# Toilet Plunger Handle Broke Off



## debodun (Nov 18, 2018)

Right where it goes into the rubber part and it broke off far enough down into the hole that I can't grab it with pliers to unscrew it (see red line in photo). I have an extra handle, but I can't figure out how to get the wood out of the hole. Any suggestions?


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## Falcon (Nov 18, 2018)

Call  a  plumber.


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## hollydolly (Nov 18, 2018)

Just buy a new plunger Deb....


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## RadishRose (Nov 18, 2018)

You can get one for under 10 dollars.


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## Meanderer (Nov 18, 2018)

Take the plunge and buy a new one.


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## Camper6 (Nov 18, 2018)

debodun said:


> Right where it goes into the rubber part and it broke off far enough down into the hole that I can't grab it with pliers to unscrew it (see red line in photo). I have an extra handle, but I can't figure out how to get the wood out of the hole. Any suggestions?
> 
> View attachment 59392



Drill a hole into the wood part that is still in the plunger. Dont drill right through.  Just enough to  make the hole a bit smaller than a screwdriver blade.

Drive the blade into the hole with a hammer.   Grab the screwdriver and turn it counter clockwise to unscrew the part that is left in the rubber. It should come out easily.

If you had a left hand thread screw extractor you could do it the same way.  

I'm always repairing stiff.  I don't believe in throwing anything away if I can fix it.

Since you have a replacement handle do I have to tell you how to put it back into the rubber part?  L.O.L.


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## debodun (Nov 18, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> Since you have a replacement handle do I have to tell you how to put it back into the rubber part?  L.O.L.



Let see how it goes. LOL


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## debodun (Nov 19, 2018)

All fixed. I went after it with a large flat-head screwdriver. The wood was so rotten that I was able to gouge it out enough to screw in the other handle. Our water his is so acidic that it probably eats away the wooden in the handle eventually. The town tested out water once and the pH of my sample was 5.5 on a scale of 1 to 14 (pH of 7 is neutral, below that is acidic, above that is alkaline).


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## Keesha (Nov 19, 2018)

We have a spare one. I’m a total DIY’er but this is one thing I’d pass on and just purchase another.
Glad  you got it fixed though


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## debodun (Nov 19, 2018)

I used Neoprene gloves! LOL


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## Keesha (Nov 19, 2018)

debodun said:


> I used Neoprene gloves! LOL



I guess  :laugh:


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## RadishRose (Nov 19, 2018)

Are you taking the plunge now, Deb? layful:


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## Meanderer (Nov 19, 2018)

Deck the halls with festive plungers!


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## RadishRose (Nov 19, 2018)




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## RadishRose (Nov 19, 2018)




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## AZ Jim (Nov 19, 2018)

Ahhh another disaster averted.


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## Meanderer (Nov 19, 2018)

"When Life hands you a plunger.....The possibilities are endless!"


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## RadishRose (Nov 19, 2018)

OMG, I love the Christmas tree!


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## jujube (Nov 19, 2018)

In the RV, I use a toilet plunger (new!) as my "washing machine".  I bought a small plunger, drilled some holes in the rubber part and when I'm laundering hand washables in a bucket, I use the plunger as an "agitator".   I plunge up and down with it; it's easy on the clothes and keeps my hands out of the soapy water.  Dump the water, run some fresh water in and plunge again for the rinse.


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## Gary O' (Nov 19, 2018)

jujube said:


> In the RV, I use a toilet plunger (new!) as my "washing machine".  I bought a small plunger, drilled some holes in the rubber part and when I'm laundering hand washables in a bucket, I use the plunger as an "agitator".   I plunge up and down with it; it's easy on the clothes and keeps my hands out of the soapy water.  Dump the water, run some fresh water in and plunge again for the rinse.



Yup, an ol' off grid tool

Plungers have many uses


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## Meanderer (Nov 19, 2018)




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## Camper6 (Nov 20, 2018)

In the grand scheme of things you should never have to use actoilet plunger. You are in control of plugging the toilet.


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## Meanderer (Nov 20, 2018)

They key is timing your flush.....the bombardier always opens the doors, just before dropping his bombs!


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## Ken N Tx (Nov 20, 2018)




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## Camper6 (Nov 20, 2018)

It's not the push that clears the clog.

The push only makes things worse.

It's the pull.  A knowledgeable plumber will tell you that.


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## Pappy (Nov 20, 2018)




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## RadishRose (Nov 20, 2018)




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## debodun (Nov 20, 2018)

Toilet paper coming off the roll the wrong way! LOL


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## RadishRose (Nov 20, 2018)

OMG, Deb, it *is*!!!


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## debodun (Nov 20, 2018)

Some would disagree, but I just think it a lot easier to grab it coming over the top than to have to reach underneath and hunt for the free end.


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## RadishRose (Nov 20, 2018)

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/organizing/tips/a27506/right-way-to-hang-toilet-paper/

It really is one of the great (albeit first-world)  debates. Roommates move out over it. Married couples squabble because of  it. And it's got a shockingly long Wikipedia entry (we're talking 130 footnotes, people).
But just what _is_ the right way to hang a toilet paper roll? This infographic  suggests that you use less paper when you drape the end over the top of  the roll, simply because it's easier to see. You also don't have to  reach as far to grab the paper, and if you buy toilet paper with a  pattern printed on it, it appears on the over-the-top side. Plus, every  fancy < target="_blank">toilet-paper-folding hotel in the country  does it that way. 


On the flip side, I hear from  friends (and the vocal Internet community) that positioning your roll  so it faces back (a.k.a. the "under" method) makes it harder for cats  and toddlers to unravel the whole thing. 
So what do our experts say?


"Definitely over,"  says Sarah Richardson, _Good Housekeeping_'s home design director and host of HGTV's Sarah Sees Potential.  "Hotels can't be wrong — they replace toilet paper more than anyone.  Plus, if you place it under, you can't do the fancy fold at the end of  the paper."


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## Camper6 (Nov 20, 2018)

Always over. Under and the roll can unwind itself.


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## Keesha (Nov 20, 2018)

I’m not fussy. As long as it’s there, I’m good.


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