Can throwing $100k down the toilet damage it?

[Richard Moore]

2006 home, with an original sale date of October, 2006. Judging by the MLS# and the chest high weeds it's been vacant for a year. The home is still in the original buyer's name so I'm not sure it's a typical foreclosure but, obviously, something went wrong in a hurry. All utilities were locked off at my first visit...grrrr!

Anyway, the house is being sold for about $100K less than the original price. And this is the 2-yr old toilet in the master bathroom...!!!

Image Insert:

38.84 KB

Not just dirt; the glazing has actually "flaked" off. Easy call for a new toilet, but I've never seen one damaged like this. You think frozen bowl/trap water could cause that type of damage?

What is almost comical is the can of Comet and the toilet brush still in place.

[SonOfSwamp]

Probably a "reglazed" unit, which is another way of saying, "a painted-over commode.

Funny how so many homeowners don't know that one can't actually reglaze a porcelain fixture.

WJ

[Steven Hockstein]

Acid Reflux

[Billy_Bob]

I wonder if someone cleaning the house left a cleaning solution in the toilet and it just ate away at it?

[msteger]

That is sort of what I was also thinking. Alot of those cleaning solutions work fine for normally cleaning, but if you leave it in there for too long, it can cause damage.

[Richard Moore]

Originally posted by Billy_Bob

I wonder if someone cleaning the house left a cleaning solution in the toilet and it just ate away at it?

That makes sense. I couldn't see it freezing up in the first place (we didn't have that cold a winter) and even if it did, the damage didn't seem to be the type that might be related.

But, yep, they could have had a strong cleaning agent in there for quite some time. The other two toilets were fine. Who knows?

Here's a photo of the jungle back yard. I've seen weeds before (duh, obviously) but never that thick and high at a home for sale. I must lead a sheltered life.

Image Insert:

229.43 KB

[Brandon Whitmore]

Richard,

Thanks for posting that picture... I started sneezing as soon as I looked at it. [:-slaphap

[Tom Raymond]

Richard,

How's the water in that area? Hard water or a high sediment content will cause staining like that. My house was a forclosure that sat empty about 4 years and had a similar stain. That was ten years ago, and there is still a small spot that won't come off. If it is sediment it will stain rather quickly, after a week long vacation I can see a dirt ring at the water line in the bowl, even with a sediment filter on the main.

Tom

Our muni water supply passes State testing every year[:-crazy]

[Bill Kibbel]

The person using the master toilet needs to review their diet.

The porcelain enamel was scratched and chipped by several snakings, then a drain cleaner, containing sulphuric acid, was used.