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Post by blazerrose on Apr 21, 2014 1:28:11 GMT
First off - keep it clean.  It's time for - toilet trauma myths, like stories of people's really bad days regarding their toilets. The MB's already did match and bug spray in a toilet go boom, methane in a port-a-potty, Lethal Weapon jumping into the tub to avoid the bomb in the toilet, and of course, plane suction with poor Kari's backside scan. To start the discussion - Two inmates are techies. One is trying to fix a TV and is using his metal toilet as a chair. Inmate 2 is trying to make his own headphones, also using his toilet as a seat. Could they be shocked? Or would their shoes on the floor act as a ground? Does the water make a difference? In the movie Watchmen Rorschach destroys his toilet bowl with a kick, thus flooding his cell and he then uses the water to electrocute the bad guy. People potentially getting injured by sitting on a toilet with the seat up. (Or are we ladies just picky?) Feel free to throw in any new ideas, too.  |
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Post by ironhold on Apr 21, 2014 2:37:48 GMT
One myth I keep hearing is that, so long as you don't insert any sort of cleansing tablet / disk, the water in the toilet tank is actually safe to drink; it's only when some sort of bowl cleaner is added to the mix that the water becomes dangerous.
Another myth I've heard is that if the toilet tank sits empty long enough, gas can build up in there.
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Post by the light works on Apr 21, 2014 5:54:31 GMT
One myth I keep hearing is that, so long as you don't insert any sort of cleansing tablet / disk, the water in the toilet tank is actually safe to drink; it's only when some sort of bowl cleaner is added to the mix that the water becomes dangerous. Another myth I've heard is that if the toilet tank sits empty long enough, gas can build up in there. unless the plastic and metal fittings inside the tank leach something into the water, it is as clean as it would be in a china teacup. - unless you are in the habit of taking the lid off and peeing in the tank. similarly, there isn't a source for gas in the toilet tank - one opening is to the water supply, and the other two go to room air. remember, there is an air gap between the tank and the bowl. |
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Post by the light works on Apr 21, 2014 5:56:44 GMT
this is probably not safe for TV, but is the western toilet design really better than the eastern "Squatty potty?"
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Post by the light works on Apr 21, 2014 16:21:39 GMT
lid up or down in a portapotty on a hot day. which gives better aroma control? I've always felt closing the lid reduces the size of the opening, allowing the vent stack to more effectively keep the odor inside the holding tank; but is this sound reasoning, or does it not make a difference?
does reducing the volume of the flush in a standard toilet really save water, or does it impair the operation of the toilet to the point that multiple flushes are required? (this could be tested with both a "pre-water-saving toilet, and a modern water saving toilet; assuming they can get the hardware to test the old one. for this one I am envisioning flushing a series of combinations of golf and ping pong balls, and measuring the amount of water it takes to make them all go away.
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Post by Cybermortis on Apr 21, 2014 17:26:34 GMT
Given the title and the OP I would think this is more about...unfortunate...Incidents, scenes and stories that involve toilets. Such as toilets breaking under the weight of someone who is badly overweight, or people sitting down on a toilet without realising that the seat is up and getting stuck.
Those kind of things.
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Post by PK on Apr 21, 2014 18:35:05 GMT
This one might be timely, given that California is currently in a drought situation and people are more likely to "let it mellow"....
What about the myth from the Disco site that a bleach toilet cleanser and ammonia from old urine can combine to create a toxic gas?
(FYI, for those unfamiliar with it, there's a water-saving adage that comes up every time there's a drought around here: "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down")
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Post by the light works on Apr 21, 2014 18:59:29 GMT
This one might be timely, given that California is currently in a drought situation and people are more likely to "let it mellow".... What about the myth from the Disco site that a bleach toilet cleanser and ammonia from old urine can combine to create a toxic gas? (FYI, for those unfamiliar with it, there's a water-saving adage that comes up every time there's a drought around here: "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down") I also read a story where a toilet was trapped by replacing the tank water with bleach. - so is urine strong enough with ammonia to create toxic gas? |
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Post by Cybermortis on Apr 21, 2014 19:15:38 GMT
Well, yes urine and bleach will react to produce chlorine gas. The catch is that domestic bleach isn't all that concentrated so you don't get a lethal concentration of the gas. Chlorine is also heaver than air, so you'd more or less have to be lying on the floor to get that concentration.
Of course the reaction is exothermic, so the gas does initially rise due to the heat. But you'd have to be standing over it and failing to notice the hissing, bubbling liquid and the white gas rising up for it to be potentially lethal.
Industrial strength bleach is a different matter of course, but that stuff would probably be just as dangerous to the person trying to use it to fill the tank as their intended victim. I'd also suspect that at such strength it would quickly corrode the tank, if not start smoking from just being exposed to air.
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Post by OziRiS on Apr 21, 2014 19:56:20 GMT
...there's a water-saving adage that comes up every time there's a drought around here: "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" That's just disgusting! I've come into the bathroom on more than one occasion where the kid forgot to flush and even though it's only urine it can stink something fierce! |
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Post by the light works on Apr 21, 2014 20:24:28 GMT
...there's a water-saving adage that comes up every time there's a drought around here: "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" That's just disgusting! I've come into the bathroom on more than one occasion where the kid forgot to flush and even though it's only urine it can stink something fierce! I suspect not quite so bad as "sorry, there's no water available" though. |
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Post by PK on Apr 21, 2014 20:55:26 GMT
...there's a water-saving adage that comes up every time there's a drought around here: "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" That's just disgusting! I've come into the bathroom on more than one occasion where the kid forgot to flush and even though it's only urine it can stink something fierce! True enough, but when the city says "you have to cut water use by 25% or else", you make adjustments where you can. And there are ways to moderate the odor. Especially when you know you have to. |
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Post by blazerrose on Apr 21, 2014 22:36:19 GMT
this is probably not safe for TV, but is the western toilet design really better than the eastern "Squatty potty?" Saw one of those in Japan. Took a pass and waited for a more familiar toilet. I would think you'd have to have really good aim. Also in Japan - super high tech toilets that can "play a flush" to mask any potential sounds from your stall, provide heat to the seats, and utilize a bidet feature. The juxtaposition of the two technologies was interesting. |
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Post by the light works on Apr 21, 2014 22:43:47 GMT
this is probably not safe for TV, but is the western toilet design really better than the eastern "Squatty potty?" Saw one of those in Japan. Took a pass and waited for a more familiar toilet. I would think you'd have to have really good aim. Also in Japan - super high tech toilets that can "play a flush" to mask any potential sounds from your stall, provide heat to the seats, and utilize a bidet feature. The juxtaposition of the two technologies was interesting. I've installed power for those techno seats in a few houses. the top of the line ones also blow dry. |
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Post by OziRiS on Apr 21, 2014 23:19:10 GMT
Saw one of those in Japan. Took a pass and waited for a more familiar toilet. I would think you'd have to have really good aim. Also in Japan - super high tech toilets that can "play a flush" to mask any potential sounds from your stall, provide heat to the seats, and utilize a bidet feature. The juxtaposition of the two technologies was interesting. I've installed power for those techno seats in a few houses. the top of the line ones also blow dry. I've seen those. They're not so great. It's just a lot of hot air  |
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Post by User Unavailable on Apr 22, 2014 4:39:05 GMT
Well, yes urine and bleach will react to produce chlorine gas. The catch is that domestic bleach isn't all that concentrated so you don't get a lethal concentration of the gas. Chlorine is also heaver than air, so you'd more or less have to be lying on the floor to get that concentration. Of course the reaction is exothermic, so the gas does initially rise due to the heat. But you'd have to be standing over it and failing to notice the hissing, bubbling liquid and the white gas rising up for it to be potentially lethal. Industrial strength bleach is a different matter of course, but that stuff would probably be just as dangerous to the person trying to use it to fill the tank as their intended victim. I'd also suspect that at such strength it would quickly corrode the tank, if not start smoking from just being exposed to air. Typical industrial bleach is 12-14.5% Sodium Hypochlorite, it is pretty stable, doesn't smoke from contact with air. It will give you a chemical burn if you don't get it washed off your skin fairly quickly. Most industrial bleach dispensers I've used are simply a 1/4 or 3/8 inch hose stuck in the 2 inch open bung hole of the plastic drum and the hose attaches to a wall mounted pump for dispensing into spray bottles or scrub buckets. Some pumps automatically mix a preset amount of water with the bleach when dispensing. Industrial bleach simply has more Sodium Hypochlorite than household bleach, which is 3-8%. I've "heard" that there is a 50% Sodium Hydroxide industrial Bleach, for decontamination of biological contaminated areas and equipment, including the personnel, before they remove the full body biohazard protective suits. |
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Post by kharnynb on May 1, 2014 22:07:54 GMT
I've more than once sat on a toilet with the seat up, when i went for midnight pee(easier, don't have to turn lights on to aim), it's annoying, but hardly harmful.
I would think toilet bowl water would be lightly contaminated, unless the bowl was recently cleaned.
The french squat toilets i've used are more sanitary in warm climates, since you only contact with the feet instead of near body openings, but they aren't very practical if you are constipated ;D.
The water saving flush is decent for nr1, not so great for nr2's
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Post by OziRiS on May 2, 2014 19:37:32 GMT
The good thing about the french squat toilet is that you'll never fall asleep while using it and wake up numb from the waist down |
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Post by User Unavailable on May 2, 2014 20:42:21 GMT
You only call it the French Squat in the European neck of the woods, but it really is much older and comes from The Far East.
The squat is hard on you when you've got bad knees!
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Post by the light works on May 3, 2014 0:20:56 GMT
US made toilets after the first generation of water saving use some form of two stage flush - they just don't have clear instructions to tell people you press once and release for liquid only, or press and hold if you need to pass an act of congress.
a press and release will close after about half the tank has run through.
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