Time for a toilet???

[Glynda]

:confused:Still have a weak flush. Thought I needed new septic lines and I probably did but my flush in both bathrooms is still weak after the new system. Do toilets wear out? The guy who put the infiltration system in said they were worn out. Whatchathink?
Toilets installed in 1985-86.
ot so quick to listen to this gem cuz he put five huge holes in the yard this summer with a freakin tractor looking for the lines. During the meeting/consultation to get the estimate for the job his partner told me they wouldn't have to dig all over the yard looking...they have technology that allowed them to listen for water underground:o====Oh yeah I bought it:(

[Devine Plumbing]

If you are in an area with hard water it is possible. Sometimes rust plugs up the holes in the rim around the toilet bowl. Try adding a small pitcher of water down at the same time the toilet is flushing. If the water goes down immediately the problem is in the toilet.

[Woussko]

Hi Glynda and good luck.

Try filling up a good size pail with water and pouring it fast into the bowl of each problem toilet. Does it go down fast with a good glugging? If yes, then the problem is that the water in the tank isn't getting into the bowl quickly. As DP said sometimes the little holes around the underside of the bowl clog up. You could take a wire coat hanger, cut it and bend it so you can poke out the holes. That's helped me before. It could also be the flapper doesn't fully open (lift up) when you flush. Try holding down the flush lever and keep it held down until all of the flush finishes. Did that help?

Do you remember the same toilets having a good flush some time back?

[drainman881999]

:confused:Still have a weak flush. Thought I needed new septic lines and I probably did but my flush in both bathrooms is still weak after the new system. Do toilets wear out? The guy who put the infiltration system in said they were worn out. Whatchathink?
Toilets installed in 1985-86.
ot so quick to listen to this gem cuz he put five huge holes in the yard this summer with a freakin tractor looking for the lines. During the meeting/consultation to get the estimate for the job his partner told me they wouldn't have to dig all over the yard looking...they have technology that allowed them to listen for water underground:o====Oh yeah I bought it:(

Is your cleanout full of water?Remove the plug,look inside while your washing machine is dumping a load of water.Have your tubs full and draining while you do this.(1)IF little or no water running through the pipe,rod back under the house.(2)If water is rising in the cleanout,then the line is clogged between the house and the outgoing line.{The tank itself is included in this.}NO CLEAN to look in?(3) Look down the 4"/3" vent if possible,if not pull a toliet and see if water is sitting in the toliet sweep,if so rod the line.(4)Vacumn water from the toliet tank and bowl ,take outside on the grass,turn upside down and look into the bottom of the toliet,if you see a q-tip or other object,remove it.(5)aslo try pouring a 5 gallon bucket of water down the toliet while while it is upside down.(6) aslo auger toliet with a closet auger while it is upside down.(7) HAVE HELP. --------------(8)Honest plumber or drain cleaner will find the source of your problem within 2 hrs,I would think.-----------A lot of words,not spaced for easy reading, BUT I hope this helps some.

[rookie plumber]

Have you ever noticed that every other flush was good?

[Herk]

I usually have some tool like a small screwdriver, the type that you can clip in your pocket, with the end bent at 90 degrees, to clean those holes in the toilet. In addition, if they have a visible jet in the bowl, it can also plug up. For that you need something a bit larger.

[Ace Sewer]

Have you ever noticed that every other flush was good?

Great question rookie! Fill tube flopped out and bowl not refilling. If this is your symptom loook in the tank for a little tube to be peeing water when the toilet is refilling after a flush; this tube must be pointed into the pipe coming up in the middle of the tank and must be flowing water when the toilet is refilling after a flush.

Agree with others poke the holes in the rim with a wire.

If all this fails, empty the toilet, remove the flapper, and pour muriatic acid into the hole the flapper covered.

The porcelain does not wear out, though it sometimes gunks up with hard water deposits.

All this presupposes no problem in line (which if I understand you has been replaced) and no object caught in toilet.

[gusty60]

Have you checked the vent to see if it's clear?

[Glynda]

Have you checked the vent to see if it's clear?
Tell me more about this...what is the vent?

[Ace Sewer]

Tell me more about this...what is the vent?

something that doesn't really matter and won't be the cause of your problem

[Glynda]

Have you ever noticed that every other flush was good?
Two different bathrooms and probably two different problems. Master bath started after toilet was taken out and subfloor and tile floor replaced.

Best I remember guest bath started after hydrojetting the lines going out of the septic tank and into the yard. Around the same time the house was replumbed due to pipes put in before 1996. Not sure if either of those could have caused something. Some time later I had a new flapper put on but toilet clogs easily and we have to hold the flush down to clear the bowl.:scratchhead:

[gear junkie]

You need to find a new plumber, it seems some unneeded work has been done.

[Ace Sewer]

Two different bathrooms and probably two different problems. Master bath started after toilet was taken out and subfloor and tile floor replaced.

Best I remember guest bath started after hydrojetting the lines going out of the septic tank and into the yard. Around the same time the house was replumbed due to pipes put in before 1996. Not sure if either of those could have caused something. Some time later I had a new flapper put on but toilet clogs easily and we have to hold the flush down to clear the bowl.:scratchhead:

Glynda. You must first make sure the problem is or is not within the toilets. Are they on the same level of the house? If so is it the lowest level? do the bathrooms share a common wall? When one backs up do they both back up? does water ever come up in a tub/shower when they are acting up?

yesses tend to indicate a problem in the line. no's tend to indicate a problem in the toilets. the last question is the most important.

all advice you have been given thus far has assumed you have a toilet problem, not a line problem, since that is what you originally indicated.

please answer the above questions and I or someone will tell you how to proceed.

I bring up these questions because you have mentioned some work being done on the septic lines. This leads me to believe you have had septic problems in the past, and may have them again. I would like to rule this out before telling you how to fix a toilet.

[Ace Sewer]

You need to find a new plumber, it seems some unneeded work has been done.

sounds like it... if everything put in before 1996 needed to be replaced, we'd all be too busy to sit here and type.

[PLUMBER RICK]

Two different bathrooms and probably two different problems. Master bath started after toilet was taken out and subfloor and tile floor replaced.

Best I remember guest bath started after hydrojetting the lines going out of the septic tank and into the yard. Around the same time the house was replumbed due to pipes put in before 1996. Not sure if either of those could have caused something. Some time later I had a new flapper put on but toilet clogs easily and we have to hold the flush down to clear the bowl.:scratchhead:

sounds like the flapper is a low flow that needs to be properly adjusted to allow for a longer flush.

if you hold the handle, and it flushes properly. then an adjustment is all you need.

rick.

[Glynda]

Glynda. You must first make sure the problem is or is not within the toilets. Are they on the same level of the house? If so is it the lowest level? do the bathrooms share a common wall? When one backs up do they both back up? does water ever come up in a tub/shower when they are acting up?

yesses tend to indicate a problem in the line. no's tend to indicate a problem in the toilets. the last question is the most important.

all advice you have been given thus far has assumed you have a toilet problem, not a line problem, since that is what you originally indicated.

please answer the above questions and I or someone will tell you how to proceed.

I bring up these questions because you have mentioned some work being done on the septic lines. This leads me to believe you have had septic problems in the past, and may have them again. I would like to rule this out before telling you how to fix a toilet.


One level house, they do not share a wall and they are not backing up in shower or anywhere.
Guest bathroom flushes when you hold the handle down I think Rick is on to something about the adjustment. a plumber said he installed a low flow something or another
a while back but since the tank is the same size I disreguarded what he said. I should not have done that.

Master bath toilet was disassembled and taken outside last January for a month while we had a shower leak repaired and a floor put down. after reinstalling it (the construction guys reinstalled not a plumber), it seems unpredictable. Sometimes it flushes fine, sometimes the water comes up high before going down. Sometimes it seems to flush fine but after the water level is low. The water level is hardly ever the same. Also it is leaking between the tank and the bowl. There is usually a few drops of water on the bottom corner of the tank.
and on the floor below.
In August we had an infiltrator system put down in the yard. It was attached on to some existing lines and I had the guy installing it to look at master b toilet and Afterlooking in the tank and watching it flush he just said it was worn out they do that over time.

I went out and bought 2 toto drakes cuz I am sick of the crap (pardon the pun) and most of you guys seem to like em. Now I wonder if they need to be returnrd or installed.

[HouseOfAtlas]

If the problem is the toilet and the vents are plugged, I usually get all the water out of the trap in the toilet and then pour some Santeen De-Limer in the overflow tube. This will clean out the vents really well.

If you choose to do this, take caution and use rubber gloves and protective eyewear.

[Ace Sewer]

Glynda,

Thanks for the info.

Sounds like you problems are in the toilets. Agree, Rick called it; the one you have to hold the lever on has a flapper that closes too early. get another flapper, or one of the foam floats that clips on the chain. If your chain has such a float already, move it down low on the chain right next to the flapper.

The other I suspect has been mounted off center such that the exit hole of the toilet is not centered over the hole it drains into. Also, people who don't install a lot of toilets tend to err on the side of too much wax ring, using a jumbo where not needed or sometimes doubling up two rings. You need to pull this toilet and replace the wax ring anyway as it is leaking at the floor. I suspect you will find a bunch of excess wax spluged around and partially blocking the flowpath, or a plastic horn from a wax ring crooked and partially blocking the flowpath.

Replacing with the drakes would solve your problems. Might be worth the $ just to get it over with rather than lugging them back to the store.

[Glynda]

Glynda,

Thanks for the info.

Sounds like you problems are in the toilets. Agree, Rick called it; the one you have to hold the lever on has a flapper that closes too early. get another flapper, or one of the foam floats that clips on the chain. If your chain has such a float already, move it down low on the chain right next to the flapper.

The other I suspect has been mounted off center such that the exit hole of the toilet is not centered over the hole it drains into. Also, people who don't install a lot of toilets tend to err on the side of too much wax ring, using a jumbo where not needed or sometimes doubling up two rings. You need to pull this toilet and replace the wax ring anyway as it is leaking at the floor. I suspect you will find a bunch of excess wax spluged around and partially blocking the flowpath, or a plastic horn from a wax ring crooked and partially blocking the flowpath.

Replacing with the drakes would solve your problems. Might be worth the $ just to get it over with rather than lugging them back to the store.
Once again you guys are helpful. I appreciate all of the feedback. I ended up installing the drakes and LOVING them.

You were right in both of the things you said here however.

Anyway, I was over them both and ready to move on so I did. By the way, this forum is where I learned about the totos,

Keep up the good work:joyful:

[mtnman1100]

something that doesn't really matter and won't be the cause of your problem

lol