Poo oh Poo!

No one wants to talk about it. 

Let's just say, my husband takes meds that need another med to control his ummm, bathroom activities. Most of the time things go rather smoothly. We have low flow 1.6 gallon flush toilet. New 4 yrs ago. But now things have changed.

I'm pretty sure it isn't the toilet's issue. Hubby has some dementia so he doesn't recall what happens when ... ahem, there is a huge voiding due to meds. He just hits the flush and BAM.
Plugged.

The first time it happened in August, it was a weekend. The old fashioned plunger didn't do squat. It isn't built for the newer toilets. I read and watched alternative ways for unplugging 'material' with dishsoap and hot water. Or Baking Soda and Vinegar. I solved the first plug in about 6 hrs. I became a quick study of the YouTube Videos. 
Of course we didn't have a 'snake' and the shops were closed. No neighbors had a snake that time either.

After the clearing, the event was forgotten. I warned hubby that he needed to check with me before flushing a huge void. He forgot. I didn't pay attention to him behind closed doors until I suddenly heard a bit of cursing and him calling my name. He kept flushing desperately. 

Do you ever get that sinking feeling? Like OH Sh*t. Literally. I hollered at him, "Stop Flushing!" I burst in and was thankful that the toilet was clean but the water wasn't going down. But it also had not overflowed! 

He grabbed the old plunger and went at it with gusto until it was obvious that the old style plunger didn't work and ... he was out of breath from the effort. I gently repeated the discussion regarding old plungers and modern toilets. He said we had an old toilet. You can't really argue these things, so I just indicated that perhaps this plunger no longer worked, it was cracked and coming apart.

I grabbed my dishsoap and bailed the clean water. I poured in the soap, then slowly I poured in hot water. The water slowly seeped down taking the soap with it. I kept it up for a few hours, then swapped to the baking soda and vinegar method.

I gave up and went to bed.
Perhaps in the morning?

Old photo of our outhouse ...our back up facility. 

Well right now, a cold option, yet ...

A call to the plumber was considered in the morning. But now it was Sunday.

He suggested I run to town and find a snake. 

I did a bit more research and a bit more of pushing soap and baking soda/vinegar down with hot water.

Most biological material will break down eventually. The soap, the baking soda, and vinegar all assist in breaking down the material. Eventually the clog would break down. 

I ordered a new fangled plunger to pick up tomorrow one specific to low flow toilets.

In the meantime, let's just say we developed another method which conjures up  childhood memories of staying with my Aunts in very rural homes. The pot under the bed system.

I'm hoping that this incident sticks in someone's mind. It probably won't.

26 degrees out. The outhouse? Still a choice. 

I'm laughing today over this. 

We have a speedy internet, and all sorts of modern conveniences. 

Yet ...

I hope I get a very quick solution to this issue...before...

Welcome to my world. Where some days nothing make sense.