toilet flushing issues

[SchemeFighter]

Was driving me crazy

For some of us that would be a short drive. I think many in government and the media are already at the destination. (that’s a joke, with my strange dark sense of humor based partly on truth)

Took one last look and found the small hole in the bottom of the bowl that is supposed to shoot water from the front of the bowl toward the trap to push the solids down was totally plugged with calcium. Used a piece of wire to clean it out and toilet works great now. Hope this helps...

That is a possibility. However we have essentially been just guessing and not following proper diagnostic logic, because we don’t have enough information; because of unanswered questions and lack of proper elaboration.

With the information that has been presented so far, it isn’t clearly established whether it’s a downstream ( sewage) flow problem. Or if it’s freshwater ( delivery) problem.

He has finally established that there is a second toilet and it seems to flush more or less normally; this seems to suggest that the main sewage line is clear. So that seems to suggest to narrow down the problems to sewage isolated to the toilet such as a blockage in the pea trap itself; or a problem with the freshwater delivery system from the tank to the toilet. So far there is not enough information to give a reasonably accurate and likely diagnosis; so far it’s just vague guessing.

Say for instance if he did my screem test and more it would clarify in what condition the sewage system as a whole is in. Say for instance if you fill up the bathtub, sinks, drain the washer (if you have one) , flush additional toilets (if you have them) so all the house drains are draining simultaneously if the water drains quickly and the water doesn’t back up significantly; then that would indicate that there isn’t a restriction in the main sewage lines ( this can be risky as it can flood your toilet and such; and should be done in progressively aggressive steps as not to unnecessarily flood the house). Another test is the “bucket test” aka “manual flushing” just dump a large full bucket of water in the toilet bowl if the toilet backs up and is slow to drain or wants to overflow then there is a blockage in the downstream/sewage side ( so that would indicate a blockage in the toilet or sewage line). If the toilet flushes well and normally with a bucket; that would suggest that there is a freshwater tank to bowl issue.

It’s impossible to do a proper diagnosis without enough information and without following a proper logic pattern.

If the more elaborate description was given in the first place; and if direct and appropriate answers were given to the questions; then there would have been a lot quicker, narrower response that would’ve more likely lead to a more quick and accurate diagnosis. Since the description was vague; and the responses to our questions were ignored and vague. That’s why this thread has lasted so long and why I have had such long-winded multi-tiered answers. If there was a more elaborate description in the first place and more direct and informative responses; it would eliminate a lot of the speculation.

It’s simpler and more accurate to diagnose using more relevant elaborate facts and following proper diagnostic procedure; instead of trying to bumble and speculate vaguely as we have.

[ponch37300]

It’s simpler and more accurate to diagnose using more relevant elaborate facts and following proper diagnostic procedure; instead of trying to bumble and speculate vaguely as we have.[/quote]

As i mentioned in my last post when i went to do some more of your tests to give a more accurate description i found a specific blockage in the trap of the toilet bowl where the sewage flows out of the toilet. As mentioned before the water seems to be flowing normal from the tank to the bowl but the sewage is not flowing from the bowl out the drain. Since it is a sewer problem and the other drains seem to work alright and i can see a blockage in the trap of the bowl i am going to make the assumption that the blockage i can see is the problem here. I did poor a gallon of water in the bowl and it flushed OK but as mentioned earlier it also flushes OK when no solids are in the bowl, just flushing water.

As far as how the second toilet operates, i don't think that would make to much of a difference. The way the trailer is laid out is that the bathrooms are on opposite ends of the trailer and the main sewer is in the middle so there is a Y right out of the ground on the main sewer and then the sewer lines head in opposite directions to the 2 bathrooms. So if there was a blockage of both toilets it would have to be at the Y that goes into the ground.

I am not a plumber but i am 99% sure that i accurately diagnosed this with your help and feel i have found the problem and am going to replace the toilet to solve this, hopefully! If i am wrong and it still is having problems after replacement i will be back with more questions and at least I'll have a new toilet out of this! Thanks for every ones help with keeping the crap flowing!

[SchemeFighter]

If it just drains okay when you flush with a bucket that makes me think that there is a slight restriction from an obstruction in the P-trap. If you aggressively manually flush a toilet with a bucket even a low flow toilet should flush great; if not that would make me suspect a wastewater obstruction in the P-trap or farther down the drain. Since your other drains seem to work normally that seems to eliminate the main drain as a restriction.

If that flush great with a bucket but only poor using the tank flush; that would make me suspect (a freshwater problem) a tank adjustment or on some toilets it could be the jet that Jbeard1116 mentioned. I think that jet is mainly to help break up traffic jams of solid waste so that more solid waste can be flushed without clogging from traffic jams as the bowl narrows.

I’m still not clear where this white flaky substance is that you’re talking about. If it’s at the bottom of the funnel of the bowl near the entrance of the P-trap then that could be the jet that Jbeard1116 mentioned (if your toilet has one). If it’s at the location that those jets are normally at; then perhaps you should try taking a coat hanger and seeing if you could find and unclog a possible hole. I initially doubted your description fit the description of one of these clogged jets; because your initial post seemed to suggest that the toilet rather suddenly became much poorer at flushing. These jets typically clog up very slowly and I wouldn’t expect a sudden change from one of these jets clogging; though I suppose it is possible that a flake in the passageway could have broke free and lodged at a point where the passageway narrows. However I would think that would be rather uncommon.

If you do decide to replace the whole toilet; I would strongly suggest researching what toilets flush the best. Something like the user rating survey or a consumer report comparison. If you can find a salesman you trust; you probably ought to ask is opinion.

The vast majority of people that I’ve talked to that have replaced their old-fashioned toilet with a low flow toilet have been very disappointed. I had a cousin that was a doctor and he had a low flow toilet that worked great; but he said it cost them $1200. He said it had a reservoir like an accumulator that stored the water at line pressure and suddenly flushed the toilet at line pressure. He lived in the country and the line pressure wasn’t always that reliable.

From what I understand the newer low flow toilets are cheaper and many of them work fairly well.

Maybe someday I’ll elaborate (rant) on how bad I think my energy-efficient washer and dryer are. How I think they use more energy, water but don’t get the wash as clean. I’ll save that for a more appropriate thread.

[Yanita]

Hey folks,

This one has been answered as well, locking it off now. To the original poster, once you replace the toilet and if you have further troubles please start a new thread.

Yanita