My new Ultramax clogged!

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jumpnjv

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I just had my Toto Ultramax installed two days ago. So excited. Spend a lot of money, but figured I would save it in plumber fees for clogged toilets. I was so dismayed to find that my toilet clogged. I don't know that it was anything out of the ordinary that clogged it.

I tried plunging with short quick strokes, but nothing. I am so frustrated. I am very surprised that my Ultramax clogged on something fairly normal. Could there be a problem with the way it was installed? Any ideas on how to get it unclogged?
 

Jadnashua

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If the old one clogged frequently it could have been for several reasons, and one of them was a poorly designed toilet. But, if you have a drain problem, no toilet will work properly until that is fixed.

When the thing was installed, if you needed two wax rings to set it, one of them may have shifted and partially blocked the drain. If the drain is an offset drain, some designs are lousy, and can cause blockages. No toilet can handle huge gobs of toilet paper I've seen some people use. I don't get it where they think they need like half a roll to wipe their behind. Any dumping of femine products can mess up any toilet, too.
 

SteveW

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Jim covered this very well. Either something is obstructing the outflow of the toilet, or further down the drain line, or someone did put way too much TP or something else down the trap.
I have 2 Ultramax II's and they have gotten a real workout with no clogs in routine use.

A very remote possibility is a faulty toilet - but this is extremely rare for Totos.
 

Terry

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Sometimes you can take a five gallon bucket of water and try dumping that straight into the bowl.
We carry a closet auger with us on the vans. It's helpful for pushing things out.

Until you know why it's clogged, it would be hard to guess. I've pulled out many things, and it seems nobody ever remembers how the items got there.
My favorite was the GI Joe doll that a boy tried flushing through. I guess he wanted to see if Joe could swim.
We were told absolutley before we went out, "There is nothing in the bowl, it just plugs." She was ready to strangle her little boy when we showed her the doll.
 

jumpnjv

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Well, the good thing about the Ultramax is that I can put half my arm up the pipes and unclog the toilet myself! There was very little TP, so it wasn't that. Nothing really unusual. Does the Ultramx have the option where you can hold the handle down a bit longer for a bigger flush? I am now not so excited about my toilet as I thought it would be the answer to all my prayers. It actually is a bit worse as I'm worried about scratching it up because it's so new and shiny. I've tried the plunger technique, but I don't have the magic touch. Maybe I should invest in a closet auger?
 

jumpnjv

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Is there a way to find out if my drain is causing the problem without costing an arm and a leg?
 
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Jadnashua

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The trapway makes a 180-degree turn, so while you might get your arm part way in, there's no way you could get it all the way through!

Take a big bucket and pour water down the toilet slowly. If it all goes down, the drain is probably okay, but unfortuneately, not for certain...it could be partially blocked. I'd consider pulling the toilet and looking underneath...it might become obvious if say the wax got dislodged and is covering half or more of the outlet. A good toilet auger and some skill would not scratch up a toilet since the part that goes where you can see is rubber coated to protect it. The cheaper versions may not have that. Terry's experience with Toto is about a 1% defect rate, much lower than any of the other brands he sells. While possible the toilet is defective, it is unlikely, and is more likely to be some foreign object or a problem with the drain.

Most any toilet will empty its tank if you hold the handle down. This is a feel-good thing rather than productive, for if the toilet is working properly (and is a decent design which the Toto is), all it does is waste water.
 
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