How to Fix Stuff

[Bronze]

Conclusion:

After hours and hours of running a pump from the bowl to the inner ring using bleach then vinegar and after using lysol black and sitting there with a pumice stone grinding away I'm done!! Results: All the mold is killed and gone except for possibly the front of the inner bowl ring. The pump was not strong enough to shoot the bleach water that far (I was using an 80 gph pump...shoulda got a 400 gph pump). Don't laugh, but I'm going to use a pipette and shoot straight bleach into those front jet holes. I'll let it sit in there all day. That ought to kill any mold that remains in that inner ring.

With all the pumping, all the chemicals, all the pumice, all the elbow grease I got off maybe 20% of the limescale. I did the back of the toilet because that's really all you can see. I gave cursory attention to the sides and front and improved it a little. But with the mold gone it is better than what it was. It simply is not worth any more effort for a $150 toilet. Two more to go but the learning curve has been surmounted.

Preventative Maintenance

Limescale:
Going forward I will use that lysol black perhaps once every 3 - 6 months to delime any new scale. That should keep it from getting worse. I am also looking into getting a whole house water filter. I know those filters are good for sediment but not sure how good they do for limescale. More research needed.

Mold:
Because mold takes a long time to establish itself in the inner ring I can probably do a bleach purge every five years or so. Truthfully, it's beyond my time horizon and will probably do nothing unless I begin to see it appear again.

Tip for those interested: If you don't want to monkey with a pump (it's no big deal really) you can probably do near as good a job simply using a pipette and shooting straight bleach in every jet hole. Let it sit overnight. It will rinse out with the next flush. That should keep the mold in check and requires very little effort.

Here, I found a video of the pump method. I had the exact same issue but the limescale left behind was way worse than what this dude had.

 

[76bridget]

Bronze I use the Lysol black as needed also, maybe every 6 weeks or so, when I start seeing or feeling buildup. I usually bleach the bowls weekly for cleaning. I clean nothing else with bleach and I don't use a lot, as we have a septic tank as well.

 

[76bridget]

DH uses this RoadPro 12v portable stove daily to heat up lunch. It is a necessity on his job. Problem is we are on the second one and the plug is failing again. He's replaced the plug with ones he could pick up locally.. I just ordered him 2 from Amazon termed 'heavy duty'.. Think that will fix it and last longer? Or is there some other way to fix the plug?

 

[kross8]

DH uses this RoadPro 12v portable stove daily to heat up lunch. It is a necessity on his job. Problem is we are on the second one and the plug is failing again. He's replaced the plug with ones he could pick up locally.. I just ordered him 2 from Amazon termed 'heavy duty'.. Think that will fix it and last longer? Or is there some other way to fix the plug?
View attachment 837643

Maybe the plug isn't the problem,,, it doesn't seem to like the power source....which is the vehicle car battery. I watch a lot of nomad videos,,, maybe buy him a dedicated power source,, a goal zero or something.

 

[CMD-Ky]

@Bronze @Bunnykiller

I don't have a fix for this but I have questions. Our house has about forty feet of wooden steps or walkways. There are elevated from six inches to four feet off the ground. It has been a battle keeping these safe, even frost will make them dangerous. I found heated stair and walk mats and go some. I had an "real" electrician come out and put four outlets on a new breaker to service the mats.
The mats have GFI plugs on them. The electrician installed four GFI outlets. Plugging the any of the mats in to any of the outlets immediately causes the GFI on the outlets to trip. The "electrician" can't tell me why or fix it. The manufacturer says call an electrician. We are in the middle of no where and this guy was the only one who would come out here for a reasonable price. I can plug anything else into these outlets and there is no problem only the GFI mats.
I have searched around on the net but can't get an answer. Do GFI plugs into GFI outlets sometimes cause a problem? It appears there is too much interuptin' going on.

 

[Bronze]

I don't have a fix for this but I have questions. Our house has about forty feet of wooden steps or walkways. There are elevated from six inches to four feet off the ground. It has been a battle keeping these safe, even frost will make them dangerous. I found heated stair and walk mats and go some. I had an "real" electrician come out and put four outlets on a new breaker to service the mats.
The mats have GFI plugs on them. The electrician installed four GFI outlets. Plugging the any of the mats in to any of the outlets immediately causes the GFI on the outlets to trip. The "electrician" can't tell me why or fix it. The manufacturer says call an electrician. We are in the middle of no where and this guy was the only one who would come out here for a reasonable price. I can plug anything else into these outlets and there is no problem only the GFI mats.
I have searched around on the net but can't get an answer. Do GFI plugs into GFI outlets sometimes cause a problem? It appears there is too much interuptin' going on.

Is the breaker too small to handle the load the mats are dishing out?

 

[CMD-Ky]

Is the breaker too small to handle the load the mats are dishing out?

No, it is twenty Amp and the load is less than that. The outlet GFI will trip at the moment any one I (there are four sets of plugs) of the mats is plugged in. The breaker never trips.

 

[CMD-Ky]

Going forward I will use that lysol black perhaps once every 3 - 6 months to delime any new scale. That should keep it from getting worse. I am also looking into getting a whole house water filter. I know those filters are good for sediment but not sure how good they do for limescale. More research needed.

We have one and it works for particulate matter only. The lime is dissolved and goes right through. We then have a water softener.

 

[Bronze]

No, it is twenty Amp and the load is less than that. The outlet GFI will trip at the moment any one I (there are four sets of plugs) of the mats is plugged in. The breaker never trips.

Are these mats mobile? Can you try plugging them into another 20A outlet to see what happens?

 

[CMD-Ky]

Are these mats mobile? Can you try plugging them into another 20A outlet to see what happens?

I have them bolted down but I could run an extension cord just for test purposes.

 

[Bronze]

I have them bolted down but I could run an extension cord just for test purposes.

Would be better if you could avoid an extension cord. Those add resistance making it easier to trip a circuit. Use as short and fat a cord you have.

 

[CMD-Ky]

Would be better if you could avoid an extension cord. Those add resistance making it easier to trip a circuit. Use as short and fat a cord you have.

Got just the thing, I will do that this afternoon after I get the fuel filter replaced on the tractor.

 

[markfm]

On the gfci question, by any chance do you have a GFCI outlet tester? They're about $10 at an HD or Lowes.

They'll tell you if anything is messed up in the outlet wiring. Pressing the button on the tester will trip the outlet gfci.

It's a very handy, low cost, tool for checking outlets. It's also good for checking the wiring connections on non-GFCI outlets. Very easy to use - a 3 prong plug with 3 lights, a little table stating what the lights indicate, and the button to test gfci function.

On the gfci on the mat plug side, press the reset button (so the mat is in the "on" state) before plugging it into the gfci outlet.

 

[Bronze]

Got just the thing, I will do that this afternoon after I get the fuel filter replaced on the tractor.

If you get the mats to work on another circuit at least you eliminate one possibility (the mats). This is the process of, "Let's eliminate what we can. What's left is what's wrong."

 

[Bronze]

And make sure there is nothing else hooked to the mat circuit and when you try the mats on another circuit be sure it is the same amperage breaker and that there is nothing else plugged in to it.

 

[CMD-Ky]

On the gfci question, by any chance do you have a GFCI outlet tester? They're about $10 at an HD or Lowes.

They'll tell you if anything is messed up in the outlet wiring. Pressing the button on the tester will trip the outlet gfci.

It's a very handy, low cost, tool for checking outlets. It's also good for checking the wiring connections on non-GFCI outlets. Very easy to use - a 3 prong plug with 3 lights, a little table stating what the lights indicate, and the button to test gfci function.

On the gfci on the mat plug side, press the reset button (so the mat is in the "on" state) before plugging it into the gfci outlet.

I have one and it's around here somewhere, I put it where I could always find it.

 

[Bronze]

I have one and it's around here somewhere, I put it where I could always find it.

Next time try putting it somewhere you can never find it.

 

[markfm]

The gfci outlet tester and a non-contact voltage detector are my two must-haves for anything with AC lines. They go in a little pouch that also has a cheapie multimeter.

The voltage detector is under $20, let's you know if a line is hot. When I use it I always check a line that I know is live first, to make sure it's functioning properly (battery and sensor okay), then check the one that should be off. (It makes sure I've turned power off at the right breaker [emoji3])

 

[CMD-Ky]

Next time try putting it somewhere you can never find it.

It seems as though almost any place I put anything is, conveniently, some that I can't find it. Mrs CMD can find it let than a heartbeat and then stand there smiling sweetly dangling the missing "thing" in front of me.

The gfci outlet tester and a non-contact voltage detector are my two must-haves for anything with AC lines. They go in a little pouch that also has a cheapie multimeter.

The voltage detector is under $20, let's you know if a line is hot. When I use it I always check a line that I know is live first, to make sure it's functioning properly (battery and sensor okay), then check the one that should be off. (It makes sure I've turned power off at the right breaker

)

This voltage detector is a must buy for me. It would ease my mind so much. Lowe's Friday, I am going to get one. Thank you for the tip.

 

[markfm]

Something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-Digital-100-to-600-Volt-Non-Contact-Voltage-Tester/1000095087

And if anyone wondered what a gfci outlet tester is:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-Analog-120-Volt-Gfci-Receptacle-Tester/1000970284

At a camp we bought those items had a lot of work. Hot and neutral were reversed in a few outlets, and in many of them the ground hadn't been connected.