Toilet Bowl Empties


  #1  
Old 07-26-04, 11:44 AM
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Toilet Bowl Empties

Hello,
A friend called me up with a toilet problem I haven't run into before
She says her bowl empties out completly after a few days of not being used
When she noticed it happening a few weeks ago (I'm guessing a spare bathroom), she looked all over for a leak or water damge and found nothing
She then turned the water off at the shutoff valve anyway
I'm going to pop over there tommorrow to check it out
She said it flushes badly and wants to replace the float/valve etc. but would bad/mal-adjusted floats/valves make the bowl empty?
Any ideas, info, or heads-up would be appreciated
Thanks in advance
 
  #2  
Old 07-26-04, 03:49 PM
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Sounds like a plugged vent problem. Especially if the bad tiolet is directly above or below the other one. The water has to be going somewhere so if there are no leaks then it is going down the drainpipe. Check this by having one person flush the "good" toilet while someone else watches the water in the bad one. If the water moves, it's a clogged vent and will have to clean it out. Could be a birdsnest on top or something deeper into the line. What it is doing is pulling a vacuum when other fixtures are drained.Much like holding your finger over the end of a straw while its in liquid and you can lift the water.Worst part of this is that with no water seal, it allows sewer gas to enter so it is a problem no matter what the cause. Good luck and post back.
 

Last edited by majakdragon; 07-26-04 at 04:08 PM.
  #3  
Old 07-26-04, 05:58 PM
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Thanks for the reply
If the vent is clogged it creates a vaccum and can suck the water out of the bowl-got ya
Sounds like an easy enough test
I'll poke around a bit when I go over there tommorrow and post back
Thank you again
 
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Old 07-27-04, 10:30 PM
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Well, if I run the washer in the basment on till drain, empty the downstairs tub and flush the downstairs toilet at the same time, the water in the upstairs bowl lowers a 1/4 inch (est.)
The bad toilet is not directly above the good one (6'-8' off maybe)
If the weather is OK I'll climb up on the roof to look at the vent
It is not leaking out anywhere that I can see
She also said it may be taking longer than a week to drain out-it's rarely used, or checked on
I also found;
The float is leaking, the valve is iffy, and the bolt gaskets (tank to bowl) are turning into dust (you can see the flakes/specks, pretty bad)
I'll replace all those-no prob
I don't see how any of those would empty the bowl so wish me luck on the roof
...and with the bolts, I'll probably have to cut'em off w/the dremel-they're pretty nasty
Thank You!
 
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Old 07-28-04, 07:04 AM
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20=17

My 20 ft. ladder only extends to 17 feet
No roof for me
Is there any other way to check this vent?
Thanks
 
 

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