help with bathroom toilet

maggie · Wed Mar 21, 2007 4:47 pm

Lately, I have had to double flush the bathroom toilet to get it to go down. We have snaked our line and it seems clear, but we still have this problem. Someone told me the toilet maybe be bad, don't understand how a toilet goes bad....If someone could shed some light on this I would appreciate it...Thanks

Archie · Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:05 pm

Not sure about the toilet going bad but the flapper valve in the toilet could effect this. If it is a few years old it may not be staying open long enough to let the amount of water through as it should. Hard water deteriorates them even faster. A complete toilet kit can be purchased at most home stores for less then $20.

Also be sure the check your vent pipes. Bird nests, debris, etc can clog them and cause poor drainage. Snake them out also if plugged.

hvac1000 · Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:03 pm

One thing you may look for is the water flush hole if your toilet has one. It is usually located in the front area near the bottom of the inside of the bowl waste area. Many times this will lime up over time and the flushing action will not work correctly.

At the front of the bowl take your hand and slide it down the inside till you hit the bottom front where the water sits. See if you can feel a small hole area. Usually they are about the size of nickel and if you find it ream it out carefully to make sure it is not plugged.

Its purpose is to forcefully push the waste to the back part of the trap to allow for waste removal. I have found this problem on many occasions. Remember your toilet might not have one but looking for it is worth a try.

Greg · Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:47 pm

The other problem could be plugged or partaly plugged holes under the rim. the will plug up over time with rust and lime. make sure they are open, you can open them with a coat hanger if you need to. Greg

scottman · Thu Mar 22, 2007 7:05 am

I just had this problem a few weeks ago. Actually it would not flush at all. The water would go up, then slowly back down. I'd plunge the heck out of it and it would be fine until we "used it". So I took the toilet up, looked inside, from underneath

and found a pencil wedged in the trap. Someone did not want to do homework! Anyway when tp got in there it would plug then plunging would clear it, until next time. I'd guess you have a partial blockage of some kind that just requires more water to make the siphon action.