Toilet Troubles!

So...we had an interesting experience this weekend. Our toilet in our bathroom has never been particularly good at doing its job, that is, actually flushing things down the drain.

But if you jiggled the handle just right and/or flushed it a couple times, you usually could get enough pressure to help everything move along. Until last night, that is.

After taking the plunger and other various devices to the commode, we gave in and called the plumber, and this is what he did:

1. First he tried using his tools to break up any clogs he could find. Since that didn't work, he said he needed to remove the toilet!
2. He tried going at it while it sat on our lawn:
   
3. But when that didn't work, he hooked up a hose to our washing machine spigot to try and spray water through the pipes and clear it out:
   
4. But alas, it was not to be. The toilet met its fate due to minerals in the hard water (thanks Utah water system!) building up to form a solid rock in the tubes that could not be removed:
   

So it was a very interesting day, overall! The toilet was replaced the next day, but I had flashbacks of my time in Taiwan and China when I saw the hole in the floor!