# Deposits in toilet



## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

Ok, so for a while now, our toilet has been having issues with flushing. We kind of thought that maybe there was a small toy in there, but we could usually use a plunger and it would all go down. Yesterday that stopped working as well. No amount of plunging would work. So DH and I took the whole thing apart after draining it and cleaning. I discovered that there were mineral deposits, calcium I suppose from our well water, built up so much that it was closing up the hole down deep in the bowl. The Works is the best product that I've found to date for getting all kinds of gunk out, so I let that sit in the bottom for a while and got gobs off. Then I reached even further in and Holy Hannah, it appears as if the build up is all the way through the squigly part of the toilet. We put it all back together just to see if maybe I had gotten enough scrapped off and it still won't flush. Guess we'll have to get a new toilet today. 
Is a water softener the only fix to prevent this from continuing OTHER than getting connected to rural water?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I have heard of toilet magnets but I'm not sure if they would work for this amount of mineral deposits.


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

That is not the kind of deposit that came to mind when I read the title of the post.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I live in an area with very hard water, and have never had that problem. That being said I would just buy another toilet, it's a lot cheaper than a water softener.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I don't suppose that you want to wait a month but in the last half of January I would look for inventory clearance sales aimed to reduce inventory before retail inventory is taxed.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

we have very hard water here too. It sounds more like limescale but could be calcium. And it could go further than the toilet depending on what kind of pipes you're using.

I use white vinegar to clean our toilet, it dissolves lyme and calcium and other minerals that adhere and build up. I heat it on the stove and use it to clean the tea pots and other things that also get build up in them, then I pour it in and let it sit in the bowl for around 15 minutes then flush it down. It helps for it to be warm but don't pour it in too hot because it could crack the porcelain. Vinegar also kills almost as many germs as bleach.

I use baking soda as a scrubber and the two together turn into a foaming cleaner. Just be sure and leave the lid open to it has somewhere to go but it doesn;t foam out or anything

If you have a septic tank or lagoon using any harsh things can kill the beneficial flora needed to break down the solids. I don't use chemicals (we're mostly organic and all natural) but a few times a year I flush about 1/4 cup of yeast. You can also add a 1/4 sugar to help get the yeast going.


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm on a well. But around here, the local water company gets their water from 7 wells, so it has just as much lime & calcium as everyone on wells. 

A water softener will probably help you. I bought a cheap ($150 I think) at Home Depot and it works just fine. I only have it hooked to our hot water, so it doesn't help our toilets. On the other hand, we're not watering plants with, or drinking salt water, as long as we use the cold.


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

I would buy a stool auger and forget about it.... Great idea hooking up the softener on the hot water side Jeff!


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

Thanks. I mainly just wanted it to help save my water heater, so it's hooked up right before that. I'm sure it still helps the dishwasher, washing machine, and the hot sides of the faucets. Been like that for 14 years.

When I built my house ad had that in the plan, I was intending to run hot water lines to my toilets. people talked me out of it, saying that the toilets would sweat because of hot water going in the tanks. 

I wish I would have listened to my gut, because the 2 gallons of water it takes to fill the tank would be cold (or cool) water that's already in the water line. Unless a toilet gets flushed 3 times in a row, I don't think there would ever be hot water coming into the tank.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

Why on the hot water side?

edited because you posted the answer the same time I posted the question 

That makes very good sense for the waterheater alone!


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

jeff47041 said:


> Thanks. I mainly just wanted it to help save my water heater, so it's hooked up right before that. I'm sure it still helps the dishwasher, washing machine, and the hot sides of the faucets. Been like that for 14 years.
> 
> When I built my house ad had that in the plan, I was intending to run hot water lines to my toilets. people talked me out of it, saying that the toilets would sweat because of hot water going in the tanks.
> 
> I wish I would have listened to my gut, because the 2 gallons of water it takes to fill the tank would be cold (or cool) water that's already in the water line. Unless a toilet gets flushed 3 times in a row, I don't think there would ever be hot water coming into the tank.


I've had toilets get hooked up by mistake on the hot water side, They are damn nice in the winter months!


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Stool has what a 3" or 4" drain. And hard water plugged that up? I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around that.

Some folks plumb hot water to the stools. Keeps them from sweating in the summer time. 

Water softener. Better to plumb the hot AND cold water lines. Outside faucets and drinking water faucet are plumped BEFORE the water softener.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

I hooked up the water softener to the hot side only, before the heater. It works great for the whole house. I hate taking a shower in 100% softened water - it feels like I can't get the soap rinsed off. 

I'll bet a piece of tow/logging chain pulled back and forth through the stool trap will clean it out!


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