Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Flush!

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Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 05-18-2003, 03:14 PM:

I think that the advent of automatic flushing has convinced the public that they don't have to flush in a public restroom ever.

Every time I go to use my bathroom at the theatre, I have to flush all the urinals and a few of the toilets. You see that big silver button on top of the tank, why don't you push it? I'm thinking of making up "Flush" placards.

Perhaps they never did flush but it sure seems to be more of a problem lately.

The other day I saw an old man lifting up the toilet seat with his foot in order to urinate. I told him that we keep very clean bathrooms and if he is afraid to touch the toilet seat would he mind using the urinal.

We have an unidentified female patron that the staff has named the "Ass Cannon." A couple of times per year she will leave shit all over the bathroom. That makes for a fun call on the intercom, especially while you are trying to eat dinner.

Posted by Lance C. McFetridge (Member # 95) on 05-18-2003, 03:19 PM:

That is exactly why I installed automatic flush valves on our toilets and urinals. I also installed IR sensors on the sink faucets. No one can leave them turned on. I find less damage if people don't have to kick the handles.
lance

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 05-18-2003, 03:26 PM:

Ian, that's a problem all over the place in public areas. People are too lazy. It also seems to be the same people that piss all over the seat too.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-18-2003, 03:47 PM:

I want to make signs to hang over the toilets that say "if you are reading this while you are doing your business, lift the damn seat!"

Put up privacy walls between your urinals. Guys with "shy bladders" will be more apt to use them instead of urinating on the toilet seats. I have noticed this is a constant as I work at different theaters.

As far as flushing, I would be more inclined to install the flush sensors, but instead hook them up to an audio system to thank the person for being so inconsiderate if they walk away without flushing.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-18-2003, 04:27 PM:

brad said"but instead hook them up to an audio system to thank the person for being so inconsiderate if they walk away without flushing"
maybe better would be a second water jet aimed at them when it autoflushs [evil]

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 05-18-2003, 04:51 PM:

Cheapest solution:

New calling Card:

I. Price
Public Toilet Flusher
No shit, man !

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 05-18-2003, 05:14 PM:

Guys:

It's not just at yout theatres. Where I used to work until recently, they had a problem with certain employees that would not put the toilet paper in the toilet after use. They'd just toss it where-ever. They finally put up SIGNS everywhere. People are not being taught to respect other peoples property anymore.

Recently, at a Lowes hardware store, I was in the restroom when I heard a crash from a stall, and the sound of running water. Some kid came running out of the stall, laughing, and ran out the door. Seems that he broke the flush valve when he kicked it.

Ever notice that the nastiest bathrooms tend to be in grocery stores? Uggh. [bs]

Posted by Greg Pauley (Member # 503) on 05-18-2003, 06:03 PM:

Women's restroom are 10x worst than the men's. Sure men can piss on the seats, but some of the things I've seen in ladies room can't compare.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 05-19-2003, 01:27 AM:

I agree with Grer, ladies rooms are the worst.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 05-19-2003, 09:27 AM:

I cant make a statement here. I dont frequent ladies rooms...

Imagine someone that looks like me in a ladies room. Not a pretty site! [Smile]

The time that I worked at the drive-in, we never had any big problems with clean-up. This was 1977, I guess it was a different time.

Posted by Ray Bernardi (Member # 1615) on 05-19-2003, 10:15 AM:

Men go to the bathroom. Women "use" the bathroom. We went unisex on our bathrooms a while back. We only have two of them. The ladies were lined up while the mens room sat idle. It seems ladies use the restroom like 4 to 1 to guys. I put "s around the first "use" to make a point.

A guy goes in, takes care of business and leaves. In my theatre, I've seen as many as 7 girls pile into the bathroom at once and close the door. It's a one holer for gods sake. After 10 minutes of giggling and whatever else a girl does in there they come out. The room looks like a tornado went through it. Amazing. Tissue everywhere, sink soaked, makeup on the counter, wiped on the wallpaper, puddles on the floor. I mean what the hell? Just amazing how they treat the bathroom.

I agree - women are worse, but I think it's because they go in groups and they go more often, and they spend more time at it than guys do.

Just my opinion and we all know what opinions are like.....

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-20-2003, 09:10 AM:

quote:
Put up privacy walls between your urinals. Guys with "shy bladders" will be more apt to use them instead of urinating on the toilet seats. I have noticed this is a constant as I work at different theaters.

It's interesting -- I'd swear that Carmike Century Cinema 8 in Decatur used to have the privacy walls between their urinals, but the past couple of times I've been there, they were gone. I could see the places on the walls where they used to be attached. Why in the world would they have gotten rid of those? Most theatre restrooms in my area do not have these. I prefer restrooms with them since it seems to put more of a distance between you and others.

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 05-20-2003, 10:21 AM:

This is for people with shy bladders.

The same part of the brain that controls you bladder is also used for multiplication and addition.

So when you need to go and nothing is happening, in your mind start multiplying 2 x 2 is 4, 4 x 4 is 16, 16 x 16 is 256. By now it is flowing. [Big Grin]

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 05-20-2003, 01:18 PM:

Dammit Bob! I just pissed my pants trying to see if that was true.

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 05-20-2003, 11:12 PM:

[eyes]

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 05-21-2003, 12:38 AM:

Thanks to Ian, the following song has been running in my head for two days. I now put it in your head. [Cool]

Flash! ah-ahh!
Savior of the Universe!
Flash! ah-ahh!
He'll save everyone of us!
Flash! ah-ahh!
He's a miracle!
Flash! ah-ahh!
King of the impossible!

He's for everyone of us!
Stands for everyone of us!
He saves with a mighty hand!
Every man every woman!
Every child-he's a mighty!
Flash.

He's just a man
With a man's courage
Nothing but a man
But he can never fail
No-one but the pure at heart
May find the Golden Grail
.................ah................

Posted by Matt Close (Member # 996) on 05-21-2003, 01:50 AM:

I had a mate tell me once he uses the multiplication method when he is 'going to bed' with a new girl he wants to impress .... and does not want to 'cut the show short' ... off topic I know ... but amusing

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 05-21-2003, 08:40 AM:

Adam

Don't quit your day job! [Big Grin]

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 05-21-2003, 06:24 PM:

Hmm... I don't see why havning a song by Queen stuck in one's head is a bad thing!
Of course, Adam's muscial outburst inspired what will follow...

*singing*

Open up your mind and let me step inside
Rest your weary head and let your heart decide
It's so easy when you know the rules
It's so easy all you have to do is fall in love
Play the game,
Everybody play the game of love
When you're feeling down and your resistance is low
Light another cigarette and let yourself go
This is your life
Don't play hard to get
It's a free world
All you have to do is fall in love
Play the game, everybody play the game of love
My game of love has just begun
Love runs from my head down to my toes
My love is pumping through my veins
Driving me insane
Come come come play the game
This is your life - don't play hard to get
It's a free world all you have to do is fall in love
Play the game...

*/singing*

[Big Grin]

Posted by Fred Georges (Member # 505) on 05-21-2003, 08:24 PM:

At a former theatre they had a two stall in the Mens room. Once a month we had a mystery patron who would leave a sequoia sized [bs]

in one of the toilets but no paper (nothing to obscure the view I guess) Then, somehow he would latch the other stall so the next user HAD to view his masterpiece and flush it. What was up with that?? [Razz]

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 05-21-2003, 08:38 PM:

I guess he was just full of himself.

Posted by Ray Bernardi (Member # 1615) on 05-22-2003, 08:28 AM:

Pride in a job well done.

Posted by Manuel Francisco Valencia (Member # 710) on 05-24-2003, 09:05 PM:

Worst case I have been through is when I found out that [bs]

has a adhesive characteristic to it.

As fas as womens restroom I occasionally have seen urine on the seats. Makes you think think about who walks into your theatre.

Posted by Christopher Duvall (Member # 284) on 05-25-2003, 03:53 AM:

WE had an interesting one tonight. As I am walking down the hallway from the auditoriums to the lobby, I see my dutiful ushers do a restroom check. Within seconds of them entering the men's restoom, they all piled out quickly with their hands on their mouths and noses screaming. Good thing that there was no one in the lobby. They proceed to tell me about the mess. I in turn HAVE to investigate to see if they were over doing it. They weren't. From the entrance was a trail of less than firm fecal matter leading to the stall. It was aromatic to say the least [puke]

. No sir, the ushers were none to happy about that. Later that evening (about an hour) we saw a gentleman leaving the theatre and he had brown markings on his pants and his right pant leg was tucked in his sock. He actually stayed to finish his movie. I would have hated to be the customer that had to sit near him... [puke]

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 05-25-2003, 05:36 AM:

How's this for a yucky [bs]

tale?

Outside of a cinema I used to work at, there was an ashtray of sorts - a small, squarish recepticle about two-thirds full of kitty litter. (Much easier to scoop the butts out of there than to have to sweep them up of the sidewalk! [Razz]

)
Well, one afternoon an elderly woman was walking down the sidewalk, stopped by said recepticle, dropped her drawers, squatted over the spent cigarette butts, and proceded to drop a less than solid [bs]

- and quickly continued on her way.
It all happened too fast for the girl at the box office that noticed it happening to do anything to stop the old bird, so instead she called into the office via phone intercom, and relayed what happened.

Then I had to wonder if I was working with coprophiliacs. [Confused]

Of the employess in the building at the time of the incident, I was the only one who did not go outside and take a peek in the ashtray.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-25-2003, 01:29 PM:

quote:
I would have hated to be the customer that had to sit near him...

Or a customer that sat in his chair later...

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 05-25-2003, 04:16 PM:

Maybe he had his date with him and he had to drive her home after the show. [Confused]

Posted by Fred Georges (Member # 505) on 05-26-2003, 01:30 AM:

Patrons weren't the only scatological syncophants I've been victimized by in the theatre biz. My booth partner for 2 years was "blessed" with a colostomy. He would delight in dumping His bag in the booth toilet at the end of His shift and I'm here to tell ya that's raw sewage! It would leave a foul, putrid cloud in the booth. [Eek!]

It got so bad I'd open the booth door as soon as I would arrive for my shift and start spraying the deodorizer. That sick bastard took public transportation and would delight in telling Me How He'd "Burp" the bag on the bus releasing a toxic stench that He said "Always guaranteed Me the seat of my choice". He's still an operator today but, thankfully, now works alone. [Razz]

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 05-26-2003, 08:17 PM:

Adam and Ian must have seen Daddy Day Care. [Wink]

Posted by Tom Kroening (Member # 201) on 05-31-2003, 01:52 AM:

Women always tear up the bathroom. I've had broken tank lids, toilets cracked off of the floor, soap dispensers ripped down, toilet seats bent, blood boxes dumped, flush handles broken, faucets detached and of course our favorate, the shit spray. What the hell goes on in there? The worst thing that happened in the guys room was a toilet needed a new float because the old one had a hole in it.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-31-2003, 04:00 PM:

Well, for one thing, I know a lot of old ladies "hover" in public restrooms! Makes for a lot of collateral damage if you knowwhatimean! [bs]

My mother works in the ladies department of a local May Company department store. Oh! The stories she tells me!
She says its a semi-regular occurrence to find piles of shit in the dressing room stalls! [Eek!]

I don't know but I think its a vicious cycle. Women are afraid of getting "dirty" in the public restrooms so they don't want to touch anything. That leads to things like hovering and kicking the handles to flush. This, in turn, causes more collateral damage which causes more people to hover and kick the handles.

I've seen some VERY clean restrooms in Europe. The very best ones were nicer than most people's whole homes! I'm talking about PUBLIC restrooms, not ones in fancy stores or restaurants. Some of THOSE were even nicer! In every case they all had flush valves mounted in the floor which were designed to be stepped on as the user exits the stall. Many of them also had spring loaded "self-rising" toilet seats that slowly sprung up to the vertical position after the user stood up, thereby eliminating a lot of collateral damage from "sprinklers" and "hoverers".

A lot of the problem has to do with the way people from different cultures behave in public but I think American architects could take a few cues from the Europeans on how to design a restroom that's easy to keep clean!

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 06-02-2003, 05:06 AM:

quote:
Many of them also had spring loaded "self-rising" toilet seats that slowly sprung up to the vertical position after the user stood up...

Aha, you mean a SuperLoo (or 'Sanisette', as the French call them). I've often thought they could do you a nasty injury were you to get trapped in there as the 'flush and reset' cycle started. [evil]

My worst loo experience was in a small arthouse which shall remain nameless. Half way through a coffee break the manager called to me across the crowded bar, 'Leo, the tampax machine in the ladies is bust - can you fix it?'. I replied, asking if I could finish my coffee first, to which he responded (in a loud voice which could clearly be heard by all the customers in the bar), 'Err not really - there's a lady in there who says it's urgent!'.

I hope she didn't get too many embarrassed stares when she finally emerged!

Posted by Ben Neal (Member # 1514) on 06-02-2003, 01:30 PM:

Hello everyone,

Try this story, A former manager told me that this would happen. I could not beleive it until it happend to me. I was in the men's room going thru and checking on it. Everything was fine until I looked @ a urnial and saw that someone took a dump in it. I thought I was going to throw up. I could not believe that someone could be so disgusting. To this day I still get sick thinking about it.

Later

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 06-02-2003, 02:37 PM:

Back when I was in high school, someone did the same thing in one of the sinks in the restroom in the "400 vocational building" at Cedartown High School (Cedartown, GA) in either late summer 1984 or fall 1984, I forget which. It was joked about in drafting class long after.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-02-2003, 03:32 PM:

When we were opening up an old theatre, after being shut for 10 years, we turned on the water supply for a few minutes while we looked for leaks. While it was turned on, we went to all of the restrooms and flushed all the toilets to get water in the bowls and stop the steady flow of gas fumes from the sewer lines. I found leaks, so we turned off the water.
I put signs up on each of the stalls asking everyone NOT to use them, as the water was off. I also dumped anti-freeze in the bowls.

As the restrooms were downstairs, below the auditorium level, I didn't go down there for several weeks. There were no lights down there either. Cave-like. There was stuff blocking the stair-way to the restrooms, along with all of my big signs. We figured that this would be enough.

We started noticing a strong odor from downstairs. I got elected to go and see what was up down there. I checked the ladies room. Empty and clean. All the traps were full, and the bowls were full. In the mens room, things looked the same. All the traps were full, and the bowls... I opened the door to the last stall... Someone had filled it to within an inch or so with... 'soil.' And I dont mean dirt. All my signs were still up and untouched. This HAD to be done by one of the workmen that were working on the auditorium.

It's not like there were no restrooms. The building next door allowed us full use of their facilities while our water problems were repaired... all new water lines allover the building...

The owner of the building arranged to have things cleaned up. After the water was turned back on, I checked things out. Everything was squeaky clean and like new. Same fixtures, just cleaned to death.

People can be pigs.

Posted by Jeff Taylor (Member # 443) on 06-03-2003, 09:44 AM:

1. Flush sensors and automatic tepid water sink faucets
2. tiled cinder block toilet partitions and urinal privacy walls to prevent damage
3. double tissue holders and mirror mounted throw-away soap dispensers
4. electric air dryers
5. assume the worst and patrol hourly

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 06-04-2003, 11:43 PM:

OK, I've had to do things comparable to what I had to clean up the other night but this was the worst! For some ungodly reason, women have to think up ways to discust me in the women's room more and more each day. I walked into the women's room to use the facility and low and behold a huge (and I DO mean huge) stench of...eh hem...poo. Looked in each stall and down towards the end...about the 12th stall I find it full of blood and crap, wiped all over the seat, the walls, and the toilet despenser, EVERYWHERE! I don't even know how one human could have had this much in them! It was very obvious that someone deliberatly took it somehow in their hand and wiped it all over the place, I'm not even going to go into my guess as to where the blood came from...

This had to be a truly sick person to do such a thing...I didn't even ASK my employees to clean this up (getting paid they crap they do) I just did it myself and boy did I need a 1 1/2 hour long shower after that!!! I'm never wearing that clothing again...glad it was something I didn't like anyway! [Mad]

Posted by Jeff Taylor (Member # 443) on 06-05-2003, 09:08 AM:

My condolences Rachel. We run office buildings and shopping malls too as well as cinemas, though, and my experience has been that "wall marking" has been more of a male thing than a female problem. I'd sure love to catch one of those perv's and send them home with some new decoration on THEIR clothes.

Posted by Jan Kisluk (Member # 868) on 06-06-2003, 02:45 AM:

We actually caught and prosecuted a young man who pooped in our sink on a dare. He was caught and arrested after showing the poop to a friend. (Calling someone to peek into the one-holer right after use is a clue if they leave laughing.) He had to pay court costs, witness fees and triple time to the person who had to do poo removal!

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-06-2003, 08:41 AM:

Great! I was wondering if anybody ever got caught. He should have had to clean it up, too... barehanded!

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 06-06-2003, 10:07 AM:

Oh the joys I have to look forward to with theatre ownership! [Roll Eyes]

The only thing close to any of the above I've ever been guilty of was in 3rd grade. When I was in 3rd grade, our classroom was outside in a portable trailer-looking building with no restrooms, so when we had to go, we went as a group to the "big-kids" 4th-5th-and 6th grade restrooms. Never having been in a "big-kid" restroom before it was all a new experience to us. We walked in and saw this half-circle shaped device next to the wall with a foot pedal on the bottom. In the center of this fixture was a chromed riser with a shower-head looking thing on top. None of us 3rd graders knew what it was for. We figured out that if you stepped on the pedal, water come out the top.

So... half of us pissed in it and the other half washed there hands in it. It turned out to be a sink.......

Reading all of the above mentioned variations of "gross-ness" inflicted on restrooms by the public, often makes me wonder.... who taught these people that behaviour like that is acceptable anywhere? My mother would have jack-slapped me if I ever even thought to do such things. Do they wipe their [bs]

on the walls at home? Do they [bs]

in the sink at home?

There is a reason why the plumbing engineer who designed my restrooms at the drive-in put a "wash-down" hose faucet under the sinks.

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 06-06-2003, 10:48 AM:

Check out these toilets they are terrific. They automatically flush and the lid closes itself.

http://www.totousa.com/toto/totohome.asp

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 06-06-2003, 02:24 PM:

quote:
We walked in and saw this half-circle shaped device next to the wall with a foot pedal on the bottom.

Barry,

I didn't see one of these until I was well in to my teens. I too, though that it was a urinal. Then after I used it, I turned and saw what I know to be urinals. So I stared at this thing, then I looked around and by process of elimination, I figured out that it was a sink. So I rinsed it very carefully and slinked out of the restroom. Thank God nobody else came in.
[Embarrassed]

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 06-07-2003, 02:46 AM:

in the bathroom of a youth hostel in amsterdam, there was a metal trough against the wall that looked like one of those ballpark communal urinals, so i used it. the first thing i noticed was that it made a hell of a racket, and i was afraid i might wake everyone up. the second thing i noticed was that the surface of it was mirrored and tilted up just enough so i was confronted with my own "boyhood". not one for the shy bladders.

carl

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 06-07-2003, 03:17 PM:

On a service call to the Waikiki Imax theatre, I arrived to find a nasty smell in the lobby and a lot of cleaning equipment outside the women's toilet. Nobody looked very happy.
A man had come up to the usher about halfway through the last movie, and said his girlfriend had gone in there after the previous show and still hadn't come out (for about 30 minutes!). The projectionist (only woman staff around at the time) went in and found a naked woman moaning on the floor, and everything - walls, ceiling, fixtures, the woman herself - liberally coated in diarrhea. Her dress was hanging in a stall. Paramedics came and removed the woman. The young man who did the cleaning took one look and quit. The manager and her husband were dealing with the mess when I arrived, and I went up to the booth and stayed busy for quite a while.
I've had "the runs" pretty bad in my life, but I don't think I could ever have hit the ceiling.