Once upon a time
Woman in the Middle | March 23, 2012Once upon a time, back when I was a little bitty child, there was this amazing device in almost every home that we can only dream about now. It was called a toilet that actually flushed. No matter what was put in this magical device, when you pushed the little shiny silver handle, the water swirled gaily and what was in the toilet magically went away. Once a decade or so the magical device needed a little help and the adults in the family would get out another device called a plunger and helped the magical toilet to do its intended job. But the plunger was very rarely needed.
Of course, like all good fairy tales, there is a dark side to this tale. Those magical toilets used a LOT of water. Good clean drinking water that could be used for other, higher purposes instead. So, like any great race, the magical toilet’s time grew to a close and they were replaced with devices that were not magical. These devices clogged at the drop of a hat. Even though you were using the nonmagical toilet for what nature intended, it still clogged and overflowed at the most embarrassing moments. Children had to be taught at an early age to spot impending doom, to turn the water valve to off, and to use towels, mops and plungers. As of this writing, this story has no happy ending. The End.
Can you tell that my toilet overflowed again this week? As I have mentioned previously, we live in an area with very hard water full of minerals. It doesn’t matter what toilet we buy, after about a year the minerals build up in the water flow holes under the edge of the rim and the clogging begins again. I am about to start buying the cheapest toilets available and just replacing them once a year. By the way, plungers don’t go with my bathroom decor. Yet I have to have one at the ready by each toilet. It isn’t for “just in case” it is for “the next time.”
I never kept plungers next to the toilet until I met my husband. For some reason, his gifts to the toilet are not magical and require occasional plunging. I wish they made them in different colors. Of course, I would prefer if they made toilets that truly flushed!
I think that buying cheap toilets once a year is a good way to go. However, maybe water softeners would help. Also, maybe you could try to scrub the minerals off on a regular basis with bleach or a harsher chemical made for toilets.
My husband keep our plunger in the garage under a huge pile of junk. Not exactly and easily accessible location in one’s time of need.
The low flow toilets are so crummy. How does it save water when you have to flush multiple times to get 2 sheets of toilet paper down the drain?