Can I alter swirling capability of toilet?

Dec 01, 2003 13 Replies

I have two bathrooms with identical toilets. One quietly swirls the water away and does a great job of flushing. The other sort of "dumps" all the water into the bowl where it crashes around before exiting. This toilet does a worse job of removing the contents. Since the toilets are the same brand and age and design, i.e. identical in every way, I am wondering if there is something I can adjust or fix to make the non-swirler come over to the swirling camp.



Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated.



Thanks, ros


Check the flush mechanism to see if they are lifting the same and that the tanks are filling to the same level.

If they have a "siphon jet", this may be clogged. The jet is a 3/4" hole, usually toward the front of the bowl (under water). If clogged with mineral buildup, flushing action will be poor.

Jim

Look for mineral build up clogging the water outlets. Most current toilets seem to be siphon jets if so you will have outlets around the top of the bowl and one large on towards the front under the water level.

You also should, as noted, check the mechanism under the lid to see if there is any difference between the two.

how old is the toilet.. it might be blocked up with water deposits(minerals) and it the little holes under the rim of the bowl might be blocked.. gotta get a small screwdriver and scrape all this gunk out of the holes to let it flow more easily......

If the toilets are truly identical, the problem is that one toilet is closer to the earth's North pole and the other lies upon the equator. You need a smaller house to alleviate this problem.

These toilets are both 3 years old, Universal-Rundle 1.6. However, the "bad" one has seen much more use than the "good" one. But, it has never worked the same since day 1. Could something (like wax gasket, etc.) be caught up in the holes or the passages? The plumber had to replace the bottom part of the bad toilet because the tile guys broke it. I have replaced the flapper valve on the bad one, it was leaking. Otherwise, they have identical tank innards and maintain the same water level.

Thanks, Ros

Could be something partially blocking. Excess wax may have been used and is choking off the bowl outlet at the flange. Run a "closet auger" thru the bowl and see if that helps.

Try the "bucket test". Rapidly dump several full buckets of water into the bowl. If the water goes right down and no sign of overflowing, it is not a drainage problem.

Long shot..the bowl may have a factory flaw.

Jim

Are you sure that the bowl is exactly the same as the 'good" one? Especially on the 1.6's, the bowl must be designed specifically for the tank. If your plumber replaced the original bowl with a different one, this could account for your problem.

Take a few minutes and switch toilet bowls. You will isolate the problem immediately and can work from there.

PJ

Few minutes?! Like 500?

I've confronted plumbers with complaints like "swirls, but doesn't glug" and "glugs, but doesn't swirl right." I made a tool from a coathanger to ream out the little holes under the rim. I do this every

6 months or so (soft water) and the toilet both swirls and glugs.

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Take a mirror and check the two toilets, under the rim. If one toilet has been used more, there will be white calcium or lime built up in the holes under the toilet rim, where the water comes out. Clean these with a bent coathanger, and it should fix things. Best--- Ron

First, pour a cup of vinegar down the overflow tube. Few hours later, with toilet not being use, use the coathanger if you wish, or a piece of plastic-clad wire of the right size. I use a .22 caliber gun cleaning brush.

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