Help! Very Dirty/Burst Toilet in basement

[Leo Varghese]

Hi all,

Recently purchased an investment property and have to remove this toilet and clean the area. Any ideas on how to go about doing this? Pour bleach on it? The property was part of an estate and no one has used it in years. Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated.

[Theresa Harris]

@Leo Varghese  Spray it with bleach, put some gloves on and if possible wrap a garbage bag over it when you carry it out.

[Marc Winter]

Pick up the phone and call a cleanout service.  

[Erik B.]

Hahaha it's just a toilet not a biological weapon. 

Turn off the water supply if needed 

Flush the toilet and try to remove as much water as you can

brake the toilet around the bolts and bag or place on tarp and carry out.

Looks like theres more to worry about besides the toilet

[Leo Varghese]

@Erik B. haha thanks. No water in there, but I'll turn the water supply off. I was just concerned about whatever is on the toilet (black mold, etc). It's been sitting there for atleast 10 years, so no smell or anything. Also didn't know you can just break the toilet around the bolts without potentially breaking the whole thing. Seems easy enough then. Thanks! 

[Leo Varghese]

@Theresa Harris Thanks, will definitely wear gloves/mask and wrap it up before taking it out.  

[Vern M.]

Just like @Erik B. said, " break the foot of the bowl by the bolts". Pretty sure you don't want to get your face close enough to unscrew.

[Erik B.]

Originally posted by @Leo Varghese:

@Erik B. haha thanks. No water in there, but I'll turn the water supply off. I was just concerned about whatever is on the toilet (black mold, etc). It's been sitting there for atleast 10 years, so no smell or anything. Also didn't know you can just break the toilet around the bolts without potentially breaking the whole thing. Seems easy enough then. Thanks! 

 Most of the time the bolts will be corroded or rusted and it's just easier to break the ceramic in those areas. If there is no water in it at all you can sledge the whole thing to make it more manageable. Good luck

[Jim K.]

Originally posted by @Leo Varghese:

Hi all,

Recently purchased an investment property and have to remove this toilet and clean the area. Any ideas on how to go about doing this? Pour bleach on it? The property was part of an estate and no one has used it in years. Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated.

 One for the file! Can someone tag James Wise?

[James Wise]

Originally posted by @Leo Varghese:

Hi all,

Recently purchased an investment property and have to remove this toilet and clean the area. Any ideas on how to go about doing this? Pour bleach on it? The property was part of an estate and no one has used it in years. Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated.

 That is a glorious photo. Well done! Now I've gotta go through the files and see if I can jump on this train and share some horribleness with you.

[James Wise]

Originally posted by @Jim K.:

Originally posted by @Leo Varghese:

Hi all,

Recently purchased an investment property and have to remove this toilet and clean the area. Any ideas on how to go about doing this? Pour bleach on it? The property was part of an estate and no one has used it in years. Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated.

 One for the file! Can someone tag James Wise?

Ya'll trying to share some horrible toilets? Cause I am down to share some horrible toilets.

[James Wise]

[James Wise]

[James Wise]

[James Wise]

Originally posted by @Vern M.:

Just like @Erik B. said, " break the foot of the bowl by the bolts". Pretty sure you don't want to get your face close enough to unscrew.

 Throw an M80 in the bowl then walk upstairs yo.

[Mike S.]

There are places, I think mostly in the northeast, that had toilets in the basement solely for sewage backups. They weren't meant to even be used as toilets.

Edit: They were named the Pittsburgh Potty, although they were found in other pre WW2 cities.

[Erik B.]

Originally posted by @James Wise:

 This post went down the wrong path lol

[Jim K.]

Originally posted by @Mike S.:

There are places, I think mostly in the northeast, that had toilets in the basement solely for sewage backups. They weren't meant to even be used as toilets.

There's a tradition in Pittsburgh for a lot of the 1890-1920s city houses to have been built with a toilet and a vanity in the basement, a "Pittsburgh potty." The idea was that the steelworker husband would come home filthy from the mills and clean up down in the basement before he was allowed in the home upstairs.

But yes, a huge benefit was if there was a city sewer backup, it would enter the house through the fixture lowest to the ground. The toilet in the basement would overflow, not the rest of the house upstairs.

[Mike S.]

Originally posted by @Jim K.:

Originally posted by @Mike S.:

There are places, I think mostly in the northeast, that had toilets in the basement solely for sewage backups. They weren't meant to even be used as toilets.

There's a tradition in Pittsburgh for a lot of the 1890-1920s city houses to have been built with a toilet and a vanity in the basement, a "Pittsburgh potty." The idea was that the steelworker husband would come home filthy from the mills and clean up down in the basement before he was allowed in the home upstairs.

But yes, a huge benefit was if there was a city sewer backup, it would enter the house through the fixture lowest to the ground. The toilet in the basement would overflow, not the rest of the house upstairs.

The source I read said that the steel worker/clean up idea was just what some people came up with to explain them. The real reason was the overflow since piping systems were poor at the time. Sometimes even being made out of organic materials. Easier to clean a basement than a master bath.

[James Wise]

Originally posted by @Erik B.:

Originally posted by @James Wise:

 This post went down the wrong path lol

I give the people what they want.

[James Wise]

Originally posted by @Mike S.:

Originally posted by @Jim K.:

Originally posted by @Mike S.:

There are places, I think mostly in the northeast, that had toilets in the basement solely for sewage backups. They weren't meant to even be used as toilets.

There's a tradition in Pittsburgh for a lot of the 1890-1920s city houses to have been built with a toilet and a vanity in the basement, a "Pittsburgh potty." The idea was that the steelworker husband would come home filthy from the mills and clean up down in the basement before he was allowed in the home upstairs.

But yes, a huge benefit was if there was a city sewer backup, it would enter the house through the fixture lowest to the ground. The toilet in the basement would overflow, not the rest of the house upstairs.

The source I read said that the steel worker/clean up idea was just what some people came up with to explain them. The real reason was the overflow since piping systems were poor at the time. Sometimes even being made out of organic materials. Easier to clean a basement than a master bath.

 Pittsburgh toilets were for the steel workers to wash up right when they came home. Come home and immediately go downstairs before tracking grime through the home. We have a lot of them in old Cleveland homes as well.

[Marc Winter]

@James Wise, thanks for sharing the very homey photos--brings back into focus the graphic nightmares of tenants that have departed.  Many tenants are ok-to-good; some are downright crappy.

[Russell Cooley]

@Leo Varghese

Look messy also looks like category 3 water loss I’m an adjuster and environmental contractor knowing that, that is only the being of the problems that could be I would have to refer you a good buddy of mine also a BiggerPockets member @Carlos Ramirez owner of Relion Restoration wish you the best of luck.

[Andrew B.]

Opening this thread, while eating my lunch, was a very bad idea.

[James Wise]

Originally posted by @Andrew B.:

Opening this thread, while eating my lunch, was a very bad idea.

At least you didn't eat it in this kitchen.

[Russ B.]

I dunno.. That looks like my toilet after I've had too many ghost peppers 😄

Being serious, my guess is that the sewer was backed up, and the drains upstairs flowed out of there for a while.