We have a relatively new home -- 12 years old but being renovated over time -- with new toilets (at the time), and all of them get clogged up a lot. We've dealt with this for some time, now now we have to DEAL with it. What used to be an annoyance has now become a major catastrophe each time it happens -- as we've completed the rest of the house, the overflow drainage is now going through the finished ceilings. Our luck with plumbers has been horrendous, because we live on an island two miles at sea, and no one wants to come out here, and usually when you can get someone, it's because they don't have a lot of work elsewhere, which can mean you're not getting the best. So this morning we had 'the last straw' toilet overflow from one of the second floor bathrooms, through the kitchen ceiling, and through the newly finished ceiling in the basement. "Yech" does not describe it.
So I'm a very smart person on computers but totally illiterate in plumbing, yet need to self-drive a lot of the 'solutions' here due to the lack of qualified plumber assistance. All the work on the house has been done by contractors; none of it is DIY, so I have to assume it is to code. We're technically part of the City of Portland, ME but their building department won't come out here to inspect either (but they are happy to take our taxes).
I'm wondering:
- How can I know if a pressure system would improve the number of times these clog up. They clog a LOT. Not because of even of excess paper or bad items -- just normal usage. All the toilets have plungers next to them as a result.
- Could it simply be the types of toilets we have? Our present models are all 1.6 GPF/6.0LPF toilets, two are Celite and one is Kohler. I don't know how to tell what model they are but they are circa 1996.
Plunging the toilets always resolves the situation. The PVC running from the toilets measures 4-1/2 inch PVC (which in construction terms might be a 5" PVC) but I have no idea what type of plumbing is local (directly underneath) each toilet as I don't have access to that visually.
Does anyone have any advice for how a plumberless person could approach deciphering what to do here? All help is MUCH appreciated. Once I have an idea as to the direction to go, I can try to find a plumber to come and provide a second opinion and weigh in, but it could take 3-5 months to find someone to come out here and even then, it's only 50/50 they'll show up. So we generally have to fend for ourselves, and hopefully someone will have some ideas. THANKS!
So I'm a very smart person on computers but totally illiterate in plumbing, yet need to self-drive a lot of the 'solutions' here due to the lack of qualified plumber assistance. All the work on the house has been done by contractors; none of it is DIY, so I have to assume it is to code. We're technically part of the City of Portland, ME but their building department won't come out here to inspect either (but they are happy to take our taxes).
I'm wondering:
- How can I know if a pressure system would improve the number of times these clog up. They clog a LOT. Not because of even of excess paper or bad items -- just normal usage. All the toilets have plungers next to them as a result.
- Could it simply be the types of toilets we have? Our present models are all 1.6 GPF/6.0LPF toilets, two are Celite and one is Kohler. I don't know how to tell what model they are but they are circa 1996.
Plunging the toilets always resolves the situation. The PVC running from the toilets measures 4-1/2 inch PVC (which in construction terms might be a 5" PVC) but I have no idea what type of plumbing is local (directly underneath) each toilet as I don't have access to that visually.
Does anyone have any advice for how a plumberless person could approach deciphering what to do here? All help is MUCH appreciated. Once I have an idea as to the direction to go, I can try to find a plumber to come and provide a second opinion and weigh in, but it could take 3-5 months to find someone to come out here and even then, it's only 50/50 they'll show up. So we generally have to fend for ourselves, and hopefully someone will have some ideas. THANKS!