55 year old toilet clogging too often, what should I do?

Users who are viewing this thread

LovetheWeb

New Member
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
san jose, california
Over the past 10+ years there have been several occasions when my toilet gets clogged. In the past month this has happened 4 times! Of course, it most often happens in the morning when solids are present! Being the only one that uses this toilet I know nothing has gone into it that shouldn’t. Here are some facts about this toilet:

The toilet is the age of the house, 55 years old

The pipes under the house are the originals, 55 years old

The closest tree is an Italian Cypress 48’ away- tree roots?

There is another toilet right behind it on the other side of the wall and it does not have this problem, except a couple of days ago.

I have to do something about this because I’m getting to the age where plunging is not something I want to do on a regular basis.

Thanks!

Ginny
 

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,795
Reaction score
4,413
Points
113
Location
IL
If you don't have a strong sentimental attachment to that toilet, replace it with a modern one. You will ask yourself why you waited.

Careful accepting the free one the town might give you. Pay a little extra if need be. There are many good toilets today, but there are a few odd one.
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,771
Reaction score
1,191
Points
113
Location
New England
Over the years, depending on your local water, you could have accumulated a lot of mineral deposits inside of the toilet. A toilet that old probably doesn't have a siphon jet, but relies on a lot of water being dumped that overpowers the trap, then that pressure from the water in the bowl causes it to start to flush. If there's any buildup or other restriction, that may not happen. Another thing to verify is that the tank water level is proper. Last, have you replaced the flapper valve recently? Those need to be matched to the toilet as most of them are designed for a specific amount of water. If that's not right for your toilet, it may not flush.

Check how much water is left in the tank when you flush before it refills. Most of those older ones essentially empty the tank. If the flapper closes early, and there's a lot of water left, try holding the handle down until the tank is empty to see how well that works. You might only need a new flapper.

But, a new toilet will save you on water, even if you have a well, you still pay to pump it up. Same with the waste...you may pay based on your water use, but even with a septic system, lowering your water to the system can have some advantages.

If you're in an area that has water restrictions, you'll probably get a rebate for installing a new toilet, and you'll be helping your neighbors, too. The old ones could use as much as 7-gallons or so. The new ones use 1.6g max, and some work quite well with less.

If your toilets are back-to-back, though, the speed of the flush on a new one might cause problems, depending on the fitting in the wall.
 

LovetheWeb

New Member
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
san jose, california
If you don't have a strong sentimental attachment to that toilet, replace it with a modern one. You will ask yourself why you waited.

Careful accepting the free one the town might give you. Pay a little extra if need be. There are many good toilets today, but there are a few odd one.
I'm ready to buy a new toilet even though it will be low flow since
Over the years, depending on your local water, you could have accumulated a lot of mineral deposits inside of the toilet. A toilet that old probably doesn't have a siphon jet, but relies on a lot of water being dumped that overpowers the trap, then that pressure from the water in the bowl causes it to start to flush. If there's any buildup or other restriction, that may not happen. Another thing to verify is that the tank water level is proper. Last, have you replaced the flapper valve recently? Those need to be matched to the toilet as most of them are designed for a specific amount of water. If that's not right for your toilet, it may not flush.

Check how much water is left in the tank when you flush before it refills. Most of those older ones essentially empty the tank. If the flapper closes early, and there's a lot of water left, try holding the handle down until the tank is empty to see how well that works. You might only need a new flapper.

But, a new toilet will save you on water, even if you have a well, you still pay to pump it up. Same with the waste...you may pay based on your water use, but even with a septic system, lowering your water to the system can have some advantages.

If you're in an area that has water restrictions, you'll probably get a rebate for installing a new toilet, and you'll be helping your neighbors, too. The old ones could use as much as 7-gallons or so. The new ones use 1.6g max, and some work quite well with less.

If your toilets are back-to-back, though, the speed of the flush on a new one might cause problems, depending on the fitting in the wall.

I live in California. The stains on the very bottom are impossible to remove! I'm also told the parts for the tank can be hard to find.
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,771
Reaction score
1,191
Points
113
Location
New England
To move the waste with much less water, most all new toilets use a siphon jet. That also means the waste leaves the toilet faster. As I noted, this can cause some issues with back-to-back toilets if the proper fitting wasn't used per today's requirements. The waste can skip through the fitting to the other toilet. The waste leaves those older toilets much slower, which meant the fitting used wasn't as big a deal.

There can be an issue for maybe 1-2% of the people if they produce long, hard stools. That may require a special toilet. This is usually a medical issue. If that's the case, you'll need to be more careful about your replacement toilet choice. If that hasn't changed for you, then a new toilet is probably the right choice.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks