Toilet flush problem

[kenw56]

This toilet is on a septic system on the first story. For several years this thing has failed to flush maybe 1 out of 10 or 15 times. A plunger easily makes it clear. The shower and sink in the bathroom drain perfectly and are on the same septic system. I have tried using a toilet awl with no improvement. I've also tried vinegar as an acid cleanout and that hasn't worked. I guess it has to be a poor design in the toilet itself. Any ideas on how to fix this situation?

Thanks for any relevant answers.

[kenw56]

Yes.

The toilet is about 3ft higher than than the drain outlet into the septic tank. The toilet is about 20 ft from the tank.

[kenw56]

Nope, and I cleaned out all commode water inlets so the inflow would be as fast as possible.

Into the commode bowl itself, not down the overflow.

Ring jets were cleaned out, no kids to drop stuff in, and the snake apparently never dislodged anything.

[hrhofmann]

Is the toilet a real old one with full flushing water, or a somewhat newer one with lower flush water, or even newer with low flush water but a better flushing design.?

[bob haller]

some questions first.......

does the toilet appear t just swirl the water when flushed??

try flushing some solids with a bucket, does it flush well?

if so the toilet needs a acid bath..... its cheap safe and effective. with just a few precautions.

buy muriatic acid a gallon will do many toilets, open the window all the way. wear safety glasses, and buy a funnel.

plunge as much water out of the bowl as possible.

put on glasses with window open

put funnel in dip tube where the hose sends the water, otherwise known as the overflow.

pour the acid gently into the funnel avoid splashing.... se a quart or so.....

leave room shut door, wait 15 minutes, flush toilet normally 10 or 20 times to dilute the acid in the lines.

test toilet you should see dramatic improvement:)

muriatic acid is pretty mild i put some on my skin it was warm but didnt burn me..

[bob haller]

clogged bowl rim passages causes poor flush. the bowl rim water actually causes a small wave in the toliet. that helps send the solids down

[CRNG]

On Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:59:52 -0600, kenw56 wrote Re Toilet flush problem:

Are these the "low" flush type toilets?

[kenw56]

No, it's a regular toilet. I've tried pouring a bucket of water in quickly and that sometimes works, but not always. Could it just be a poorly designed product?

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Our toilet out at the cabin is like that about 3 ft above drain port into the septic tank. The pipe leading there is little bit sloped downward. We use low volume water tank and it never fails to flush.

[Stormin Mormon]

More detail about "failed to flush". Does the water in the bowl go up, and then down slowly? Does the water not deliver in the usual number of seconds? Does the water go through the bowl, but solids don't go down the pipe?

So many different types of "failed to flush".

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Thanks for any relevant answers.

[Stormin Mormon]

"but not always". Does the water level rise, and go down slowly?

You're gonna have to provide a bit more detail.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

No, it's a regular toilet. I've tried pouring a bucket of water in quickly and that sometimes works, but not always. Could it just be a poorly designed product?

[hrhofmann]

Does it matter if it has been raining and thus raising the level of the fluid in the septic tank and thus slowing down the flushing action?

When you say it is a regular toilet, that tells us nothing. A regular toilet 15 years old is a high water flush, a regular toilet in the past 5 years is a low-flush toilet.

[kenw56]

Fill it to near overflow, and it either doesn't drain at all, or slowly drains. Occaisionally, pouring in water causes it to quickly clear.

[CRNG]

On Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:52:33 -0600, kenw56 wrote Re Re: Toilet flush problem:

Ok, I had a similar situation once with a "regular" (non-low flow) toilet. It was driving me nuts. I finally removed the bowl from the floor and found that someone had tossed some dental floss in the bowl and flushed it. The floss got jammed across the drain floor flange and would sometimes interfere with the flushing of toilet paper. The paper would hang on the floss until plunging or snaking broke it lose.

You might have to remove to bowl to check if there is any obstruction.

[kenw56]

No, it fails even with no rain for weeks.

It's not a low-flush toilet.

[kenw56]

The bowl fills with inflow water. It doesn't flush, sometimes it does clear, slowly, other times it stays that way for hours. The shower and sink drain to the same septic and never have drain problems.

[kenw56]

Maybe, but when I used a toilet snake on it, wouldn't it have cleared that up?

I'm wondering if the venting is inadequate, or if the design of the toilet is defective.

[Stormin Mormon]

Sounds like your "stack vent" is clogged. Look on that side of the house, for a 1 inch or so tube that comes up through the roof. See if you can clear the stack vent, wtih a drain snake, or stuffing a garden hose in, and blast it loose. Requires climbing on the roof.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Fill it to near overflow, and it either doesn't drain at all, or slowly drains. Occaisionally, pouring in water causes it to quickly clear.

[Stormin Mormon]

Of course, that's the other option.....

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Ok, I had a similar situation once with a "regular" (non-low flow) toilet. It was driving me nuts. I finally removed the bowl from the floor and found that someone had tossed some dental floss in the bowl and flushed it. The floss got jammed across the drain floor flange and would sometimes interfere with the flushing of toilet paper. The paper would hang on the floss until plunging or snaking broke it lose.

You might have to remove to bowl to check if there is any obstruction.

[Stormin Mormon]

You may get relief by using a closet auger. These (get the Ridgid one for about $25, much better than the cheepy one for $8) help clear the drain. I use one on my own toilet.

Made back my $24 one time when I cleared a toilet drain for a customer.

About 2/3 of the way down, a reasonable description of what to do.

Pull the snake all the way back, slip the curved tip into the drain. Push the snake in, cranking as you advance the closet auger snake. Keep cranking, as you push it all the way in. Then flush the toilet, to rinse off the snake. Crank, while pulling back on the handle. Finally, remove the unit from the bowl. Extend the snake, and clip the snake onto the place at the handle.

Hope that helps.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

The bowl fills with inflow water. It doesn't flush, sometimes it does clear, slowly, other times it stays that way for hours. The shower and sink drain to the same septic and never have drain problems.