That’ll learn me

**Cliff** · 05-02-2012, 02:15 PM

For the past month I have been very sick and have fallen behind on my filter maintenance. When I got home yesterday from work I was very tired, but when I noticed how dirty my XP filter had become, I just had to clean it. I have never seen that filter (or any of my filters) get so dirty before. It was embarrassing.

I removed the sponges, and swished them around in a 5 gallon pale of tank water. I then dumped the 5 media bags of bio-max into the same pale of water to clean them off as well. By this time that water was completely brown. I removed 4 bags of biomax from the pale and put them back into the filter with the sponges. Those of you good at math can already predict what happened next

After putting the filter back in it’s place and turning it on, I went to dump the pale of dirty tank water down the toilet just like I have been doing for years when we do not have any plants outside that can use this dirty water. As I dumped the dirty water into the toilet and it was flowing down the drain, I heard the 5th media bag of biomax hitting/scrapping on the porcelain bowl as it flowed through the toilet and into the drain. Oh $%#@&%. I completely forgot about the small bag of biomax (about ½ to ¾ the size of a average apple) that I keep in the XP filter just incase I need to set-up my QT tank.

I removed the toilet and tried to snake the drain myself, but the drain snake that I have was not long enough to reach were the biomax got stuck. Good thing I know a plumber who was able to come over last night with his equipment and get the biomax out of the drain line for me. They got stuck in the line at a elbow just before the back-flow preventer valve in the basement.

Moral of this story, I will never again clean a filter when I’m that tired and don’t feel well.

**pjoo1120** · 05-02-2012, 02:23 PM

D'oh! Glad it was just your backup media and not the main bags!!!!

**Rue** · 05-02-2012, 02:34 PM

Oh my! I didn't even think of that!

I dump the water down the sink (after I salvage what I need for my house plants). Anything left behind just goes in the drainer.

I'm so sorry you're not feeling well, but I'm glad you got it sorted out...and had a plumber come out...that's a miracle in itself...

**ScottishFish** · 05-02-2012, 02:40 PM

Hope your on the mend Cliff!

Sounds like you got off kinda lucky if you managed to salvage it all back, thank goodness my dads a plumber

**Taurus** · 05-02-2012, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by Cliff

Moral of this story, I will never again clean a filter when I’m that tired and don’t feel well.

Hope you're feeling better soon Cliff.

**imma24** · 05-02-2012, 03:21 PM

I know how many mistakes we're capable of when we're too tired or not feeling well. Can't tell you how much food I've left on my counter (overnight) that needed to go back into the frig or freezer because I was exhausted & getting ready to go to sleep.

Hope you're feeling better too!

**Cliff** · 05-02-2012, 05:49 PM

Thank guys

I'm pretty lucky that I know a bunch of plumbers through work.

Andreahp: I have never left food on the counter like that, only because my pets have trained me not to. With 2 cats and 2 dogs, it would be gone if I turned my back for 2 minutes.

**Rue** · 05-02-2012, 08:03 PM

...just wait until you get a parrot, and she runs off with a pork chop...

**Cyberra** · 05-03-2012, 03:38 AM

Originally Posted by Rue

...just wait until you get a parrot, and she runs off with a pork chop...

...There's a story there, I can tell

**Lady Hobbs** · 05-03-2012, 04:49 AM

Just what ya want when you're not feeling good anyway. Glad you saved the plumbing and hope you'll soon feel well.

My son is here from CA and been sick since he got here and has to leave in a couple days.