Urgent commode help needed

[thatguy]

OK.. I did something stupid, I tried to flush a disposable (but NON flushable) toilet cleaning wand "end".. TWICE !! Yes.. in two separate toilets.. Now both toilets are stopped up, not completely, but they dont flush correctly... It seems that this "end" is lodged in the toilets since it will flush, but take a couple times..

This "end" is got a nylonish scrub brush mounted to a hard plastic backing.. That then mounts to a handle that you retain for future use..

At first I thought i would use a plunger to force it on down the system, but then I thought I needed to get it out of the system.

So I decided to take the toilet up and just get it out..

I turned the water off and drained the tank and bowl.. But when I started to take the bolts off the plumber mounted the toilet then hacksawed the bolts shorter.. And guess what - you cant get the nuts off the bolt..

One of the bolts is now turning as well...

Any suggestions?

Brian

 

[dooleysm]

Besides calling a plumber, the only thing I can think of is to try to drill through the nut. Use a bit that is slightly larger than the bolt. You could try to cut it off, but I don't see that ending well for the finish of your commode.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Call a plumber

Oh, and when your wife says I told you so . . . just respond with YES DEAR.

 

[EddieWalker]

You'll need a new wax donut to put the toilet back on, and they come with new bolts and nuts, so there's no need to save them. Just cut the nut off the bolt.

Calling a plumber will cost you a couple hundred bucks when it's a simple task to remove and replace a toilet. Materials will run you just a few bucks each toilet. I'd do it myself.

Eddie

 

[gordon21]

The bolt "head" is a flat disc shaped like a racetrack oval. It originally was inserted into the track on the toilet base ring. It goes through the racetrack shaped slot in the base bolted to the floor and then the bolt is turned about 70 degrees to keep it from lifting out. If you turn the bolt slowly, you will find the spot where it will lift out. The toilet itself will also need to be turned a few degrees since the slot openings are not supposed to be at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. If this confuses you, go get a pack of the new bolts that you will need anyways and look at a base ring at the hardware store. The oval slots should be at least an inch or two away from the 3 and 9 o'clock positions.


You are lucky. The bolt is moving and not rusted to a metal base.

 

[randy41]

can you tell how far in it is? you could use a toilet auger and try to grab it and pull it out.
the bolt is turning because the head of it is not actually attached to anything...it just fits into a slot in the toilet flange. so you should be able to pull up while tightening the nut and get it sort of snug. don't overtighten.

 

[mikim]

vise grips and hacksaw blade -- it's not fun - but doable. use the grips to hold the bolt from turning while you hack off the bolt. wrap the blade with a rag - or if you happen to own a hacksaw blade single end handle - better

 

[EddieWalker]

Gordon,

In my experience, you can't turn a toilet very far with the bowl attached.

But you reminded me that sometimes if it's a plastic mount, you can turn the head just so and wiggle it out. Some are looser than others, so it's no gurantee, and in the end, you'll still probably have to cut the nut off anyway.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[HomeBrew2]

Drilling thru the bolt sounds good.
You might also drill into the bolt just large enough to gently drive a torx bit in to hold the bolt while inscrewing the nut.
Also a nut splitter might just fit in that area.
On the other hand, I'd probably try a snake down the vent pipe to hook the lodged thing first.

 

[gordon21]

EddieW: The bowl would have to come off to try the toilet turning trick. I suggested this because I had to do it one time. The nut was frozen to the bolt, but in a loosened position where both pieces moved together. Some idiot had installed a plain steel nut and plain steel round head bolt. Once I got the toilet off the base, a hacksaw blade under the bottom of the toilet worked fine.


thatguy: make sure to buy the proper bolts in brass when you buy them. I would also recommend NOT getting the long ones where you twist the bolt to break it to the proper length. There are various sizes of brass base bolts to pick from. Buy the right size, not a generic one. Don't buy too small a diameter either.