Bought a house with a water efficient toilet for my basement. However, it has a very hard time flushing - anything of substance just won't go down without multiple flushes.
Is this because the super efficient toilet sacrifices flush power? Is it becausse the basement is so low that there's not enough drop out to the sewage line? Is it because the line is partially clogged? Something else?
Should I go out and buy a better toilet? Clean the line with a snake? What?
Hi, Some models work better than others. Using lot less water doing the same job, some does not work well. I heard Toto brand is pretty good choice. (which I installed and city water works gave 75.00 rebate for each I replaced).
Test the line. Get several large buckets filled with water. Rapidly dump them into the bowl . If the water goes right down without signs of overflow, the line is fine and the toilet is suspect.
Jim
For the basement, not IN the basement. Was it already there?
I wonder how hard it is these days to get previous owners to tell the truth about how well it worked when they were there. Maybe they only used it for peeing, or maybe it worked well when they were there and something has changed. I guess if you wait 6 months, so they won't have to worry about being sued for non-disclosure, they may not fear to tell you the truth.
As an aside, did you flush the toilet before buying the house. I didn't flush mine either, but none is in the basement. I don't know how much difference that makes.
More below:
Is this a test of the drain or of flushing?
In other tests, other people have recommended only one bucket. If low-use is 1.6 isn't regular use 3 gallons, and isn't a standard bucket about 5 gallons? So is it a valid flushing comparison to use more than one bucket?
Soory, I worded it porly. Yes it is IN the basement. It's a basement with a wood sub-floor, not a concrete slab. I treid the bucket experiment recommended by one of the other replies and sure enough it barely drained out even after the first bucket.
I thought we tested it when we bought the house. It sat down in the basement hardly used at all till one of my kids wanted to move down there....maybe he clogged it somehow....
mm wrote:
That could indicate a clogged sewer, or a clog in the toilet bowl.
Jim
Just an update.
Used a snake and found a large wad of construction tape in the drian. After removing it, the flush is just fine. This wad probably collected crap (literally and figuratively) and over time the line became more and more clogged.
[snip]
If you think you tested it, you're in good shape. Everyone sometimes things they;ve done something when they haven't. OTOH, if it were I and I didn't even think I'd tested it, because I didn't have sense enough to do so, that would bother me.
So now it is only money, and I see it didn't cost you any money after all.
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