Intermintent flush problem solved - interesting

[68malibu383]

Thought I'd share this as it may help someone diagnose the same problem in the future. My 10-year old American Std toilet would flush as normal at times but other times, it would start to flush properly, then water would just back up in the bowl. Happened with solids and liquids.

Once when flushing, I thought I saw a small red thing at the edge of the "jet" if you will, in the bowl. When the water stopped swirling, I did not see it. I wondered what the red thing could be and then I realized it was one of the two discs that holds the float onto the chain in the tank.

One day, I was able to see a small edge of the disc after flushing. Stuck my finger in the jet to tried to grab it, but the disc retreated into the hole. Tried to grab it with pliers, but it disappeared again. I only see the disc about every 10-15 flushes and don't think I'll be able to grab it. So, I'll drain the toilet and try to suck it out with my shop vac from inside of the tank at the flush valve.

Wonder how often this happens?

 

[WJcandee]

People do drop stuff in the tank, usually when changing a flapper or a fill valve or a handle. What happens next depends upon how lucky or unlucky you are, because stuff can fit through the flush hole that isn't going to fit within the channels inside the porcelain. Sounds like you may be able to extract that thing from the siphon jet; be glad it didn't end up stuck in the channel above the rim holes. When you get the siphon jet working again, it should give you your normal flush.

Terry has some great photos of stuff he finds that gets caught on the way out of the outflow hole into the floor flange. The GI Joe is my favorite. He certainly was willing to stand firm against a substantial onslaught, until Terry rescued him by removing the toilet to fish him out.

 

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[SHR]

Wonder how often this happens?

Very often. Lucrative for us who get the call to repair the toilets too.

 

[hj]

Use a pair of "right angle jaw" needle nosed pliers and twist the disc after you grab it. Crane used to have a flapper with a styrofoam float on it. After a time it came loose and dropped into the flush valve opening. When the toilet was new there was a plastic "X" in the tank to bowl gasket to catch it, but when the tank was reset the plumbers would throw the "X" away. Then the float would get into the toilet channel, and restrict the water for flushing. I had one toilet that had FIVE of those floats in it.