How High Is the Water, Mama?

     That's a question Johnny Cash asked.  This morning I asked Mike how high the water had gotten when he told me one of the toilets was jammed up.  Fortunately, it didn't crest the rim.
     What's the big deal, you ask?  Grab a plunger and clear the clog.  That only works when the plunger  can form a seal around the hole in the bottom of the bowl.  Newer toilets are incompatible with plungers since plungers are round and the exit from the bowl is elongated.  This was a job for a toilet auger.  We have a drain snake, but I have heard they can damage porcelain as they flop around.  An auger is made for clearing toilet stoppages, and that is what you should use.  It was 11:00 a.m., and we had to be somewhere at noon.
     Now, back in the old days Thrifty Beverly would have closed the lid and gone to her appointment.  On the way home she would have stopped at a hardware store and purchased a toilet auger.  Depending on the decade, she would have either gone to the library for a plumbing book, or she would have spent some time researching clog clearing on the internet.  Auger in hand, bucket and mop at the ready, she would attack the blockage.
     These aren't the old days.  Whiny Beverly didn't want to be involved in any do-it-yourself endeavors that might end in being splashed with poopy potty water.  She also didn't want to miss out on the day's plans.  Mike called All Clear Plumbing.  They promised to arrive in one hour. They showed up in half the time.  A nice, young man cleared the commode in about fifteen minutes.  He let us watch, so we consider ourselves fully trained for the next occurrence.  A toilet auger is on the list for the next time we go to Lowe's.
     I like to heap praise on contractors and handypeople when I've had a good experience.  All Clear arrived quickly.  Their serviceman was polite, fast, and efficient.  While we are likely to try a little harder in the future to fix the jammed toilets ourselves, we would call All Clear for more serious plumbing matters.  Check out their web site: http://www.allclearplumbingnj.com/Plumbing_Contractor_Special_Offers_Hainesport_NJ.html
   
     Enjoy Johnny Cash:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14zHgCrywjU