Researching our Trenton Potteries Si-Wel-Clo toilet

I've been using Google Books to do some research and try to figure out exactly when the toilet, a Si-Wel-Clo by Trenton Potteries, in my non-master bath was made. I haven't been able to find anything exactly like it in the literature I've seen for their products in 1925 or 1926, when our house was built. Google Books now allows you to cut and paste from books that are in the public domain (and probably some others, too).

The closest match I've been able to find is the one below, in The Architectural Review, from 1919. The tank, however, looks closer in shape to the one shown in the American Review of Reviews from 1915. While the shape of the tank is right on, the water supply for our tank is at the top, not the bottom.

Trenton Potteries published a hardbound catalog of their complete collection, under the title of The Blue Book of Plumbing. The 1921 edition, Catalogue R, came in at about 350 pages, the 1927 edition, Catalogue T, a mere 200 or so. As for Catalogue S, WorldCat lists no copies, so I cannot be sure, but I expect it would be somewhere between the two. These books, like many trade catalogues of the vintage, are extremely rare. WorldCat lists but five copies of Catalogue R and four of Catalogue T worldwide. There are no copies of catalogues O through Q, nor are there any listed before the letter N. As for their locations, there are two libraries that have all three of the catalogued catalogs - Rutgers University and the US Patent and Trademark Office. It'd be great to sit down with copies of these catalogs so that I could compare and contrast them.

[Note: this post brings to my attention that I really need to adjust the template I'm using to more readily show wider images.]


Architectural record By American Institute of Architects - 1912


The World's work a history of our time By Walter Hines Page, Arthur Wilson Page - 1914


The American Magazine - 1915


The American Review of Reviews By Shaw, Albert, 1857-1947 - 1915


McClure's Magazine ... - 1915


The Architectural Review - 1919


The National geographic magazine By Henry Gannett, National Geographic Society (U.S.), Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, Melville Bell Grosvenor, John Hyde, John Oliver LaGorce - 1922

Contractor woes, an update

I talked to the plumber today before leaving for work. He explained that he was unable to obtain a straight vertical pipe (I forget the technical term) that goes between the tank and the bowl that is long enough. He said that he'll be fabricating an extension, so that it will sit at the right height.

He further stated that he had attached it to the wall so that he could figure out exactly how high it needed to go. When I pointed out to him that this was one more unnecessary hole in the wall, he said that it would be covered by the tank and that he would caulk it in. I countered that this was an unblemished tile that could have been used for a repair elsewhere in the room, and that this was a hole in the wall that didn't need to be there.

I don't know what to ask for at this point. While there may be manufacturers out there that make white tile that the same shape and has a flat glaze, matching the color will be close to impossible. I don't think it's reasonable to ask him to cover the cost of a custom color match for one tile - that would be excessive.

What would you do? What would you ask for?

Contractor woes, part II

Earlier, I mentioned some problems with my general contractor and the sub he has fixing our toilet. Those issues were not issues at all, but the result of a miscommunication. There was, however, one major problem.

Look at the previous entry. Now look at the picture at the top of this entry. Notice something different? Yup, they failed to install the ceramic tubes between the bowl and the tank. An error corrected easily enough. Look harder. Notice anything else?



Perhaps this picture will help illustrate things more clearly. See the row of holes in the wall? Those are where the bolts from the tank used to go. See the shiny new hardware going through the tank? Notice that the tank is now bolted into the wall a couple inches lower than it was previously? I'm not happy. There's no way that the lid could sit on the tank like that. How could someone get that far without seeing that he had screwed up?

So I called up the general contractor, left a message, and waited for his return call. He seemed to be familiar with the situation, though he didn't say anything to suggest knowledge of it prior to our phone call. He acknowledged that the tube between the tank and the bowl was too short, and that a longer one would have to be obtained. He said that he would be there tomorrow to ensure that the work was completed properly.

I've little confidence that he'll actually show up.

Right now, there isn't much I can do. The last time I paid him was five weeks ago, for work that was completed in a satisfactory manner. I don't have any problem with the work that he's completed thus far - the rates that he's charged have been reasonable and the quality of the work has been to my expectations. This business, however, of not showing up when he's said he'll show up - and not calling to let me know that he won't be here - it's really getting to me. He's been placing all the blame on the sub that he hired for the plumbing - um, isn't the reason why I'm dealing with a general contractor so that I don't have to deal with the problems of the subcontractors? Isn't that his job? The manner that he spoke about the subs problems was inexcusable. How do the sub's problems change the need for the general contractor to call if he can't keep an appointment?

I'd fire him right now, except that I will have this problem resolved.

I'm looking for a plumber in the Cleveland area who is comfortable dealing with old plumbing and fixtures. I'll pay fairly for good work. If anyone has names that they'd like me to consider, please send them my way.

Contractor woes

This morning, a text message showed up in my inbox from A, stating that the plumbers had permanently affixed this toilet to the floor.

This was the toilet that had leaked and caused so much other damage previously. We've been waiting five weeks for them to get parts and get over here, which has become more and more frustrating. Our frustration is not so much due to the delay as the manner in which our general contractor keeps telling us that he will be here at a certain time and then not showing up. This might be ok if he called and said that he wasn't going to be able to be there, but to just not show up is unacceptable.

A says that they permanently affixed it to the floor because there was no way to properly secure it otherwise without damaging the tile. What are we supposed to do now if something happens and the toilet has to be repaired? The fixtures in our bathrooms are almost entirely original, and I really really like it that way. Another toilet bowl for this toilet would be $500 or so from a retailer dealing in such things. Is this a compromise that I'm just supposed to make to deal with these issues?

I'll be investigating this mess when I get home, and probably having some choice words with the plumber tomorrow.

UPDATE

The toilet bowl was not affixed to the floor - there had been a miscommunication. Rather, the new flange is permanently affixed to the floor, which is perfectly acceptable. There are, however, major issues, which I will detail later, and which I have been told will be addressed tomorrow.

Bathroom naming contest!*

There are two bathrooms on the second floor of my house. One is slightly larger than the other. It is attached to the master bedroom - thus, it is the master bathroom. Simple enough.

The question is as to what to call the other bathroom.

"Non-master bathroom" sounds too awkward. Some other options are, um, uncomfortable. "The other bathroom" might work, in some houses, in other parts of the country. In Cleveland, however, we were able to purchase this house with a whopping three and a half baths for less than the current median national home sales price. There's a half bath on the first floor, and a bathroom in the attic. The half bath, when greater description is needed, is referred to as the "mirror bathroom". The third floor bathroom is rarely mentioned. There's also a toilet in the basement, which I'll install a sink for, someday.

The two second floor bathrooms are chromatically similar - both are tiled in white. There are few defining differences, at least over the long term. For now, they're "the bathroom with the toilet" and "the bathroom with the sink".

I welcome any suggestions that will allow me to address this bathroom more succinctly on these pages.

* There are no prizes in this contest. All entries are subject to arbitrary and biased judging. Any and all entries may be ignored, disregarded, or appropriated a couple months later, once I've forgotten that you were the one who made them.

Not lazy, efficient

We just got the estimate for fixing the ceiling in the library from our general contractor. $300-400. I'm starting to think that I'll do it myself, especially as the amount of work that our roof seems like it will require mounts up - but that's a story for another entry. It's a chunk of money that the house probably needs more in other places.

The challenging part of the repair is the crown moulding, which is plaster. I'd have to cut a straight line near the edge of the crown moulding, cut out the existing plaster and fiberboard, and put in new drywall. Messy but relatively inexpensive. $30 worth of materials - $40 at the most, knowing how I go through mud.

I'm starting to think about a much easier alternative, thus the title of this entry. Perhaps I could just paint over the water stains with Killz and then repaint. What are a few unsightly bulges in the ceiling, anyway? No one (except me) complained when they were smaller.

My real fear, I think, is that I'll tear out the ceiling and be forced to deal with the plumbing for the bathrooms, which sit above the library. While it would be quite handy to have access to them, I fear all the things that might be wrong - and if the ceiling is going to be open, they should be dealt with now.

There is a problem that many of my projects run into while they are in my head, in the planning stage of the game. We plan to be in this house for at least the next 27 years (not that I'm counting down the years until retirement, but I doubt I'll ever find a better place to work, so there's no real reason to move until then), and probably the next 60 years. Thus, I look at things here long term. If I can do something once and do it right, I want to do it that way. I don't want to take the cheap short cut.

It seems, in my head, that every project leads to another project. Fixing the roof requires insulating the attic which requires rewiring the attic... does it never end?

Ack! Water leak!

I've been trying to snake out the sinks in the two second floor bathrooms. Since they both back up to the same wall, it is difficult, becuase the snake is inclined to go into the drainpipe for the other sink rather than down the drain. I had to take apart the trap, of course, because it is impossible to get the snake down the drain.



Anyway, it seems that I managed to jostle the tank of the beautiful original toilet sitting next to the sink, or so the coming events would tend to indicate. On Thursday, feeling absolutely awful and realizing I really needed sleep so that I might get better, I called in sick. Around 1 in the afternoon, A. noticed that there was water dripping through the library ceiling! I ran around, trying to catch the water, protect the contents of the library, and shut off the pipes.

The secondary shut off valve for the second floor bathrooms was so old as to not be terribly functional - when I shut it off, it started spraying water all over the place in the basement. This does not portend well for the other shut off valves down there. Anyway, I was finally able to trace the leak to the toilet shown above - water was leaking from the tank, dripping onto the floor.

When the plumber and general contractor came, they found that the mounting bolts for the toilet on the floor and wall had completely rusted away. They can get the parts, so it's just a matter of waiting for that to happen. Meh.

Now I'm just looking for a way to fix the damaged finish of the floor in the library. It looks all gray from the water. First, of course, we will try to wash the floor - I hope a certain amount of this is just plaster dust.

I'm torn between really really needing another good day of rest and starting to tackle the ceiling in the library.

Toilets!

Because I know that disgusting old toilets are just the perfect conversation topic on a Saturday morning. Yes, we have five toilets. Just think about this as though the house was built today, and it won't seem quite so excessive. Three of these toilets are original or originalish.

The toilet photographed above is Trenton Potteries (TePeCo) Si-Wel-Clo model, which was top of the line at the time that it was produced. In 1926, it cost $97.50. This toilet is in the non-master bathroom. I assume that the master bathroom originally contained an identical model. I am searching for a replacement for the toilet in the master bath that will fit inside my budget. I know that I can find one, but I'm waiting until I can find one at a reasonable price point. It's just a matter of time, and as I keep saying, I have 40 years.



The interior of the toilet is not as awful as it could be. The condition of the rubber at the base of the tank is a bit disconcerting. Also, I'm afraid to learn what function the plastic bag serves.



The third floor bathroom appears to have been completed in the early to mid 1930s. The tub and sink were both manufactured by Standard, so I think we can safely assume that the toilet would have been manufactured by Standard, too, which is what I will be looking for in a replacement.



I am unsure as to the maker of the toilet in the half bathroom on the first floor. I think that it may have been Trenton Potteries, due to the presence of their products in the bathrooms on the second floor and the presence of a sink of their manufacture in this bathroom. The internals of this toilet have been replaced in the relatively recent past, so I'm not too concerned about the availability of universal repair parts.



The major problem with this toilet is that the bowl sticks out so far from the wall. I cannot sit down on it properly because my knees hit the wall. Fortunately, my wife, who tends to be more practical about such things, can sit there without any trouble. People certainly are taller than they used to be. Or, maybe it's just that I'm taller than people used to be.



This toilet resides in the basement. It is a cast iron model made by Kohler in the 1920s. One might question whether cast iron is a good material for something that will be continuously filled with water. This would be an excellent question.



This is the interior of the tank. It has been flushed recently (and flushes clear!) - all the iron oxide visible here is built up in the tank - I can't even see through the water. This photograph also illustrates clearly just how far back the tank sits relative to the bowl. I'm not sure whether this is a standard pipe connecting the tank to the bowl or what.