Loss of water in bowl

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arctic

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So last Saturday I noticed the toilet bowl water was lower than I am used to. I didn't think much of it at the time, but when I cam back a couple of hours later the water was almost at the bottom of the bowl. I flushed it with no problems and the water level returned to normal. I then kept an eye on it (no one used it) for about a day, and the water level stayed the same. Over the course of this week I checked on it daily and the water level was always where it normally is. Until this morning, I noticed the bowl had lost some water again.
I searched the net and found a few possible reasons:

1. A crack in the bowl- I do not believe this is the case here as it did not lose any water for 5 days, there are also no signs of leaks.

2. A blocked vent- again no problems for 5 days, and no problems with the two other toilets in the house. I looked at the outside vent and it appears to be fine.

3. A clog in the siphon (paper maybe?)- now I think that this may be it. My toilet has a weaker than normal flush and I usually hold the handle down until the tank completely drains (I don't think my wife always does this). I know the weak flush is because the water in the tank is lower than it should be, a couple of inches below the fill line. I adjusted the screw to raise it, but the screw has gone as far as it will go and the water is still a little low.

So what do you guys think? Will a weak flush cause paper to get stuck in the siphon and cause the bowl to drain? Any other reasons the bowl might lose water? I think I have narrowed it down to something in the siphon that gets cleared away with a proper flush and then there seems to be no more issues, until it happens again!

And how can I raise the water level in the tank if the set screw is as high as it can go- would I need to replace the fill valve with a new one?

Edit: I have checked the flapper and other parts of the tank and they all seem to be in good working order

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
 
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arctic

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Dental floss- nope never goes down the bowl.
I have been keeping an eye on the water all day and it has stayed at the same level- so seems like flushing it this morning did the trick.
Now I am going crazy checking the water in all the toilets! Grrrr this stuff can drive you crazy.
 

Jadnashua

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The bowl gets refilled by the hose going into the overflow tubes on most toilet designs. If that hose is just pushed into the tube, it can siphon with some valve designs. Make sure it is directed into the overflow and held in place above with the supplied clip.

alto_inside_tank.jpg
 
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Hackney plumbing

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Dental floss- nope never goes down the bowl.
I have been keeping an eye on the water all day and it has stayed at the same level- so seems like flushing it this morning did the trick.
Now I am going crazy checking the water in all the toilets! Grrrr this stuff can drive you crazy.

How about wet wipes? Tampons etc?
 

Hackney plumbing

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If the last person that uses the toilet cloggs it up and the water rises up,the tank will fill with water and the ballcock will shut off. After a while if the clogg breaks itself free the toilet bowl will empty its contents and the water level will stay very low in the bowl.
 
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