Translating…
The Toilet
This is one of the things we all have to face in one way or another. The toilet can and will get blocked from time to time.
I must admit that there are times I yearn for the days of my childhood when we had a toilet in the yard which had two holes cut in it and a sears and roebuck catalog on a rope which not only was there to be read. One thing that I don’t ever remember having to cope with was a blocked toilet. However I guess I should confess that it is possible my father coped with all such things without my really being aware of how or even if it happened.
Blocked
When that terrible moment comes and you discover the toilet is blocked there are those who ignore it hoping that the next person to use it will discover the blockage and feel the necessity of clearing it.
Of course the danger of this course of action is that it can be cumulative. By the time the third or fourth person has discovered the blockage it can really have become a problem.
Obviously the solution is to act as soon as possible and hope that the blockage is minor and easily removed. However I have found that when I am the one to discover the blockage it is never minor and certainly never easy to remove.
What To Do
The trusty plunger is probably the most ordinary and easy to unearth too; for this task. One can always hope that a few hearty plunges with all the muscle that can be found will dislodge whatever is there and all will be just fine.
Of course I am perfectly capable of not remembering that there has to be enough water to cover the plunger for it to work. I have been guilty of testing my muscle strength to its limit before realizing that there is not enough water in the bowl to make it work. It is essential that the plunger be well covered by water before beginning this form of exercise. All you have to do is just add water until it is very visible in the bowl.
When this doesn’t work probably the next best thing is to get a piece of wire. I am very capable of taking a wire clothes hanger and managing to make it work reasonably well. It is even possible to use two and twist them together if necessary. The hook that is naturally there at the end of the hanger hopefully will dislodge the blockage by being able to get hold of it and by pulling it up and down break it up so that it can be flushed out into wherever those things go.
If all this fails probably it is best to phone the plumber and admit defeat. However, if this is not your style another possibility is to take a shovel to the yard, try to find where the pipe from the toilet is located, dig it up and somehow know how to get inside it in order to undo the blockage. I find that this requires far more talent than I possess but I know it can work. One word of caution, if you decide on this method, don’t forget to turn off the water.
Conclusion
There is no way I can know how you react to all this blocking of the toilet. But I have advanced to the age where the embarrassment and expense of phoning a plumber is easier to cope with than it used to be when I felt it was my duty as head of the household to be able to do such things. My only real fear is that the plumber will come, flush the toilet, it will work, and he will charge me $ 100 for the shocking humiliation.