Downstairs toilet, lever flush, (it says "Shires on the cistern) sometimes takes 2 or 3 flushes to clear the bowl. It also takes forever to fill up accompanied by a humming from the loft (which I think is probably a separate issue), so it's a little uncomfortable for visitors when it doesn't clear the contents. I've adjusted the ball so that more water fills the cistern, but still the same, although sometimes a very quick sharp turn of the flush handle works well. Is there anything I can adjust or replace, and how much of a "big job!" (sorry!) would it be?
The flap valve inside the siphon mechanism (white plastic bit in the middle that the handle connects to) has failed, (often it is just a bit of polythene film and eventually it tears/splits but a fast use of the handle still achieves a flush).
A new siphon is easy to fit and available from the local DIY sheds for under a tenner probably.
If this plastic flap has gone, then it's free to replace. Simply cut out a circle of plastic from a thick plastic bag - the sort you'd buy 15kg of dog food in.
The diaphragm in the siphon has failed. It will only get worse. You can just change the diaphragm, but I always change the complete siphon - about £12. A couple of times when I've changed diaphragms it still wouldn't flush, found small splits in the old siphon.
Purchase siphon;
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Depends on whether you have a low level or close coupled. e.g. cistern, short pipe, bowl or cistern mounted directly on bowl. The former is much easier.
Anywho, turn off water, empty cistern. Assuming close coupled;
Undo two wingnuts securing cistern to bowl (from underneath), you may find a metal plate that holds the bolts, or they may go through the cistern. You will also find a rubber 'donut' which seals the cistern to the pan. Worth replacing if its at all dodgy.
Disconnect water supply pipe & overflow pipe, remove any screws holding cistern to wall. Lift cistern off.
Undo big plastic nut holding siphon into cistern.
Replace the siphon, bit of silicone around the seal does no harm.
Put the whole lot back together - reversal of above. The water supply connector should be very easy to screw on by hand, and should only need a spanner for the final turn. If its at all difficult to do up, its not aligned properly & will cross thread & leak.
I can do them in about 45 mins, but then I do 3 or 4 a month. Not really difficult though.
All of the other responses relate to either fixing the syphon - or replacing the syphon. IME it is the syphon itself that causes these problems. Having to 'lift' a quantity of water over the top of a loop, and requiring the falling water to drag more water after it, inevitable reduces the force of the flush. The syphon mechanism is now outdated and antiquated. Very few modern WCs come with syphon flushing mechanisms.
IMO, your best bet would be to get rid of the syphon completely and replace it with a simple 'flapper' type flush. I have done this in the past and the new flush was considerably more effective than the syphon system it replaced.
You can see a 'flapper' type flush mechanism here:
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This one has a top-button operation but there are other flappers that use a normal handle - or a button that replaces the old front-fitting handle. You can buy these in B&Q.
In fact Screwfix also have a front-handle operated flapper mechanism here:
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And a front-button operated flapper that replaces front-handles:
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The new device also has the advantage in that the overflow pipe directs the overflow into the pan, rather than outside through the house wall.
It is a simple job to replace the syphon with one of these devices. I don't think you will be disappointed - and the flapper mechanism is virtually maintenance free for life. This mechanism *will* increase the power of the flush!
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