Toilet flushes slowly and bubbles

[tim1_2]

My toilet on the main floor of my 2-storey house has been a bit of a problem for years. It flushes pretty slowly and also let's out a big air bubble when the flush lever is first depressed. It can usually get most of the waste down the drain, but sometimes a second flush is required!

Here's what I've tried (sorry for my poor terminology...I am not handy at all):

• Plunging (many times)
• Toilet auger (a few times)
• Dish soap left in the bowl, followed by lots of hot water from a bucket
• Cleaning the water inlet holes under the rim and also in the bottom of the bowl
• Replacing the flapper
• Ensuring the water reaches the indicated line in the tank
• Checking my vent from my roof - seemed to not be clogged (I fished a wire all the way down).

I have another toilet in the basement, and two on the top floor of my home that work fine. The problem toilet is also located directly above my washer/dryer (I've heard that this could be linked to a venting problem).

I've thought about replacing the whole toilet, but also am afraid that I'll just be left with the same problem. The existing toilet is about 20 years old.

 

[Reach4]

What happens if you pour a fairly full 5 gallon bucket of water, from as high as you can and as fast as you can without flooding, into the middle of the bowl?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[tim1_2]

What happens if you pour a fairly full 5 gallon bucket of water, from as high as you can and as fast as you can without flooding, into the middle of the bowl?

Yep, did that. It drains out pretty quickly, and no air bubble seems to be released, although it is tough to tell for sure when dumping in that much water that fast.

 

[Reach4]

I think replacing the toilet is the best answer, unless you have some attachment to the toilet. That would solve a problem of marginal design or something getting lodged in the toilet trapway.

Past posts have told of toothbrushes, toy soldiers, and more that could pass a snake but would hurt the flush.

 

[Jadnashua]

Slow draining and bubbles are symptoms of a clogged toilet or main line. If it did it since new, it could be the toilet, or possibly the simple fact that you may have used a wax ring with a funnel embedded in it, and it was too big for the flange. On some like that, the funnel can actually partially collapse and pinch off the outlet - too big of a thing in a too small hole. Liquids will go through, but any solids can get backed up. You can get the same issue if the internal toilet path is either clogged or maybe even defective from the factory. Not all augers are created equal, and then throw in the skill and experience of the user...they don't always remove things caught in there.

You might consider pulling the toilet and just look at what's there. SOmetimes, you can see something trapped from that side that is not visible from the top. While a good one can be pricey, an inspection camera can be poked through the drain path and may find the problem. If you're lucky, turning it over, whatever may be in there may move and you can then remove it.

Course, it could be just a lousy toilet, too. A vent for a toilet often doesn't affect how it works...it can affect other things, but usually not the toilet. Vents primarily help prevent a trap from being sucked dry when something else causes waste to flow through the pipe...not to help that fixture to actually drain. A toilet already has an air gap in the trapway, so is pretty immune to other things venting issues.

 

[tim1_2]

For the sake of closure (and anyone that finds this thread investigating a similar problem):

I bought a new toilet. The Kohler Cimarron to be exact. It was on sale. I then hired a plumber to come look at my issue and install the new toilet (I'm not handy at all and generally avoid plumbing and electrical work when possible). He checked the basement plumbing and noted that the drain line for the toilet (and sink in the same bathroom) had one small run of pipe that was slightly uphill. So instead of having my line snaked, he fixed that run of pipe to make it slightly downhill, and then installed the new toilet. Problem solved.

The one bummer is that I don't know for sure if it was the uphill slant to the pipe or the toilet causing the poor flushes. Regardless, we are now happy toilet users again. This particular toilet uses less water and seems to have a much stronger flush. I am likely going to replace the other two old toilets in my house with the same model.

 

[Wallijonn]

Did he have to break concrete?

 

[tim1_2]

Did he have to break concrete?

Nope. The run of pipe he fixed was all easily accessible in an unfinished portion of my basement.