Issue with upstairs toilets in 2 story house - intermittant flushing problems.

[keith23464]

I posted this in the toilet forum but I wasn't sure if this might be the better place. It appears that more posts are done here. I have a two story house on a slab and in the past few months the two toilets upstairs both seem to have intermittent issues flushing. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to it. Occasionally you try to flush one and the water will spin and slowly drain but never go all the way out. If you let it fill again and try it again it usually works fine. It can happen even with just water in the bowl and happens to both toilets. These toilets are backed up to each other on a common wall in separate full bathrooms. I have gone on the roof and stuck a garden hose down the vent pipe and put water down it and that seemed to flow fine. The showers and sinks in those two bathrooms also seem to drain just fine. Any suggestions?

 

[hj]

NO, because the toilets in upstairs bathrooms usually have problems in the toilets themselves, individually, unless you have some unusual drain problem.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[keith23464]

So you think it might be coincidental? Should I yank one toilet up or is there something that I can put down it to try and free it up? I see people on this site mentioning an auger?

 

[Reach4]

New toilets flush better than old toilets. Have you used a plunger over the years? That is common with older toilets. Newer ones have smoother trapways and are designed better.

Your best choices would probably be to either replace one at a time or both separately.

 

[Plumber69]

I posted this in the toilet forum but I wasn't sure if this might be the better place. It appears that more posts are done here. I have a two story house on a slab and in the past few months the two toilets upstairs both seem to have intermittent issues flushing. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to it. Occasionally you try to flush one and the water will spin and slowly drain but never go all the way out. If you let it fill again and try it again it usually works fine. It can happen even with just water in the bowl and happens to both toilets. These toilets are backed up to each other on a common wall in separate full bathrooms. I have gone on the roof and stuck a garden hose down the vent pipe and put water down it and that seemed to flow fine. The showers and sinks in those two bathrooms also seem to drain just fine. Any suggestions?

This happened to me once. But I don't remember what I did to fix it. I think it was the tube going into the overflow was partially plugged. And the toilet was really picky about how much water it needed

 

[Jadnashua]

Have you recently replaced the flush valve on the toilet(s)? Or, the flapper valve?

 

[keith23464]

I replaced the flush valve on one of the toilets that was pretty old to see if that would correct it but it didn't. I haven't replaced the second one yet.

 

[Terry]

If the bowl is low on water it may not flush well.
Toilets on back to back double santee crosses can push water out of the opposing bowl during a flush. And like you say, if the toilet is refilled, it works fine.

 

[keith23464]

Terry,

Thanks for the explanation. What would you suggest that I do? Replace the second flusher? Auger the two toilets? Replace both toilet bowls? One of the two bowls is only 4-5 years old but the second one is probably 20+ years old I would guess.

 

[Reach4]

1. You can test the theory that the bowls are not refilling or are losing water from the bowl, by either getting to recognize the full level, or adding water gently before flushing.

2. That 4.5 year old toilet... does it flush better than the older one? What is it?

 

[keith23464]

I am not sure of the brand of the newer one. My wife wanted a taller toilet so in the master bedroom I installed the taller new one. But not it does not flush better. It has the same intermittent flush issues. The newer one is the one that I installed the new flushing assembly into as well.

 

[Jadnashua]

To flush properly, BOTH the tank AND the bowl must be full to start. Not all fill valves can do that on all toilets. They all can be adjusted to get the tank full, but the proportion of water that goes into the bowl may not be enough to get it full as well. Some valves can adjust that as well.

So, note the level in the bowl, then slowly pour water into it and see if it both rises and, after things settle, it stays there. If it does rise, try flushing and see if it works.

If it does, try again after noting the water that level in the bowl. If it is low again and does not flush, you've identified the issue. Make sure that the hose from the fill valve is not kinked and is clipped onto the overflow tube and not stuck down inside.