drain pipes blockages from master bath toilet, tub & shower

[leavingsoon]

Our home is a 4 yr old ranch with bedrooms split on either end. On 2 occasions, while taking a bath, my cat and I heard bubbling in the toilet. Then toilet debris began to back up into the shower! YEAH! What a mess! The plumber said the drainage system has the correct configuration and slope. He said that it's probably caused by:
1- the low flow toilet located on the far end of the house, away from the main sewer line,
2-type of toilet paper used, and
3-the fact that there are only 2 of us using that toilet.
What do you think we should do? I don't want this to reoccur! Is there a 'power-flush' type of toilet that we can purchase? My brother says that we should buy a macerator-type toilet.

[Gary Swart]

1: no toilet flushes all debris away in one flush. 2: very possible. Some of the highly advertised brands such as Charmin, have a great deal of rag content. This does not pulverize well in water and too much can cause clogs. 3: see #1. A macerator toilet is intended for basements where the waste is pumped up to the sewer. A pressure assist flush is a gimmick to make an other-wise poor toilet perform. Easiest thing to do is change TP to a house brand. These are not the heavy weight papers and work very well. If that doesn't help, come back and maybe someone else can offer another idea.

[hj]

The plumber gave you good information, but NOT what we need to know. WHERE was the stoppage? Most systems that "plug up" have "proper slope and configuration", but it can still happen.

[leavingsoon]

Thanks for your input! The area stopped up was after the master bath (toilet, to the tub, then the shower) empties into a run to a 1/2 bath (appx. 9-10 feet). The whole run was plugged. That took 2 yrs to develop from the last time a plumber cleaned it out. I haven't had a problem with the rest of my drainage system. I should mention that my husband & I hate the master bath toilet & would like to change it. It's a Crane, with a 10 inch rough-in & grows mold, etc. within a few days of cleaning it. Looks like it should be for small children, because it's so small!

[Gary Swart]

The best answer for a new toilet is one of the Toto models that uses the Unifit adapter. Toto is not only the best toilet on the market today, they are the only company that makes such an adapter. It only works on specific models of Toto, no other brands. You can view these on this forum by following the links at the top. Crane was not a very high quality toilet to begin with.

[leavingsoon]

I'm glad that you think this is not too serious a problem. I like the Toto toilets. I saw the picture of the 2 toilets in the small bathroom on this website (1 with the adapter & 1 without): Does the adapter bring the 10" rough-in toilet/tank any closer to the wall? Why else would I need the adapter?