What's a mom to do? Need advice about toilets!

My little guy has thrown something down the kid's bathroom recently resulting in periodic clogging (every couple of days). I suspect something long and narrow (a child's toothbrush, perhaps?) Other siblings have done this in the past and I have either paid a plumber or fished the object out myself (not fun paying $, and definately not much fun pulling a toilet for the amature). Over the past decade I or a plumber have pulled out a box of wetwipes, a sample shampoo bottle, a dollhouse bathtub, a spool of crafting string, and a make-up brush.

I pulled the toilet and could not find anything with my cheap-o auger. I called in back-up. My neighbor (a plumber by trade--but not the plumber I generally use) augered it for about 20 min, with no luck. I suggested replacing the dang thing, (with a Toto, perhaps), but he suggested I hang onto this toilet because it is one of the older higher capacity toilets. (American Standard, 1991) He also said that it has the same valve opening as the some of the Toto's. Higher capacity or not, the toilet is not draining again.

So, my questions. What would you recommend I do? Should I call in my reliable plumber to come and try and fish it out ? (At $100+/hr) Or should I replace the toilet with something that might be less likely to clog? (And if so, does such a toilet exist and how much would it cost?!) I still have one toddler to go, and then I think our toilets may be safe once more!

What would the best use of my limited resources to have a properly functioning toilet? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

The 1991 American Standard was not a good toilet.

I installed a few in 1992, the last of the 91's before they were gone.
One was installed in the homeowners powder bath downstairs.
They gave up on it and turned the downstairs bath into a storage room.

I would pull the A/S and put in something like the Toto Drake.
It doesn not have the same workings as your toilet.
Your neighbor knows less than you do.


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Terry,

Thanks for your timely reply! Your website if fantastic! I am off to my local plumbing supply store this afternoon to pick up a Toto Drake.

I will definately chuck the ol A/S. It sure has been a pain over the past few years. (And, I to think I actually paid my neighbor to work on it! GRR!)

I can't wait to see how the Drake works! (And to have my own bathroom back. Yay!)

Thank you so much!!

A very appreciative mom