Toilet Not Flushing Properly


  #1  
Old 10-19-02, 05:20 PM
bamnpeb
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Toilet Not Flushing Properly

We have a Kohler toilet that recently has not been flushing properly. When you flush the toilet, the bowl begins to fill but does not goes down like it normally did. Sometimes the water will go down, others it fills the bowl and drains slowly. I have snaked the toilet 25 feet and tried plunging it, but because of the shape of the bowl, when you plunge it, the water squirts out of the sides of the plunger,(there is a contour in the bowl by the opening). After the first time I snaked the line, it flushed ok, but still drained slowly. Now it will flush ok one time then not the next. My father-in-law insists it is clogged due to something my 2 year old son put in the toilet. Is there anything else I can try before I have to call out a plummer? Will the plummer do something special that I can't do to make it work properly?

Thank you
 
  #2  
Old 10-19-02, 08:05 PM
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Lightbulb My Two Cents Worth

Hello bamnpeb.Welcome to the Do-It-Yourself web site.

.............YOU GOT TOILET FLUSHING PROBLEMS???...

Tried everything laborious, messy & still nothing flushes?

Do not lose hope nor despair.... try this trick:

In some cases, hard water deposits can restrict and or clog up the water flush holes around the underside of the rim around the bowl. Therefore, the water flows out without sufficient volume and force to fully complete a total flush.

There is a chemical that can be poured down the over flow tube inside the tank. Allowing this de-liming chemical to remain in the rim of the bowl for several hours or overnight, will loosen the hard water and lime deposits.

Upon the next flushing, the deposits will flush out with the water and normal flushing will resume. Heavy deposits may require two or three repeated treatments.

Visit the local hardware store and inquire about the product.

And that's it folks...."My Entire Two Cents Worth"....

Regards & Good Luck
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  #3  
Old 10-20-02, 08:33 AM
starfighter
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My guess is that there is something stuck in the toilet like your father in law is saying possibly a small brush/fingernail brush.You may have to pull the toilet up and take a closer look .
 
  #4  
Old 10-20-02, 01:44 PM
W
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Hello, I think you have some thing stuck in the toilet. reason # 1 being that sometimes it flushes would most likley elemanate lime build up the the holes. ( you could probably see that problem) Reason # 2 You ran a snake 25 ft. into the line that tells me if you ran the snake down the toilet the snake is about 1/4 in and would go by any blockage. If you used a clean out that would bypass the toilet altogether.Try a bowl auger. Run it in a couple times and if it flushes ok don't quit yet. Put in a big wad of toilet paper then flush. Now let the tank fill and flush again if it flushes ok then you got that baby whipped, if however it doesn't flush then the toilet paper caught on whatever is in the toilet. Try a couple more times. If it still won't clear pull the toilet remove the tank and turn the bowl over and auger from the bottom.
Good Luck Woodbutcher
 
  #5  
Old 10-20-02, 02:15 PM
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Open the tank lid inside you will see the fill valve, off of the fill valve there should be a tube running to the overfill tube, make sure there is good waterflow while the toilet begins to fill up, this is important that there is for it allows the toilet bowl to fill to it's operating level after each flush.
Things To Look At,

1. Flush ring below rim of toilet, use a dental pick to clear these holes.

2. Blow Hole in bottom of toilet, make sure nothing is restricting it flow.

3. Blueing Cake Tank Drop In's, if there remove them, one of the major causing for plugged up flush rings.

4. Fill valve, is it working good is there plenty of water going into overfill tube, if not replace the fillvalve.

Test To Preform on Toilets

1. Take a 5gal bucket of water and pour into toilet, does it go out of toilet with no problems.

2. Lift Tank Lid, don't flush toilet but lift the flapper barley to see where the operating level of bowls is suppose to be at after each flush this will be the point where the water in bowl start to go over the top of the trapway, this is a reference point for this test. now flush the toiet several times and see if the bowl refills back to the same lavel once the fillvalve stops running, if it don't replace the fillvalve.
 
  #6  
Old 10-20-02, 08:56 PM
bamnpeb
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Thanks all for the information. Since I already tried snaking 25 feet, I went with Tom's suggestion and got a cleaner to pour into the overflow to clear the holes out. Well that cleared the holes, but did not solve the problem. I tried snaking again and really turned the Auger every few feet. Well about 6-8 feet into it, I ran into a blockage, and as I pulled it back out, it was really tough. I finally got it and found that my son had stuck a pen in the toilet. It had a string on the end and the snake wrapped around it and I got it out. Amazingly, now the toilet flushes just great.

Again, thanks all for the information, I didn't want to have to call a plumber out and I didn't have to with all your suggestions.

Thanks again,

Bruce
 
 

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