Cherne 270032 Test-Ball 3-Inch Plug, Black

For cleaning the upper rim when using a brush and cleaner won't do. A bit pricey for what it does, but I imagine it will last for decades. It has a standard valve (like a car tire). Flush the toilet, turn off the intake water. Stick this in the hole. Inflate it a bit, not a lot, maybe one or two pumps for a firm fit. Obviously the valve stem is facing out, towards you. Now fill the toilet with CLR up to the rim of the toilet, one or two containers, maybe topping it off with some water to get the water/CLR level up above the overhang. (The more you dilute the CLR with water the longer it will take to clean: I used two gallons) Let it sit for five or six hours. The CLR will eat away all the junk and hard water lime deposit that has accumulated over time. When you are done, stick a pencil or other thin object in to deflate the plug, the way you would let air out of a tire. As the plug loosens, which takes only a few seconds, you can pull it out. And the water level in the bowl will fall to its normal level. Turn the supply valve on again. When the tank is full flush the toilet and say goodbye to all the CLR. The toilet bowl should be clean. This is how you get the rim. If you have lime deposit at the bottom of the toilet you don't need this thing. Just turn off the supply valve, flush, and fill with CLR. That will take care of the bottom of the toilet bowl. But to get the whole bowl right up to the rim (past the rim jets that fill the bowl from the sides), you need something like this stopper technique. I have seen people recommending using a balloon filled with water to stop up the toilet hole but I did not want to chance having the thing pop and getting rubber stopped up in the drain pipe. This plug device is solid and is to big to flush. (The plug has other applications in high pressure plumbing, the instructions are all about those applications, which have absolutely nothing to do with cleaning your toilet) It's not a cheap cleaning technique, you need two big bottles of CLR and this plug (which is re-usable), but then again, you don't need to do it often. And it certainly is easier than some of the alternatives I've seen on line, one of which included taking the toilet apart, hauling it outside, turning it over, and scrubbing to get inside the lip/overhang at the top of the rim. The technique I have described will run about $50 and is well worth it. A cheaper alternative to CLR might be coca cola, which you can read about on the net. I've never tried it. CLR has three different acids in it, one specifically designed for mineral deposits. Coca cola has one acid in it, designed to destroy your teeth, which come to think of it are minerals. So the choice is yours. If the coke doesn't work try the CLR. Or not. There's a limit to how much aggro I want to devote to this operation. The key in both cases is to give the cleaning agent time to attack the debris. I can tell you CLR works impeccably.

If you live in an area with hard water, you are undoubtedly annoyed by the hard water stains and rings in your toilet bowl. This has nothing to do with keeping your toilet bowl clean, the hard water will cause a ring right at the level of the water in the bowl. Without some way to plug the bowl, you can't overfill it with CLR or another cleaner and let it soak. This device is easy to use. Just insert it into the toilet bowl, inflate it, add the CLR or other cleaner, and let it sit for a few hours.

Highly recommend these for emergency purposes bought in case sewage back up

This worked but does not allow gradual release of a filled system. I added a bathroom and wanted to seal from a side access port on 4" drain line so that the system could be filled and pressure inspected. There are other units that are made to seal from these side ports and allow you to slowly release the water without overflowing everywhere.

It's like any other item depends on what you plan on using it for and how often. I've seen them last months being used five days a week several times a day. Depends on the user and application

Excellent product

new home build, works great.

Slow leak on first use. Loses enough air to leak after 36 hours. Missing the Cherne quality.

Cumple las espectativas de uso

boy does this make leak testing in DWV piping a breeze

It did what it supposed to do.

Valve leaked where it’s installed in the rubber bladder. Leaked right out of the box before installed. Not worth the money.