Bad toilet flush

I raised this topic before. We have a toilet that has a very poor flush. It flushes ok insofar as emptying the cistern goes it just doesn't have enoug h oomph to clear the contents of the pan.

I have replaced the innards of the cistern twice and fiddled with the inlet tube, (its not close coupled, the cistern sits about 300mm higher than the toilet itself). Without actually moving the toilet itself I broke the outl et connection at the rear but could see no sign of a blockage.

We are in a soft water area so limes scale can be ruled out anyway I've loo ked and can see nothing.

SWMBO says she's had enough and is going to call in the professionals but I 'd like to know what their answer would be. (I just know their immediate so lution is to replace the innards but that won't work.)

Replace the whole shebang ? What could possibly be wrong with the existing one which worked well enough for years. ?

It defeats me.

Reply to
fred
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Is the water level at its max in the cistern?

Reply to
DerbyBorn

If she wants to call in the professionals I reckon that's a result !!!!

For what it's worth, during our house refurb we had three new identical toilets fitted, all connected to new internal, external and underground pipes onwards to our own sewage treatment plant so we know that there are no blockages. Two flush well and the third struggles to empty the pan contents. I've adjusted it's valve so the level is absolutely as high in the tank as possible and it's now tolerable but still not as good as the others. Maybe the ceramic innards of the pan vary a bit but it is very odd.

Andrew

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

I've seen this effect if the outlet pipe is partially blocked in the underground run. Using a waste disposer with inadequate flushing can lead to silting from eggshells and bones etc or too much plaster has been washed down the kitchen sink!

Reply to
Capitol

fred scribbled...

Shit under the rim ?

Reply to
Jabba

Yep. Close to overflowing

Reply to
fred

. It flushes ok insofar as emptying the cistern goes it just doesn't have e nough oomph to clear the contents of the pan.

nlet tube, (its not close coupled, the cistern sits about 300mm higher than the toilet itself). Without actually moving the toilet itself I broke the outlet connection at the rear but could see no sign of a blockage.

looked and can see nothing.

ut I'd like to know what their answer would be. (I just know their immediat e solution is to replace the innards but that won't work.)

ing one which worked well enough for years. ?

That's interesting. I thought of that but as this toilet is on the second f loor I would have imagined there would be enough room in the soil stack to cope with a single flush. Also if this was the case would we not have overf low at the manhole ?

We have a septic tank which we get emptied once a year. The water table is very high around here and sometimes the run to the septic tank b;locks up.

I'll try rodding it.

I just don;t want to have a plumber come in with some smart solution which after quids have been spent doesn't make a bit of difference.

Reply to
fred

or she has used those bloo things in the cistern, and the wrappers from one of them made it through the syphon and is now partially blocking the flow to the pan?

Reply to
Gazz

I've been having the same thoughts. Our problem is intermittent and applies equally to our upstairs and downstairs toilets. Sometimes the bowl is empty after a flush and sometimes it seems everything has just circulated and gone nowhere. We are on a shared sewer, and there are toddlers and teenage girls between us and the main sewer, but nothing about the flush seems in any way abnormal. I've left a full pelt garden hose down it, and cannot get it to back up. A friend was told by her doc that turds change as you get older. Full of air apparently. Maybe if you sit and read The Sun from cover to cover the extra two minutes would allow the contents of the bowl to absorb more water and become heavy enough to be carried off with the flush. Dunno. I'm not about to conduct a full scale experiment but I might fit new float valves so I don't have to wait so long for the 2nd (and occasionally 3rd) flush. You can always help the dreadnoughts round the bend with your finger but the mushy stuff is a problem.

Reply to
stuart noble

Get a gallon bucket of water and pour it quickly in the pan. Does the water flow away as quickly as your other toilet(s)?

If all else is the same, I'm wondering how the water enters the pan. Are there a line of holes under the rim? Can you use a snake-cam to check if these are free and not blocked with crud or plastic from loo-blues and the like?

Reply to
Fredxxx

I wondered about that but it doesn't explain how two toilets are equally (and intermittently) affected

Reply to
stuart noble

Jabba put finger to keyboard:

What good would that do?

Reply to
Scion

I would have thought it points to water not being able to leave the bowl properly - if there's a constriction in the soil pipe it could affect several toilets.

Reply to
Jethro_uk

I have replaced the innards of the cistern twice and fiddled with the inlet tube, (its not close coupled, the cistern sits about 300mm higher than the toilet itself). Without actually moving the toilet itself I broke the outlet connection at the rear but could see no sign of a blockage.

We are in a soft water area so limes scale can be ruled out anyway I've looked and can see nothing.

SWMBO says she's had enough and is going to call in the professionals but I'd like to know what their answer would be. (I just know their immediate solution is to replace the innards but that won't work.)

Replace the whole shebang ? What could possibly be wrong with the existing one which worked well enough for years. ?

It defeats me.

Could be some sort of crap has built up under the rim where you can't see it so restricting the water flow.

Try scraping/poking with a screwdriver & see if you can dislodge anything.

Also the syphon may be faulty. (Thin plastic flapper worn/cracked/ gone stiff)

Reply to
harryagain

Or a low tech hand mirror!

Reply to
DerbyBorn

Does the water tend to rise in the bowl before going back to normal? (Compared to others)

Reply to
DerbyBorn

That would be my next step: make sure the whole run is clear. I recently had to clear our drains [again], and the clue to my needing to do this was that the toilet water level was *below* its normal level (because the partial vacuum caused by the blocked sewer pipe was dragging it down).

John

Reply to
Another John

Yep floaters and .. err, sinkers. Seen them here from time to time;!..

With a sometimes similar disposal problem but some flushes are faster and more aggressive than others;)..

The downstairs one is a real "thunderbox" the upstairs one very genteel..

Ewwugh;!..

Reply to
tony sayer

Phil L scribbled...

That's 2 scatologists in the group.

Reply to
Jabba

stuart noble scribbled...

Someone sent a huge log on an elastic rope down there?

Reply to
Jabba

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