Suggestions on cleaning toilet siphon jet opening

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Edwardh1

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mom has a 1957 amer standard toilet that has slow flush, holes around rim are clear, water level ok, - coathanger used on them, etc. the siphon jet (right name?) let loose a lot of deposits when I used the coathanger there.
any tips on how best to clean that area ? I put some vinegar in the bowl and am letting it sit, but seems a brush or something would be better - any tips? when siphon jet passage goes toward the front of the bowl, does it then go up or down?
thank you
 

Reach4

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Try dumping 3 gallons of water into the bowl. Does the toilet flush fast then?

What color were the deposits?
 

WJcandee

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I had that exact issue with one of ours, which had sat basically unused for more than a year. When I fixed the guts of it and flushed it, water entered the toilet and swirled around but really didn't go down well. As this was the same 1950s model as was still present in other parts of the house (we originally had 5 of those, some of which were replaced over time), I knew what it "should" flush like, and it didn't. When I stuck my finger in the siphon jet hole, there were crystal-like desposits in there that were blocking the jet. I used a bottle brush to go up in there and clean it out, and while it isn't perfect, it now flushes largely like the other old ones. I wonder if turning off the water, flushing and plunging out the bowl, and pouring a bunch of CLR or similar product slowly down the overflow riser might not, if allowed to sit, dissolve some of the lime/scale/etc. in there. (Or muriatic acid? Although that has dangerous properties that make me disinclined to mess with it.) I just don't know the chemistry well enough.

Suggestion: dispose of bottle brush after use so that some genius doesn't find it in the garage, think it to be out of place, and return it to a kitchen drawer. :) :eek:
 
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Edwardh1

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am I just trying to clean a "hole" likein the side of a piece of sheetrock, or a passageway going all the way back up to the tank.for water?
 

hj

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A small screwdriver or a bottle of swimming pool Muriatic acid poured into the bowl, and down the tank's overflow pipe with adequate ventilation. Then let it set for about 15 minutes before flushing the toilet.
 

Edwardh1

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toilet is that special 1950 green color, matches all the other stuff, so what to do.
maybe thats why white is always a great choice.
 

Gary Swart

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To each his own on colors, but while you may think that green is a nice color for a toilet, most people would disagree. If you have any concerns about ecology and saving water, here's a little test you might find interesting. Keep track of the number of times your toilets(s) are flushed per week. Multiply that number by 3.5. Then multiply that number by 1.8. Subtract the latter from the first. That's how much more water you are using each week with that old water hog toilet. If you are on metered water, do the math and see how much extra you are paying per year. If you are on a septic tank, that's how much extra water you are dumping into the tank and drain field. May not seem like that much for just flushing a toilet, but it does add up. Maybe a new toilet would be a wise investment. I'd suggest a Toto.
 

hj

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quote; but while you may think that green is a nice color for a toilet, most people would disagree.

They MIGHT agree, if they did not want to replace the cast iron tub that goes with it.
 

Reach4

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I like phosphoric acid to remove such deposits. It is not real fast. You can see it bubble when it hits calcium and magnesium carbonates. It is much easier on the lungs than muriatic. Phosphoric acid used to be the main active ingredient in Limeaway, but they have gone to a less active formula. It is sold as Prep & Etch.
 

Terry

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mom has a 1957 amer standard toilet that has slow flush,

I think I have something like five or six of these in the back of the van; headed to the dump.

The tips above sound good for cleaning yours up though.
If you clean off the years of buildup, and then run an auger through the trapway to remove what collects over the years. Pick up a tank rebuild kit, replace the working parts in the tank, fill valve, flush valve, flapper, handle if needed.
 

Gary Swart

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I suppose you could paint a toilet, but it would look like a piece of crap, and you would still have a 57 year old obsolete water hog. I'd leave it green before I'd paint it.
 

Gary Swart

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Or maybe you could just not worry about it. No one will think twice about it nor will they care.
 
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