Toilet jets incredibly blocked up -help please?

bundance

Please can anyone help. I have an emabarrassing problem.

I have lived in this flat for ten years, and it is in a very hard water area.

I have a smelly toilet and have to clean it every time I flush it I have to clean the bowl, as that is where the smell is coming from.

I have just discovered that when I flush the toilet, water only comes out from about a third of the rim. No water comes out of the sides or the front of the bowl. This is why the smell is happening.

I am embarrassed to say that I have just disvovered that toilets have water jets in the rim of the bowl

The problem is that the rim on my toilet is so deep that I cannot see the holes.
I have been on sites which give instructions on how to clean out the holes with a wire, but it says be careful not to scratch the porcelain.
The instructions say to use a small mirror so you can see the holes, but when I used the mirror, I could not see anything as the rim is about two inches deep.

I dont know how to get at these holes to clean them.
I cannot see the holes, so am bound to scratch the porcelain.

Can anyone advise me what to do in my case, so I can clear these holes which are obviously heavily blocked up.

If I put bleach in cystern and squirt bleach up inside the rim, will this unblock the holes?

I am female and have no clue about DIY or plumbing, but I need to clear these toilet jet holes.

Many thanks

Owain_Moneysaver

Bleach will not shift limescale. You need acid. Somethign like Fernox DS-3 which is intended for descaling boilers. Or Kilrock do a non-drip descaler gel.

Something like a wood lolly stick will not scratch the china.

macman

How about a spray-type limescale remover? Limelite or similar.

bundance

Hi, I have just put tesco limescal remover in the toilet and tried to clean it using a bottle brush, but it doesn't seem to be reaching the holes underneath. Toilet still not flushing properly.

Thanks for the idea about wooden lolly sticks, but they would be too thick to get in the jet holes.

The tesco limescale remover says not to mix it with any other cleaning stuff.

If I try to get some of the products recommended to me in this thread, I am concerned that there may be dried residue of tesco limescale remover up in the rim, if the residue of this limescale remover is dry, will it react with any other products I try?

Can I apply limescale remover tomorrow and use a small toothbrush to get at the holes (if it will reach up there) or will it cause harm using the limescale remover too often?

Thanks for your help so far.

t_obermory

I'm not sure about the whole mixing cleaning liquids thing; but if you're looking for a brush to get in the holes try a baby bottle cleaning brush, they have a small end which should be small enough to get in the holes.

HTH's.

googler

Go to B&Q and get a short length of 2.5mm or 3.5mm mains cable - NOT flex, but the grey-coated stuff that would normally be used for permanent wiring of mains circuits.

Strip the outer insulation off, and remove about a couple of centimetres or so from the end of one of the inner conductors, leaving the insulation on the remainder. Separate this conductor from the rest, cut it to a convenient length, and poke it up into the rim of your WC. The insulation will stop it scratching the porcelain where you can see it, and the bared metal end should be thin enough and rigid enough to poke into the waterways, to dislodge any solid and semi-solid residue.

Alternatively, go to an electronics store such as Maplin and get an aerosol canister of compressed air. These usually come with a semi-rigid plastic tube to direct the airflow. Poke this up toward the waterways until you feel resistance, and give them a blast.

Do people still sell pipe-cleaners? These would do the trick as well.

olias

Have you actually used a limescale remover with a bend in the neck of the bottle (a bit like toilet duck)? This should squirt right under the rim and soak the holes. I would try doing this. Soak the holes using this method, leave to soak for about an hour, then flush. If you do this a few dozen times over the course of a few days, I would be surprised if it didn't shift the majority of the limescale, and it should cost you less than a fiver for a couple of bottles of the limescale remover.

Olias

bundance

Thanks for all of those ideas, its much appreciated.

eco-friendly_2

Have you been popping bloo blocks in your cistern?

bundance

eco-friendly wrote: »

Have you been popping bloo blocks in your cistern?

No, because a plumber I spoke to said that they corrode the plastic workings in the cystern.

googler

.... 'corrode' the plastic? Nonsense. Been using them for years, and nothing fallen apart yet in our household.

If all else fails - you can shut the water off, and take the cistern off. Then pour some Mr Muscle drain unblocker down the waterways in the bowl, and leave that to work before replacing the cistern.