroom fixtures but the plumbing pipes are original.
Since I moved in I have had toilet blockages twice and the bathtub drain has been slow since the get/go. I have always owned newer homes in the past so these nitpicking problems are new to me. I was in the trucking business for many years and I did most of my own maintenance and I have always been fairly handy in a wood working and metal shop. However old age prevents me from doing many of the odd jobs I did for myself in the past. Preventive maintenance has always been a good idea IMHO.
I have found two ways to unclog toilets and save calling an expensive plumber. The first method is the cheapest and best and will work 99% of the time. When the toilet gets clogged get a five gallon bucket to put toilet bowl water in. Cut a notch in the side and toward the bottom of a One Gallon plastic milk jug and use it to gather up the ugly liquids in the toilet bowl and then pour in the five gallon bucket. When water level is as low as it can go get a clean container and pour in about 1/2 cup of your favorite dish detergent (mine is DAWN PLATINUM). Top off with the absolute hottest water you can find. Pour into the toilet bowl until water level is just about to go over the top. Usually the clog with go down within five minutes. If it doesn't repeat until the five gallon bucket is full. If after two attempts you still haven't cleared the clog it is time for DRASTIC steps. In my area a typical charge for a plumber to clear a Toilet clog is $125 for a twenty minute job. Instead of spending $125.00 I use my small 3 gallon air compressor ($39.00 at Harbor Freight? and a Pistol Grip air gun ( currently $4.99 at HF). I drill a small hole thru a used Tennis Ball and put the pistol grip air nozzle through it. When the dirty water is emptied from the toilet bowl into a five gallon bucket I let my air compressor run until it reaches the 125 psi mark. I then put the tennis ball down the bowl and push it snugly into the outlet of the toilet, pull the trigger and in about two seconds the clog is gone. Flush toilet several times after doing the HOT water and DAWN and problem is solved for a lot less than the $125 plumbers charge.
My bathtub drainage problem hasn't been as easy. I removed the face plate to the drain linkage and the rod that lifts the drain has come apart. I poured a quart of Hot water and BAKING SODA down the overflow and followed it up with a cup of Distilled White Vinegar and the water trapped in the tub did drain after a few minutes. To fix it I will take an old wire coat hanger (I have the super duper plastic ones now) and straighten it out and twist a hook into the end to wrap around the mechanism that has fallen off the drain stuff. I will remove it and clean and polish and then spray it down good with something like WD40. That should do it. Any hair etc can be moved on down to the larger plumbing pipes with my air line and Tennis Ball.
If any of you have money or time saving tips and tricks they would like to share, this is the place to post them. TIA.
If your toilet is clogging repeatedly, you may have tree roots somewhere in the line. Your toilet should not be clogging repeatedly. Something is amiss.
AND!!!- this particular forum is about decorating/design; NOT THE CONTENTS OF YOUR TOILET BOWL!
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