Toilet tales

[micky]

What does it mean when one fllushes the toilet, the tank empties, the water level comes back up to its normal level and seems stable, but when one looks at it an hour later, almost all the water is gone from the bowl? The water level is just where the porcelain ends on the far side of the bowl. In other words, the opening is full of water, but the water goes no higher. .

FWIW, this is not a low-volume toilet. It's happened three times in a row.

I do have the water supply turned almost off so it normally takes a half hour for the toilet tank and bowl to fill, but it's been working like that for years.

Another interesting thing about this toilet is that just after it finishes flushing, I hear thunder from somewhere. Well it sounds like thunder or like the way the special effects man would imitate thunder during radio dramas by taking a piece of sheet meal and shaking it.

But what's strange about this is that there's another toilet in the next bathroom, back to back with this one, with only a stud and sheetrock wall in between, using most of the same pipes, and it doesn't make this noise.

[Gordon Shumway]

There was something similar to this on Ask This Old House recently, but I don't remember why it happened. The solution was to replace the flush valve on the offending toilet and the problem was solved.

[bob_villa]

My toilet offends too...but not its fault! 8^(

[John]

The hammering, thunder as you call it, *may* be caused by the valve that you say is barely open. I have a toilet, that if the shutoff valve is nearly closed, threatens to shake the wall apart. Try opening the valve fully and see if Thor goes away. What you think you are accomplishing by just opening the valve to a trickle escapes me. You still need the same amount of water, it just takes a silly amount of time (1/2 hour ? - LOL) to get there.

As far as the bowl emptying itself, I have no idea, a siphon effect caused by who knows what? A leaky vent or bad toilet gaskets come to mind. But if its a 3 gallon model its probably way past it 'use by' date.

Anyway, since this isn't a low flush model, the first thing I would do is replace the toilet with a modern low flush job. I have a cheap (8~ year old 'Standard') and an expensive (1-1/2 year old 'Kohler') and they both flush every bit as good as an ancient 3 gallon model (40+ year old 'Standard') that I have in a seldom used powder room.

John

[trader_4]

Once the bowl is full, the only way I see for it to later empty would be for a pressure difference between the bathroom and the plumbing system to push it out. That could be caused by a venting problem or since you're hearing something later, by some kind of blockage in the drain pipes that allows water to accumulate, get backed up, then suddenly release. That would provide a vacuum effect at the toilet, especially if there is also a vent problem.

Why you have the toilet supply turned off so low that it takes 30 mins to fill, IDK. I would think that would be a real pain in the ass, for obvious reasons.

[John G]

*I had the same occurrence many years ago and asked a plumber about this. His response was "Capillary action" If I remember correctly. He said somet imes toilet tissue gets hung up in the drain tube and water will drip down that paper and siphon the water out of the bowl. His advice was to pull th e toilet and clean it out from underneath. I never did and I think it even tually stopped.

[micky]

I'm making the toilet quiet, in part so I can go back to sleep, and it works.

Yes, I know it takes the same amount of water. I never have to use it twice in an hour.

Thanks.

[micky]

This sounds like a good plan!

Thanks, and thanks, Trader.

[micky]

I think it happens all the time, but only for the last 2 or 3 days. I don't think the winds have been high much of the last 3 days. Thanks.

[micky]

I coudln't go with this plan after all because the toilet woudl no longer flush. Water came up near the rim and then gradually went down. (Dang, I've already forgotten maybe but I think it continued to go down well below it's normal resting level.)

Only the second time in my life, got a plunger and plunged. It made the thunder noise every time I plunged down, and every time I pulled back up (not separating from the bottom, but only turning inside in what had been inside out when I pushed down.) About 6 times in each direction, just to check for the noise, even though the toilet was probably fixed after the first or second down and up's.

So the toilet works fine now. I don't know what clogged it.

Thanks again.

[Rube Goldberg]

Prolly got some shit stuck in it.