Flushed, handle snaps off, down the drain, woosh! Now what? No indication so far that it's a problem, afraid to flush again, tho.
OT: Plumbing discussion for a Saturday morning.
- Thread starter LionJim
- Start date
Hanging up in the toilet itself is the worse problem. Once past there a hangup in the plumbing is unlikey. Buy a toilet snake at your local hardware store. If it is there, and you can't dislodge it, take up the toilet bowl. First separate the tank from the toilet bowl. Remember to replace the wax seal.
Assume you want to see if the exit port is blocked by the handle?
Might check it with a snake or length of hose. Or just try flushing again to see if the water clears. If so, test it again in a "clean" state with some toilet paper, again to test the line for any obstruction prior to subsequent use with bodily products.
Those lines can often flush away some pretty good sized items, so perhaps your handle is on the way to the waste treatment plant.
As a replacement handle, consider the newer copper alloys. Med tests show that those surfaces can kill a huge amount of microbes that sit on the surface, within a matter of hours. More healthcare and nursing homes are switching to copper-based surfaces for toilet and door handles, light switches, grab bars and railings, food trays and those sorts of areas, where germs can be spread.
Good luck LionJim!
Might check it with a snake or length of hose. Or just try flushing again to see if the water clears. If so, test it again in a "clean" state with some toilet paper, again to test the line for any obstruction prior to subsequent use with bodily products.
Those lines can often flush away some pretty good sized items, so perhaps your handle is on the way to the waste treatment plant.
As a replacement handle, consider the newer copper alloys. Med tests show that those surfaces can kill a huge amount of microbes that sit on the surface, within a matter of hours. More healthcare and nursing homes are switching to copper-based surfaces for toilet and door handles, light switches, grab bars and railings, food trays and those sorts of areas, where germs can be spread.
Good luck LionJim!
Fairgambit, I left out a LOT of fairly disgusting details in my OP. Thanks for picking up the flag.
This the the way to go. You may be able to use the toilet with item caught in "toilet" trap but eventually it will clog. AND you will have to remove toilet. Had similar problem many years ago with an "old-fashioned" metal toilet deodorizer.
Stop and think first..............is it a metal handle? If so, get your extension magnet for lost nuts and bolts and see if you can get it. If that doesn't work, try a tool that picks up nuts and bolts that you push the handle and small jaws open up. Last, remove the bowl and turn it upside down, the handle is probably caught in the trap. Kids dropped a he-man figurine in the bowl and flushed it once. Never told me. It was a problem with slow flushes. I ended up removing the bowl and took it down the basement to the laundry sink, got the figurine out and immediately lost control and it dropped. had to buy a new bowl.
