Puzzling notice in (some) toilets

[Konini]

So far, I've only come across such notices in public toilets eg shops, restaurants etc. Subconsciously I thought perhaps they are "old" buildings with antiquated pipings. Or perhaps customers were using toilet papers to dry their hands, in lieu of paper towels, and such quantities of toilet paper will cause blockage. But a regular job should be fine. I can't imagine a new building will have such problems.

But then again, there seems to be something wrong with the way the Thai buildings are constructed. There seems to be a perpetual sewage stench in most places, even newly completed places like Maya and Central Festival. Perhaps someone with knowledge of building construction can weigh in?

It's because hey don't use S traps (or Z traps or U bends, depending on where you come from). No water seal, and the smell of the drains and sewers are going to escape. I read on a different thread yesterday about a hotel room being fumigated and the fumes going through the bathroom drains and up into the next room, and I'm sure some deaths from this method were mentioned. That is a pretty scary thought, I had no idea it could happen. You wouldn't use industrial strength bed bug spray in your own place because we know how toxic it is and how many people died at the Downtown Hotel. Sensible move, but if your neighbour decides to do it, you're pretty much stuffed.

I pointed the lack of S traps out to a friend who was visiting (a plumber) He took a quick glance and said I was wrong, but when I told him to have a proper look at the bathroom sink he was amazed. Like me, he was trying to work out what that bit on the bottom of the pipe is for - it isn't a water seal, so why is it there?

[ramrod711]

I too am a big fan of the bum gun, a little pat with toilet paper to dry things off, and into the bin with the relatively clean paper. The problem arises when one encounters a place that displays the notice but has no bum gun. I deal with it by wrapping up the package with a little extra paper, then deposit it in the bin.

[Gsxrnz]

Am currently in my home country for my annual holiday away from Thailand. Missed the missus badly for the first few days, but now I'm missing my bum gun even more.

[ExPratt]

Never been a fan of Bum Gun. I'd say with co-ordinated aim and critical trigger pressures to consider , you'd have to be bit of Natural if you like them

[WilliamCave]

In big buildings the sewage goes usually to a low point tank . And the sewage pumps must not be very good because a good sewage pump will mulch up any type of toilet paper

[Dante99]

In big buildings the sewage goes usually to a low point tank . And the sewage pumps must not be very good because a good sewage pump will mulch up any type of toilet paper

Where in Thailand have you seen a sewage pump?

[JulieM]

I spent several weeks in the USA this year away from my bum gun. Having been in Thailand for over a decade, the skin in that part of my body is now too sensitive for paper, but in the USA I have no choice. The solution? Apply A&D ointment to the area after every shower, and ideally at least one other time during the day.

It works like chapstick for the bum and it saved my life.

Edited December 26, 2014 by JulieM

[ExPratt]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I spent several weeks in the USA this year away from my bum gun. Having been in Thailand for over a decade, the skin in that part of my body is now too sensitive for paper, but in the USA I have no choice. The solution? Apply A&D ointment to the area after every shower, and ideally at least one other time during the day.

It works like chapstick for the bum and it literally saved my life.

Too sensitive for Paper ? I find the Bum gun, if not calibrated , to be quite painful if through chance more than aim you manage to score a Bulls Eye

I also would say that people should be informed of your disability caused by over use of the bum Gun. A bum gun is not just for Christmas its for life.

[Gsxrnz]

Never been a fan of Bum Gun. I'd say with co-ordinated aim and critical trigger pressures to consider , you'd have to be bit of Natural if you like them

The trick is not to try and point it upwards, and especially not from the back - results in splashback and an unwanted enema.

Instead lift your tackle out of the way and point the gun horizontally from the front (girly style) and let the water whizz across your date from front to rear as opposed to aiming for the bulls-eye.

Don't give it a 10 second blast, but a series of short bursts beginning with only partial trigger until you get a feel for the water pressure. All done in 5 seconds and clean as a whistle with no splashback whatsoever.

[ExPratt]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Never been a fan of Bum Gun. I'd say with co-ordinated aim and critical trigger pressures to consider , you'd have to be bit of Natural if you like them

The trick is not to try and point it upwards, and especially not from the back - results in splashback and an unwanted enema.

Instead lift your tackle out of the way and point the gun horizontally from the front (girly style) and let the water whizz across your date from front to rear as opposed to aiming for the bulls-eye.

Don't give it a 10 second blast, but a series of short bursts beginning with only partial trigger until you get a feel for the water pressure. All done in 5 seconds and clean as a whistle with no splashback whatsoever.

Date , made me chuckle , haven't heard that for years

Sounds like I need training , I'll ask the missus

[NancyL]

I'm with the bum squirter crowd... Embrace it with the flip flops and cargo pants commando style...

Loosen up... practice your aim... and with a little inner self exploration you will never go back to smearing yourself with paper!

...

That being said I have yet to conceptualize or master the ladle technic found in some squat toilets?....

The best "ladies technique" I've found is to look around the stalls for the "handicap toilet". Most public toilets will have one stall for ladies of a certain age with a western-style fixture. It's amazingly popular with the Thai ladies,too. It's hard for ladies to use those squat toilets once you get old knees.

Of course, every lady I know carries some tissue. Don't leave home without it.

[Naam]

In big buildings the sewage goes usually to a low point tank . And the sewage pumps must not be very good because a good sewage pump will mulch up any type of toilet paper

Where in Thailand have you seen a sewage pump?

in each of my two septic system (ordered in Thailand via my pool contractor). unfortunately i might be one of the very few in a radius of 100 miles who installed sewage pumps.

[Sparkles]

Never been a fan of Bum Gun. I'd say with co-ordinated aim and critical trigger pressures to consider , you'd have to be bit of Natural if you like them

The trick is not to try and point it upwards, and especially not from the back - results in splashback and an unwanted enema.

Instead lift your tackle out of the way and point the gun horizontally from the front (girly style) and let the water whizz across your date from front to rear as opposed to aiming for the bulls-eye.

Don't give it a 10 second blast, but a series of short bursts beginning with only partial trigger until you get a feel for the water pressure. All done in 5 seconds and clean as a whistle with no splashback whatsoever.

Any chance of you posting a video ? "tackle", "date" people might get confused and do some serious, self inflicted harm.

[bangmai]

My building is 27 yo, and the toilets are on a separate system than the grey water...so you don't need the traps in the kitchen sink. The toilet has it's trap built into it. Putting laundry water in your septic is much worse than TP. TP disintegrates fairly rapidly. I had a house in the US with septic, and never pumped it in four years. I always flushed the toilet and always put TP in it. The way they install western toilets is poor. Rarely do they use a flange that will allow yo to bolt the toilet to it, and if you really do it right and have a level floor; you can get by without the silicon sealant. See the two holes for the nut/bolts? They are almost always filled with massive amounts of caulk. If you want to bolt it, you will have to drill into the floor, and it's rarely done. Another issue is when they had the squatters; the sewer line was a little to close to the wall, so instead of tearing up the floor; they loose the inch on the opening.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Toilet-Gasket-Flexible-Waxless-Seal-Universal-Fit-BL01/203564758?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-202528435-_-203564758-_-N

Edited December 26, 2014 by bangmai

[giibaht]

Don't give it a 10 second blast, but a series of short bursts beginning with only partial trigger until you get a feel for the water pressure. All done in 5 seconds and clean as a whistle with no splashback whatsoever.

Oh I see... that's how you do it

Now if somebody would be kind enough to explain precisely how to use the bidets in Maya's toilets. The instructions there leaves me bewildered. The thought of splashing myself with soiled water prevents me from trying it

[giibaht]

I pointed the lack of S traps out to a friend who was visiting (a plumber) He took a quick glance and said I was wrong, but when I told him to have a proper look at the bathroom sink he was amazed. Like me, he was trying to work out what that bit on the bottom of the pipe is for - it isn't a water seal, so why is it there?

Don't know anything about plumbing to know which is the proper way to do it. But I have a look under my bathroom and kitchen sinks, and they are built differently.

A friend observed that M'sia and S'pore don't have this stench from the drains the way Thailand has. It is so bad that I don't understand why Thais put up with it and don't legislate new building codes. As it is, I cover the drainage holes in my bathroom to reduce the smell problem. On windy days, it seems worse as the smell gets blown up from within the building. At other times the sewage smell comes from outside the building and I stay on the 4th floor!

Another related matter is the air ventilator in the bathroom. Where does the bad air get discharged to? Most Thai buildings have poor air circulation and you will invariably smell something bad in the air.

Edited December 26, 2014 by giibaht

[Gonsalviz]

I always thought is was a plumbing problem too but one day in a store toilet that has no paper in the stalls, I watched a guy rip off about 3 meters of paper and head for the loo. Now that would plug things up.

[ksamuiguy]

The tissue is a big problem, it must desolve, break up in water. Most Public places use very cheap tissue.

Test yours, place a meter or so of tissue in a container of water, stir, is should break up into a slurry. Cheap paper just sits there, it will accumulate in the pipe bends and septic tank and block the weirs that catch the unresolvable solids, this will eventually block the outlet and the tank will overflow.

Also don't flush food or oil down the toilet, also plugs things up and slows the Biological process in the tank.

If you don't use a particular toilet or are going away for a few months, the toilets need to be flushed regularly.

A dose of Bio-Bacteria down the toilets 2-3 times a year is recommended, the powered type in about 40 baht a box and can do several toilets.

[pitchag]

When I first came to Thailand I did question the use of the bum gun but as a friend pointed out if someone crapped on your table would you rather wipe it clean with paper or wash it off with a hose

[Konini]

I pointed the lack of S traps out to a friend who was visiting (a plumber) He took a quick glance and said I was wrong, but when I told him to have a proper look at the bathroom sink he was amazed. Like me, he was trying to work out what that bit on the bottom of the pipe is for - it isn't a water seal, so why is it there?

Don't know anything about plumbing to know which is the proper way to do it. But I have a look under my bathroom and kitchen sinks, and they are built differently.

A friend observed that M'sia and S'pore don't have this stench from the drains the way Thailand has. It is so bad that I don't understand why Thais put up with it and don't legislate new building codes. As it is, I cover the drainage holes in my bathroom to reduce the smell problem. On windy days, it seems worse as the smell gets blown up from within the building. At other times the sewage smell comes from outside the building and I stay on the 4th floor!

Another related matter is the air ventilator in the bathroom. Where does the bad air get discharged to? Most Thai buildings have poor air circulation and you will invariably smell something bad in the air.

I've caught a wiff of sewers in Malaysia, but not so often as here. Keeping the plug in sinks not only stops the smells, but also the cockroaches - I read a post on here during the year that mentioned it, so I keep plugs in all the time (my mum (in England) does too to keep the spiders away, but I'm not convinced that's true.

[giibaht]

When I first came to Thailand I did question the use of the bum gun but as a friend pointed out if someone crapped on your table would you rather wipe it clean with paper or wash it off with a hose

But then, hosing will cause the crap to land on the floor. Then I've got 2 areas to clean up.

Just saying.

[Bill97]

Wonderful thread. A true demonstration of the intellect and interests of so many of the CM Forum members.

[Dante99]

When I first came to Thailand I did question the use of the bum gun but as a friend pointed out if someone crapped on your table would you rather wipe it clean with paper or wash it off with a hose

But then, hosing will cause the crap to land on the floor. Then I've got 2 areas to clean up.

Just saying.

So what are you worried about? You have crap on your hands most of the time unless you wear rubber gloves all day.

[ExPratt]

How does this Bum Gun interface with Farmers ? gently , gently catchy Monkey ?

[arunsakda]

Another thread for bored adults concerning how to cleanse ones fundament..

Whilst traveling to the land of the long-nosed barbarians I now carry a packet of pre-moistened towelettes.

In US the brand name is "Wet Ones" In Japan "Gatsby", and others. Same thing as baby wipes. Those can be purchased in economy sized containers if you can stand the embarrassment at the check-out counter from overly familiar customers and staff. "How old is your baby"?

Edited December 27, 2014 by arunsakda

[Konini]

Wonderful thread. A true demonstration of the intellect and interests of so many of the CM Forum members.

I always find it amazing how often this topic comes up. People who use them seem to love talking about bum guns.

[SoiBiker]

Wonderful thread. A true demonstration of the intellect and interests of so many of the CM Forum members.

I always find it amazing how often this topic comes up. People who use them seem to love talking about bum guns.

It's useful shorthand for 'look how at home with local culture I am'.

[C4Chilli]

The pipes which are used in Thailand have knuckle bends and are glued with no provision for access to clean the pipe.

In the west, UK at least, we use slower bends and access is provided with cleaning eyes in the even of a blockage.

So even though the Thai pipes used are actually stronger, they have a thicker wall, they can block up easier

[grin]

When I was young I spent some time living on a farm with septic tanks. I have also spent several vacations staying in some cabins in the US where they used septic tanks. We always flushed TP down those toilets. I was curious about this at one time and discovered on the web that you should not use TP like Charmin in septic tanks. In the article I read that you should be more careful about what chemicals you flush into septic tanks.

So one question is, assuming that you have decent plumbing, does flushing TP into your septic tanks mean that you have to get them pumped out more often? All I get is anecdotes and hearsay on this topic. Anyone have better or specific information? Is there something different about the septic tanks here in Thailand or something different about the toilet paper?

Grin

[Ulysses G.]

Wonderful thread. A true demonstration of the intellect and interests of so many of the CM Forum members.

I always find it amazing how often this topic comes up. People who use them seem to love talking about bum guns.

It's useful shorthand for 'look how at home with local culture I am'.

Something like the people who go on and on about how you should only eat Thai food in Thailand?