Toilet occasionally won't flush

[ronz]

I am renting an apartment, and intermittently the toilet won't completely flush. It usually starts occurring after a BM. I have tried adding water while flushing and that works for awhile. Eventually, when I go to flush, the water in the bowl drains almost to the bottom and makes a glugging sound. Only about a couple inches of water remains in the bowl. Yesterday when I flushed while adding water, the bowl just filled almost to the top and very slowly emptied. Noticed yesterday that the tank wasn't emptying all the way.

Over the course of 2 years, a handyman has pulled the toilet, tried snaking/augering, and finally (about a month ago), replacing the valve kit. I also tried scraping the holes under the rim. The problem persists. I just added about 64 oz of water and tried flushing again. Same thing happened. a small amount of toilet paper didn't even go down. One plumber said there could be an obstruction further down the line and that professional plumbers have extra long augers that could reach the source. Your opinion??

 

[Jadnashua]

Get a bucket, and slowly, pour it into the bowl. If you pour in it fast, you'll get the toilet to flush, but if you go slowly, the water should just exit like what would happen if you're overfilling a glass...IOW, the level should NOT go up, or if it does, only slightly, and then if you stopped, return to the same, normal level. If you can't do that without the bowl filling, there's either some clog IN the toilet, or further down in the drainage line. If that happens, to verify if it is the drain line, you'd pull the toilet and pour water in the drain...you should never get it to back up unless there's a clog.

Do you have any drainage issues with the tub/shower or any other sinks? IF so, that would imply a main line drain problem.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

Eventually, when I go to flush, the water in the bowl drains almost to the bottom and makes a glugging sound.

It could be a main line back up. We're not talking an auger, but a large snake to clear a 3" or 4" line.

You can try Jim's tips first.

 

[WJcandee]

On an old toilet, could also be a partially or fully clogged siphon jet.

 

[ronz]

Get a bucket, and slowly, pour it into the bowl. If you pour in it fast, you'll get the toilet to flush, but if you go slowly, the water should just exit like what would happen if you're overfilling a glass...IOW, the level should NOT go up, or if it does, only slightly, and then if you stopped, return to the same, normal level. If you can't do that without the bowl filling, there's either some clog IN the toilet, or further down in the drainage line. If that happens, to verify if it is the drain line, you'd pull the toilet and pour water in the drain...you should never get it to back up unless there's a clog.

Do you have any drainage issues with the tub/shower or any other sinks? IF so, that would imply a main line drain problem.

Poured water in quickly and toilet flushed, however, the water level rose to only a few inches above the bottom of the bowl. Poured in slowly and water stayed at normal level. Then flushed the toilet observing the tank action. It only drained about 4 inches then stopped. Isn't it supposed to entirely empty upon a flush? No other drainage issues in apt.

 

[Jadnashua]

Modern, low-flow toilets generally do NOT empty the tank...they use the level height to provide a bit more pressure like a water tower (in a city, a storage tank on the roof or high up is fairly common...same effect).

A fairly common problem if water goes down easily, but wastes do not, is that there is something caught in the trapway. The waste and paper get caught, and slow things down. It could be a comb, toothbrush, toy, even something like a hair pin if it's long enough and the design of the toilet isn't great can cause things to get hung up. Sometimes, you can remove it with a toilet auger, but not all the time. If that's the issue, then removing the toilet and trying from the bottom can fix it.

In an apartment, though, the landlord is responsible, and you might have hassles if you touch it.

 

[ronz]

Modern, low-flow toilets generally do NOT empty the tank...they use the level height to provide a bit more pressure like a water tower (in a city, a storage tank on the roof or high up is fairly common...same effect).

A fairly common problem if water goes down easily, but wastes do not, is that there is something caught in the trapway. The waste and paper get caught, and slow things down. It could be a comb, toothbrush, toy, even something like a hair pin if it's long enough and the design of the toilet isn't great can cause things to get hung up. Sometimes, you can remove it with a toilet auger, but not all the time. If that's the issue, then removing the toilet and trying from the bottom can fix it.

In an apartment, though, the landlord is responsible, and you might have hassles if you touch it.

Thanks for your suggestion, I'll pass on the information about the tank on to my sister, who insisted it was supposed to empty. The problem usually begins after a BM, but even after the waste goes down, it can take up to 12 times flushing and plunging before it works properly. Of course, my landlady insists there is nothing wrong with the toilet. Someone already pulled the toilet so I imagine he checked the trap. I'm beginning to think, as Terry mentioned, it's a main line backup and having a professional plumber use a longer snake to clear it is the only solution. Probably have to pay for it myself. Aargh!