Kohler canister flush toilet have to hold lever down to get a complete flush

[nancy361]

I just got done reading older posts about this exact issue......single flush toilet 1.6 gal. worked just like any other toilet up until a few months ago..push lever down and let it go......and it flushed completely......now we have to hold handle down a few seconds longer in order for bowl to empty and everything goes down.....it has the canister, which drops down too quickly..i have adjusted the chain, no slack....we havent done anything to mess with it.....it just started up doing it.....as for the folks cleaning under the rim or cleaning out the hole in bottom of bowl etc, acid and all.....i dont see how that stops the canister from dropping too fast........having to flush 2x isnt saving any money.....the waterline in the tank is where water always fills to...nothing changed...it doesnt leak or make noises.....it just stopped flushing fully with the push of a lever......it sucks when you have friends over and have to tell them you got to hold down handle when you flush.......NO, shouldnt have to do that.....any suggestions? oh i tried looking for the model #, and its nowhere.. not on lid or in tank...got it at lowes maybe less then 5yrs ago.. its the elongated one and its the chair height and 1.6 gal...lever on the left side of tank....i keep my bathroom clean..the toilet is cleaned with pine sol....i scrub all under the rim and and bowl....

 

[Reach4]

https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/kohler-canister-flush-valve-drops-too-quickly.45591/ posts later in the thread point to people having success cleaning hardness deposits out.

 

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[Jadnashua]

FWIW, a gravity flush toilet of today rarely empties the tank. Many of them rely on a siphon jet to get the water moving fast enough to siphon out the bowl...the rest of the water is used to wash the bowl and then refill it.

Has the hose that goes to refill the bowl been moved or kinked? If the bowl doesn't start full, it won't flush well. If the hole for the siphon jet is partially clogged, the siphon won't happen unless (sometimes) if you end up filling the bowl higher like on an older toilet without one.

 

[Rossi]

So, I had this same issue for over a year. I tried every adjustment in the book and just gave up, until now. I stumbled upon an older post that mentioned calcium build-up in the bottom flush hole opposite of the drain hole. I emptied my toilet with a cup, and sure enough, it was like concrete in there.

I grabbed a small 3'' inch screwdriver and chipped, scraped, and carved all of the calcium out. This worked like a charm and solved my issue. A quick push of the handle and the toilet is emptied with minimal water. Whereas previously I had to hold down the handle and use a lot of water to flush.

Oh, I also used a small snake and found a lot of calcium in the drain - a literal large chunk that broke off.

 

[Mrs. Underwood]

You just saved my marriage! My husband, who is a plumber and I, who is a plumbers daughter, could not figure out the problem. I knew it was something new because it had not acted this way before. I just had back surgery so holding down the handle is difficult for me. Sure enough, after some loud discussion and a couple tears, I found your post; I put a small screwdriver in there and that hole was completely plugged with calcium just as you described. Hubby worked on it and harmony was restored. Thank you for sharing and thank you for this forum.