RogueRose
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Porcelain toilet bowl tank - anyone think of any possible uses?
I came across an old toilet when cleaning out the basement, it's probably 40+ years old so it has a large water resevoir and the walls are about ~2/3"
thick. It's about 1.4-1.5 cubic ft interior or about 11 gallons. 21" wide x 17.5" high x 9.5" deep, give or take .5-1" on some measurements. If
everything was removed from inside, it would have 2 holes, one for the handle at the very top on the side (about 1" below lip and about 1/3" diam
hole) and the hole hole for the water in the bottom which I'm guessing is 2-2.5" diam.
I know people use terracotta posts for some things and I was wondering if this could be used for some kind of cell (with the bottom plugged). I was
thinking maybe a chlorate cell or something that gets really hot. I've been toying around with ordering a few 50lb bags of NaOH and KOH to make
sodium & potassium and I'm wondering if this will handle the temp and caustic nature of this. Our electrcity is cheap now an we make a lot more
than we use, so we get jipped pumping it back into the grid (don't pay much) so running 2-4kw non stop is more than feasible.
I could use the hole in the bottom as a place to insert some stainless steel heaters, welded onto a cover plate
I was going to also try the magnesium + NaOH or KOH method to make Na/K metals, but I'm not crazy about having to make the dioxane.
I guess the only other thing I could think that it could be useful for is like a dessicant chamber, seal the bottom (possibly with a drain or a hose
barb on it) and put a gasket on the removeabe lid. It already fits about perfectly flat, so a 1/4" thick silicone gasket would be more than enough.
Finally, I'm thinking using it as some kind of small kiln with the open top as the front and have the gas feed in through the 2" hole (sealed up
around the pipe). I'd have to work on some kind of retention system to hold the lid on, but it's proably doeable. Maybe line it with some kaowool
& some normal fibergalss insulation on the outside. Or it could be done vertically and maybe use nichrome wire to conrtrol the temp in the unit
(along with insulated top on the inside & fiberglass wrapping the sides.
IDK, I'm going to keep thinking but if anyone has any good ideas, let me know
I added some pictures of some other toilets that are very similar to what I have. Some show 2 3/8" bolt holes on the bottom as well as the larger
hole. IDK if mine has them as well but I think they could come in handy depending on what I do with it. Just remember all the crap inside comes out
and there's the handle hole, which I think is on the side of mine.
This made me compare what this thing used to be like vs the new low-flow ones (what a night mare, sometimes needing 2-3 flushes for a child size
"duty". It seems a shame to get rid of it, it was a really nice unit and was before the low flush regulations came into play and it never clogged and
was shaped so much better than the new ones - who makes round toilets, aren't they supposed to be oblong!!? Seems a big FU to men, especially if they
are well endowed or waking up with morning, uh, wood.
   
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Sulaiman
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due to the glazing I doubt that it would make a good semi-permeable membrane for electrolysis.
if you heat it to high temperatures you will have to initially heat it very slowly to remove water from the porous material,
if you heat it quickly it will surely crack when the internal moisture boils/vapourises.
if you heat it to high temperatures you will need to heat the entire mass evenly or differential expansion will crack it
if you do accidentally break it, the pieces would be useful as anti-bumping granules/stones.
I can't think of a good use for the tank other than as a plant pot.
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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RogueRose
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Lo, were had similar ideas! I know glaze can be removed from pottery but it isn't easy, bu it's possible, my cousin used to make ceramics &
pottery. I would be grat if I could use it as chlorate cell or maybe something else using the 2 small holes (3/8" dia bolt) for electrodes while
plugging up the larger hole.
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morganbw
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I guess off topic and not chemistry.
If you have a bushcraft background and are familiar with flint and steel as it is used to create sparks. The broken pieces from your toilet piece
could substitute for the flint.
Just tossing that out there as that is a true but obscure use for johnstone.
John=toilet stone=broken piece of such.
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mayko
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*beavis voice* sssssssSMASHIT!!
al-khemie is not a terrorist organization
"Chemicals, chemicals... I need chemicals!" - George Hayduke
"Wubbalubba dub-dub!" - Rick Sanchez
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CharlieA
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I second the flower pot idea. On your front lawn it would certainly be a conversation piece.
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Cou
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Blow that shit up!!!
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yobbo II
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AAAAAaaaaaaa yiz are all very funny.
I could imagine it could be used for making nitric acid. It is resistant to boiling acids. The hole at the bottom is a problem. You do not need a
terrible abount of heat and if it were heated gently it would surly do.
You need two of them. One for the boiler and one for the condenser.
Join both together with a pipe and keep the pipe and condenser cool.
Job done.
Yob
Whats the one part of Michael Flatleys body that he does not want moving when he is dancing?
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=you+t...
His bowles.
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andy1988
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I'd thought about inverting a toilet bowl over a 2nd one to make a large reactor vessel for making activated charcoal. The ones I had both had very
flat lips and I expected would make a reasonable seal. Lay fiberglass sleeve nichrome around the bottom bowl basin. Steam would go in through the
water intake, and out through the top.
https://terrylove.com/images/toilet_cut_3_5.jpg
Might have to wrap a ceramic blanket around the thing. Or a in a wood box filled with perlite or vermiculite. I'm not sure if the bowl would handle that temperature + steam though without cracking.
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