Toilet fails to flush after period of time

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Themp

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Visiting my son and they have 3 American Standard 1.6 gpf Nivel De Agua dated 2/2000 toilets. One of them will not flush after waiting 5 or more minutes. If you add a large cup of water it flushes fine. If you use it, it flushes. Just after sitting for while it fails. 1.6 gallons dumped in with a bucket works also. On a fail the water just stops its spiral on a flush and then fills high in the bowl. Any ideas?
 

Reach4

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"Nivel De Agua" is Spanish for "Water level".

If you add a large cup of water it flushes fine.
You add that water to the bowl? So I am thinking you are implying that the level of the water in the bowl drops noticeably in 5 minutes, and its level would then be lower than the other two toilets. A crack in the toilet base could make that happen.

If this describes the situation, a new toilet would be the solution.
 

Themp

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"Nivel De Agua" is Spanish for "Water level".


You add that water to the bowl? So I am thinking you are implying that the level of the water in the bowl drops noticeably in 5 minutes, and its level would then be lower than the other two toilets. A crack in the toilet base could make that happen.

If this describes the situation, a new toilet would be the solution.

Thanks on the Spanish! Actually all three toilet bowel water levels are exactly the same. Measuring with a ruler. Just add some water and it works. The failing toilet is second floor, no water leakage on first floor ceiling below it.
 

Reach4

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Just add some water and it works.
You add the water to the bowl, and you did not lift the tank lid? The water in the bowl is the same a minute after the flush as it is 5 minutes after the flush?

I guess, then, that I would compare the water level in the tank after the water shuts off and 10 minutes later.
 

Themp

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You add the water to the bowl, and you did not lift the tank lid? The water in the bowl is the same a minute after the flush as it is 5 minutes after the flush?

I guess, then, that I would compare the water level in the tank after the water shuts off and 10 minutes later.

Tank levels are also the same on all toilets. Flapper up time is the same also. Fill times are the same to. Just adding a small amount of water let's it flush. If you flush and it fails and then flush after the fill stops, it works because the bowel water is slightly higher. But after a period of time the steady state bowel level always fails.
 

Jadnashua

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I'm sure that there are other possibilities, but if you have hard water, that toilet may get used more than the others, and you have some mineral deposits in the jet hole (this assumes it HAS a jet hole!). That can slow the start of the siphon when you flush. You might want to take a wire coat hanger and ream out the under rim holes to see if any of them are clogged. That can also slow the water flow.

Does this toilet use a float on the flapper? Sometimes, those things come loose and actually get flushed down into the toilet, and they won't allow the water to attain the normal velocity, which can affect the water jet that starts the flush.

Something as simple as flushing some floss down the toilet, if it gets caught just so, and act like a wick and lower the bowl level. If the toilet does not sit level, that can affect the bowl water level slightly, and may be enough to cause problems.

Older low-flush toilets were not all created equal, and some of them were just dogs. THrow in less than stellar quality control, and there may be some other internal issue with the toilet.
 

Themp

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Pulled toilet. Ran toilet ager both directions thru main passage. Ran some electrical wire thru all holes as far as possible. The water here is so soft, there are no deposits of any kind. Replaced seal at flange, seal to bowel and tank, and flapper(Korky). First flush failed after all back together. Toilet is perfect level too. Add 16 oz of water to bowl and it flushes fine. Looks like a new toilet is in order. Thanks for all comments.
 

Terry

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The fill valve will have a tube that goes into the overflow tube to refill the bowl after a flush.
Sometimes that tube in misdirected to fill the tank quicker. Check to make sure the bowl refill is set right.
Some fill valves like the Fluidmaster PerforMax and the Korky MaxPerformance allow for that adjustment.
 

Themp

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The fill valve will have a tube that goes into the overflow tube to refill the bowl after a flush.
Sometimes that tube in misdirected to fill the tank quicker. Check to make sure the bowl refill is set right.
Some fill valves like the Fluidmaster PerforMax and the Korky MaxPerformance allow for that adjustment.

All three have Fluidmaster with a blue restrictor on the bowl refill line. It is wide open. When it fails the water in the bowl starts to swirl and then it just stops and the bowl water increases. It then starts to swirl again but fails a second time. Bowl refill line is correct and all water goes in the refill tube.
 

FullySprinklered

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Well, Pedro, may I call you Pedro? The symptoms call for a mysterious and persistent clog deep down in the deepest darkest crannies of your toilet's drain. I made four return trips to one job before I finally fished out some kind of remnant of a stuffed toy from the back alleys of the cast-in drainwork of the fixture. Good luck and "Pedro For President!"
 

Themp

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Pedro says you may be right! But the hack that worked for now was to plug the large hole at the top front of the bowl(this hole is angled and seems to help with the swirling of the water). This allows more water to be pushed out the siphon jet at the bottom. With this plugged it flushes 100% of the time.
 
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