rmd | oh for fuck's sake.

oh for fuck's sake.

the toilet is *still* having flush problems. this morning, i got things running clear after YET ANOTHER round of plunging. then the plumber stopped by this morning (having stood me up yesterday) and augered it out, and said it didn't feel like there was anything blocking (including wax), and yet it is STILL having problems.

i don't like the idea of having to bring in another plumber to clean up after this one, but really, it's the only toilet in my house, and i'm going to list "being able to shit in my house without worrying about flooding or stagnant pools of evil or other plumbing mishaps" pretty high on my hierarchy of household civilization needs.

the dude is seriously jeopardizing his chance at bidding out the drain stack replacement.

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Witness.

Arggh, I'm sorry.

My youngest sister married a plumber, and I would offer his services but even with the family rate I don't think it would be cost effective if you factored in flying him out there. :P

What brand toilet is it? Some (such as more recent American Standards) apparently have intrinsic design flaws. Also, let me know if you want a plumber rec, unless of course you're already using the guy we like :-).

i forget the brand, but i'm pretty sure it's not american standard. i've been using steve pascoe, who has previously been awesome for all things plumbing.

i figure this is all penance i have to do for being an evil tradeswoman in the past.

current state is that aggressive plunging seems to be solving the problem and it seems to take less effort each time, so i'm hoping that something is gradually improving. i am picturing either a bit of wax or some kind of wax-related jaggedness that's wearing down.

actually, i never saw an answer to my emails to him from last night or this morning (explaining the evolving situation), so maybe it's time to call him and say "dude, wtf?"

If you replace the toilet, consider Toto or Kohler. We went with the latter because it was easily available and not too pricey. I do agree that having a toilet one can use with confidence is important. I'd rather save my cope for other things.

I've heard good things about Steve, but I've had it happen when a tradesperson I liked became wonky, or someone who did right by me didn't work out for someone else. These things happen.

Our dude is Hank English, 781-933-3702 (you're likely to get his wife, who takes messages). He's often hosed schedule-wise, but so far has been good about calling us when he can't make it. He's been great; not perfect (which I don't expect of anyone), but willing to fix problems promptly. I think he'll do Somerville (he's based in Woburn), since the person who recommended him lived in Cambridge.

Your tale of woe reminds me of the evil apartment we lived in when I was pregnant (sharp stucco on all interior walls, wtf?). The toilet gave up on solids, and after four days of timing my movements to work hours while waiting for the landlord to actually fix it, I came unglued. He wanted to wait until his next paycheck before he fixed it. I told him if it was not fixed by the time I got home from work I would call all the licensed plumbers in the yellow pages until I found one that would make an after hours emergency call at whatever usurious overtime rate he cared to charge and I would take the bill off the rent check.

He managed to find someone. The plumber replaced the toilet and most of the floor. Because the landlord had cut out three joists below our bathroom, the floor sagged so the toilet was no longer level. The plumber also said not to fill the tub -- the 2x4 that "braced" (as in pushed up from the floor like a tent pole) the remains of the joists was not exactly adequate. I showered at the gym until we moved.

First, major condolences on having a toilet that is not trustworthy. You're right about a working toilet being pretty high on the list of household civilization.

But that also means it is something you have to get fixed properly or it will go on and on making you miserable and also eating the inside of your house with dampness.

I had some trouble with Steve Pascoe, or he had trouble with me -- he gets flustered and impatient, which is not always what you want in an emergency plumber, and he seems to think he's always too busy, which I think means he doesn't really budget enough time for the task, which leads to further frustration and impatience, etc.

I really like my current plumber, George Drizos, the plumber I got from C&c. He is interested in figuring things out, which means he is kind of great with the unexpected.

As for new toilet, gotta love them Kohlers. When I redid my bathroom I picked all Kohler stuff because it looked good, was well recommended, but most of all--fit in my teeny bathroom. But it has stood up well to ongoing use/abuse. The only thing is the Kohler toilet innards are somewhat non-standard, and sometimes mineral deposits will screw up the seal on the tank.

Good luck!

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