Slow / Sluggish Toilet

This problem has been going on for three days now.
My upstairs toilet is very sluggish in flushing and the water will often raise to the top. (never over-flowing). It is an American Standard and installed when the house was built in 1990. Whenever I flush it the water will go into the bowl correctly and start to drain. However, as it gets near the end it gets very very slow. If there is a small amount of toilet paper in the bowl it will not vacate. It magically reappears!

I have tried plunging with Force ball type plunger but eventually I do not have enough water in the bowl to effectively work. I have a 25 ft Hand crank snake but it fought me and does not seem to be able get through the toilet let alone into the "P" trap????

I do not have any problems from any other drains, shower, tub, sinks or the washer.

I feel like yanking the darn thing out!

 

csberry, Welcome to the DIY Forums.
You may have a partial clog in the toilet trap. You could rent a Closet Auger. These are designed to clear the trap. Probably less than $10 to rent. If that does not clear it, you may have to remove the toilet to snake the line after the toilet. Good luck.

 

A toilet is not usually that difficult to pull.
You might find a lot of rusty bolts and other parts needing maintenance.
So the time consuming part is replacing everything that needs replaced.


If you can't get the snake started, that does suggest an object in the toilet.

Any children in the house?

 

I went to the store this morning before work and bought a three (3) ft Closet Auger for under $10.00. After only my second attempt the clog was captured / removed and peace has been restored to the Berry Home...

I told the Wife that if this did not work I was going to pull it up & take a real look what the problem is, even though I know I would have to replace all the screws / bolts and whatever else didn't work right right when I tried to put it back together.

Thank you,

p.s.
I have enjoyed reading your informative and sometimes entertaining tips.

 

Closet Augers are probably the best starting place for toilet clogs. Most people don't buy them as they figure they won't use them often enough to offset the cost. $10 is a great price for one. Glad you got your problem solved without having to pull the toilet.
Also glad you enjoy the Forums. We are always here to help.