water level niether rises/falls during a flush

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slicey

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i've never seen something like this before! OK, a little background info: the toilet is in a single story commercial structure(it's a gentlemens' club :rolleyes: ) So, two restrooms with a total of 3 toilets. two of them are 3ft. apart in one room and the other one lines up w/ one of the two on the other side of wall, forming an 'L'.
I forgot to check make/model while cleaning the club but all the toilets appear to be like what you find in most homes today and decades ago.
in two-toilet room, toilet in the corner of that 'L' is goofy. The other two toilets appear to flush great all the time.
Now, here's what the goofy one is doing: before any flush, the water level in the bowl is where it always should be. So i flush her and the water does a weak impression of a tornado funnel. the dang water level NEVER rises or drops below the water line!
So i thought a partial blockage upstream of the other two toilets, since they work fine. i got a snake to disappear about 2.5ft. into the bowl but no such luck. Do i just need to go a little further w a longer model of snake or am i just clueless at playing "plumber" for the day?
i hope someone can help. i've had my "broken" sign on it for over a week now and the boss does'nt seem too concerned about it. thanks, slicey
 
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dc_homeplumber

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If not blockage, it sounds like it could be mineral build-up in the rim jets.
 

slicey

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Thanks for your reply

Curious, is there a homemade, chemical elixir that will really do the job? Even if it takes a few applications, i don't mind.


slicey
 

Jimbo

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It is very risky to put any chemicals, including home-made, into a toilet. Most such concoctions create heat in their reaction, and the thermal shock could crack the porcelain.
 

slicey

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jimbo said:
It is very risky to put any chemicals, including home-made, into a toilet. Most such concoctions create heat in their reaction, and the thermal shock could crack the porcelain.


as far as ventilation goes, i've a good exhaust fan 5ft. above that toilet, on the wall.
Still interested in any homemade remedy or store-purchased product. What about special brushes or ?. ........'damn it, Jim, i'm a janitor not a plumber. I need help here!" hehehehehe


slicey
 
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dc_homeplumber

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I've used muriatic acid for this purpose for years and never harmed the china fixture. The fumes from it are terrible though, so it's best to open a window, turn on the exhaust fan and leave the area.

Get a gallon from the hardware store and, assuming this is a conventional tank-type toilet, use a funnel and pour about half a gallon into the flush valve (the long (usually white) tube coming up from the center) in the toilet tank. Plunge as much water as possible out of the bowl and pour the remainder of the acid into the bowl. Leave it for a half hour or so, come back and flush and, if it is indeed a rim jet issue, this should take care of it. I have heard that some people like to use duct tape to seal up the rim jets in the bowl during this process. I have never found this to be necessary but, depending on the severity of the situation, it couldn't hurt. If you do, wear rubber gloves when removing the tape because the acid is very irritating to the skin. Be sure to remove the tape before you flush.

If you use the duct tape method, limit the amount of acid you pour into the flush valve to two cups to avoid overfilling the rim channel.
 
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alhurley

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I ran across a fix that I've never tried (no need) but will if the occasion arises.

Get a bottle off Lime Away (the thick stuff) and roll of cheap paper towels.

Turn off supply water to tank. Flush toilet and hold handle down to drain tank.

Stuff lots of paper towel under rim. Get it good and tight as you want to block free flow of holes.

Raise flapper and dump the bottle of Lime Away into toilet rim.

Get a good night's sleep.

Next morning, make sure flapper is closed and turn on water.

While tank is filling, get your rubber gloves on and get a plastic trash bag.

Remove the towels from under the rim. Flush the toilet.

you should see all sorts of crud in the first flush if the jets were clogged at all. Take a stiff plastic brush to the rim and with any luck your flushing is vastly improved. If not it didn't cost a lot - go shopping. :D

-art-
 
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