Flushmate vs Drake 776 - will pressure-assist help me?

[Lakson]

Hi everyone,

First-time poster - thank you for maintaining such an amazing and informative forum.

Multiple toilets on our second floor clog all the time (even with no toilet paper). A plumber detached the 2nd floor master bathroom toilet (a Kohler 1.6gpf toilet), and ran a camera + snake through the plumbing. He said the first 15-20 feet or so of piping under the master bathroom tile is not properly graded. There's a belly there -- and so even though he used his snake, there would still be water and bits of toilet paper that would accrue there, and the pipe would be prone to clog. He recommended never putting toilet paper down this toilet and just keeping it in a trash can.

That seems less than ideal to us - we were hoping that if we replaced the toilet with a more powerful flush, maybe it would help move the waste along (the plumber also said this might help).

I would really appreciate advice!

1) If we got a Drake 776 or a Flushmate pressure-assist toilet, would either of these options have enough flushing power to help move TP through 15 ft of piping?

2) Between the two, which one has a better flush? I know the flushmate is loud, but if it will produce more pressure to get the waste and toilet paper through the belly of the plumbing, we will deal with it.

Thank you!

 

[Reach4]

Did he say how deep the water got in the belly?
Did he say how far from the problem toilet the belly is?

Next time you have a problem, try pouring water from a 5 gallon or bigger container down the bowl. Pour from as high as you readily can, and as fast as you dare. That can get things going.

Also, consider holding the flush lever down during the flush, rather than letting the flapper fall after 1.6 gallons.

Been considering painting? Maybe it would be worthwhile first to open the ceiling below the bad drain line and getting that fixed. I am not a pro.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Lakson]

Thanks for your response! I saw the camera (I wish I'd taken a video but did not think to).

1) He first looked with the camera and the water was backed up. He could not push the camera past 20'
2) Then he snaked it with a 75' snake, and he said he pushed all the way to 75' and was still getting resistance.
3) So he brought a second 75' snake that had a rotating piece on the end that he said would help get through the blockage.
4) After using that one, he said that everything was flowing fine.
5) He put his camera back in and he pointed out that in the drain pipe closest to the toilet (maybe for a stretch of ~5-7 ft, about ~10-20 ft from the toilet), still was maybe 1/3 full with standing water and shredded TP pieces on the bottom. This is from recall, so it might not be exact.

 

[Lakson]

I know this is a terrible video, but here's a short clip of the place where he said there was a belly: