Toilet w/bubble but flushes great??

[Brilis]

Hey guys, first post. I am a mechanical contractor. I have done all my own plumbing for years. I have an American Standard toilet bowl I installed in 2002. Never had any problems except the occasionally auger or plunger.

About a week ago, toilet clogged, plunged it out, no problems. Now I am noticing a small bubble coming out of the small siphon hole when I flush. Toilet still flushes the same, not restrictions. This toilet is on the 2nd floor. The toilet on the 1st floor I checked and it has a few very small bubbles come from the siphon hole. Maybe always there, not sure. Also flushes fine. I also ran an auger on the upstairs toilet with the bubble, it is all clear.

All sinks, shower/tubs also drain fine. No problems. House only has one vent. Roof is high so I have not gone up yet but I kind of ruled it out since everything is flushing and draining fine. I poked all the small holes under the rim of both toilets. Still a small bubble on flush. I also changed the float/fill assembly on the upstairs toilet and checked the water level, perfect. If not for the one bubble when you flush, you would not think anything is wrong. Not sure what is happening or what to try. It is a 1.6 gallon flush.

HELP!! I really want to know why all of a sudden a bubble. Should I just get a new toilet and if so also what do you guys recommend. I was looking at the Toto Drake 11.

Thanks!!!

 

[Gary Swart]

A new Toto Drake would be a very definite improvement over a 2002 AS. However, to be fair, I would seek to find a reason for the bubbles.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Brilis]

I am with you. I have to find out why the bubble hah. We have very hard water in my town, very hard. Maybe something internal?

 

[Brilis]

Hey guys, just checking to see if anyone has any thoughts on something to try? Thanks.

 

[Stuff]

So the bubble is coming out of the siphon hole, not the trap? Can you call AS for support? Maybe normal as you see it on other unit and you just never noticed it. Maybe you plunged something into the hole that stuck and has changed the dynamics. But I think that it would change the way the flush works enough to notice.

 

[Brilis]

Thanks, I will give them a call. The bubble is from the siphon hole. I am sure I have no restrictions at all. The bubbles from the downstairs toilet are more like 20 very small ones also from the siphon hole. Both toilets seem to flush perfect. Upstairs toilet 1 larger bubble.

 

[WJcandee]

If it flushes fine, I wouldn't worry about it at all. Perhaps when you plunged it, you got some air trapped in the chamber back up the siphon hole, or a little bit of something got lodged in there. See how it is in a couple of weeks. Remember, there is a somewhat-complicated pathway in the porcelain from the place where water crosses into the bowl from the tank down to the siphon jet. It is designed to separate some of the incoming water into the rim holes, and some of it down to the siphon jet. Because the siphon jet is below the water level in the bowl, there is always going to be some water in there; it doesn't "dry out" the way the pathways for the rim holes do. But there is a moment where almost all of the water has run out of that hole and then the refilling toilet sloshes some clean water back into the hole, potentially trapping some air. Give that little area behind the hole an opportunity to get "waterlogged" again, and I expect the bubbles will disappear, or at least turn from one big bubble to littler bubbles. The big bubble would be some of the air above the water-covered siphon jet being pushed out the hole as the water from a new flush rushes down towards it.

I also think that the customer service people at AS will have no clue whatsoever about this issue.