We're into our new-to-us home just one month, and have totally reno'd the bathroom. The house was built in 1963. We replaced the toilet, which we hadn't used (it was pink - blech!), and noted that it took a while to fill but put it down to the water pressure in our area.

We're now noticing the toilet doesn't always flush properly the first time, and the last couple of days have noticed air bubbles when flushing. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

If the air bubbles are coming "UP" from the toilet drain, it could be a partial clog in the drain or a clogged ventline. Did the house sit empty for a long period of time before you moved in? Critters could have built a nest in the vent pipe. Spiderwebs collect moisture and then freeze and plug the vent. Only way to check is a trip onto the roof. Don't do this if it is not safe. You could try a drain cleaner called Drain Care. It is an enzyme cleaner that clings to a clog and "eats" it rather than go by it like most caustic drain cleaners. It is safe for septic systems also. About $8 at Walmart, Home Centers, Ace and even some grocery stores. It takes overnight but it does work. Follow label directions. Good luck.

 

The house was empty for about a week, but the downstairs toilet flushes fine. We're in the midst of a snowstorm, so climbing the roof isn't really an option at the moment (and honestly, I don't understand how a roof relates to the plumbing, but I show my ignorance there). We could try the Drain Care if it seems like the most plausible solution.

Someone did suggest that the wax ring had a 'spout' on it, and that may be restricting the flow. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

 

To answer your question as to how the roof relates to plumbing: The drainage system needs air to operate properly. It's like putting your finger over the end of a straw that is in a glass of liquid. If you lift, the liquid will stay in, if you then release your finger, the liquid will flow out of the straw. Water going down your drainage system needs air to flow and it is obtained by means of the vents. If there is no vent, the water will pull a vacuum and suck the water out of the next closest fixtures trap. This in turn will allow sewer gas to enter your home. Traps form a watertight seal that blocks sewer gases. The vent line is part of your drainage system and is directly connected to the main drain. That is the pipe that goes out your roof. Every water draining fixture in your home has a line that connects to the vent. It may not be seen, but is there in the wall or attic. Hope this helps you to understand . Good luck.

 

Ah! Very good - thank you. :-) I'll let you know after we try the Drain Care. Thanks!

 

So we resolved the toilet problem, and thought we'd share. We purchased a second identical toilet for our downstairs reno, and it was worse than the first. Three plumbers later, one of them told us to call the manufacturer, which we did. Kudos to American Standard - they had replacement bowls out within a week, no questions asked. Seems this style of bowl may have 'internal ceramics' issues, which inhibits the fancy cyclone flushing action. All I care is it works now.

The toilets were American Standard Cadet III, semi-low flow. Everyone we spoke to initially told us how great they were, and NOW we believe them. We just wanted to share, as we're now feeling flushed.

 

Glad to see you got the problem solved. Manufacturers DO listen to the customers. The problem could have been cracking porceline. I saw this happen years ago in a Hotel construction job. 160 bad toilets. Seems the manufacturer rushed production and all the traps in the toilets had cracks. As a sidenote: I was reading the description of all the features on toilets at a Big Box store and was amazed that some toilets do not have glazed traps. Just a clog waiting to happen.