Overflowing Commode

[Sally]

(May the good Lord set me free.) The commode in the master bathroom (which is of course carpeted - - but not for long!) has overflowed three times in the last year. (Just clear tank water, fortunately! ) The plumber came out and cleared out the lines, checked the septic system, blah blah blah - - but four or five months later, here we go again. From what I've read on the internet, I'm beginning to suspect the problem lies in the appliance itself, not in the lines. In other words, this itsy bitsy teeny tiny rinky dink toilet needs to go. The 'net tells me I need something with a glazed 2-3/8" trap and etc. etc., which are dimensions this tiny commode obviously does not have. I have a standard, site-built, actual human-being size commode I am planning to replace the old one with (all I lack is the interior parts of the tank).

Am I barking up the wrong tree, or could it in fact be the appliance? Anybody foresee a problem? Am I so far off base I'm wasting my time?

Thanks again in advance - -

[flcruising]

When you say overflowed, do you mean the bowl overflows or the storage tank somehow overflows?

And does this happen all by itself or after someone uses it and flushes, since you mentioned it's just clean water coming out?

[Sally]

Aaron,

In all three cases, fortunately!, what has happened is - the toilet is flushed which removes the contents, then the bowl begins to fill back up (as it is supposed to do) but the water doesn't stop - the bowl itself continues to fill and overflows. In all three cases (fortunately for the second time!), someone was still in the room and able to turn the water off at the valve before more extensive damage was done. It is clear water from the tank (and obviously from the cold water pipes) that continues to come into the bowl until it overfills and floods.

Plumbers have snaked all the lines at the trailer in the last six months, and on that same day, the landlady had the septic lines cleared.

Hope this gives you some help! Whatever I need to do, or have hired to do, I want to address this problem so that it never, ever happens again.

Thanks!

[bell30655]

I had the EXACT same situation with the toilet in the master bathroom of this trailer when I bought it back in April. Only mine did it about once out of every four flushes. When I opened my tank on the back of the toilet I would find the black flap open and water pouring into the bowl. It would continue pouring into the bowl faster than it could drain out.

When I called a plumber, he told me the water from the tank can not flow in faster than the drain can take it away and that something must be blocking the line. He snaked the toilet with huge snake, proclaimed it fixed and gave me a bill.

Fast forward to the next morning when I flushed... a minute later water was lapping out of the bowl onto the floor. Not willing to pay a plumber again, I went to Home Depot and bought a all-in-one-box toilet and a wax seal. I changed out my first toilet that day. I haven't had a problem since.

Was the toilet bad? I don't know but I haven't had a repeat and I haven't paid a plumber since. I also no longer have carpet in the bathroom. What a horrible place to put carpet.

[Greg]

It is possible that something is in the trap in the bottom of the toilet, I have had to remove the toilet at our daughter's and retrieve cars that got lost in the "car wash". They were small enough to let a snake by, but largenough to cause a problem. Greg

[Sally]

Thanks for all the advice!

Greg, I had this line snaked less than three months ago, and since I live alone, I can't imagine that anything has gotten into the trap that it was not designed to handle.

Bell 30655 (love the avatar, by the way!!!) - when you said you replaced the toilet, did you get one of those new "one piece" models, or did you just get a new toilet with new fixtures inside the tank and the appropriate seal?

Thanks!!

[bell30655]

I bought the toilet all in one box from Home Depot. The tank is still separate but you buy it all for one price including the seat. I think Greg is right about something being lodged in the toilet itself because I haven't had a lick of problems since replacing the toilet so it couldn't have been the line.

[Robert]

This a good site for homeowners to learn DIY info on toilets:

http://www.toiletology.com/


Most likely something has clogged up passageway inside toilet and the snake is getting by it.

I've had this happen before on plumbing calls, where the snake appears to clear it, but it still does same thing and after removing toilet, can't find or see or feel/reach anything.

Replace toilet and all is fine again. It happens sometimes.

If you do that, afterwards, bust the toilet for a look see, I always find the culprit.

However, only do this IF you are sure that the toilet IS the problem.


Take care and best wishes,
Robert