Can someone please advise what it is going to take to have normal flushing toilets without clogging about twice a week? I am really getting tired of having to get the plunger out, vigorously plunge for about ten minutes or so before the blockage clears leaving the floor soaked with disgusting water! Sometimes I have had to use a toilet auger and plunger to clear it.

We live in a bungalow with finished basement, the home was built in 1994 and includes three toilets all "Eljer" one in the basement, two on the main floor. Please don't tell me there is some object causing the blocks because the clogging happens in any of the three toilets at random. None of them are special economy flushers, just standard but none of them seem to flush particularly well anyway. One of the toilets takes over two minutes to replace the water and that was after installing a "fluidmaster". The main issue though is the continual clogging! We are just an ordinary small family not a bunch of body builders!

The helpful chap at Rona told me there was nothing on the market to pour down the toilet to clear the pipes yet I recall in the UK the use of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) proved very effective but doesnt seem to be available in Canada?

I should mention I havn't the first clue about plumbing lines and traps etc so please keep it simple.

Thanks alot guys

 

I am not too fond of Eljer toilets; I just installed a customer bought one yesterday and had a difficult time adjusting the fill valve to shut off at a predetermined setting.


Turn the water off to the toilet, flush the toilet where there is very little water in the bowl itself. Put on a dishwashing glove or rubber glove and feel inside the trapway that isn't visible.


If that trapway isn't glazed and smooth with a porcelain finish like the rest of the bowl is, that is the very reason you are having trouble with random clogs.


Now if the settings inside the tank are wrong, meaning the water level inside the tank is more than 1" below the top of the overflow tube, this also could be causing the toilet to underflush.

Check into both of those situations; one of them is the culprit.


If the trapways aren't glazed, then replacement is your only option to remedy the problem.

 

Thanks for that Dunbar.

I will have a crack at this over the weekend and my hunch is that they will be glazed because the water level looks correct in the tank.

But what do I do if there is glazing?? You mention replacement as my only option if they are not glazed.

Thanks

 

If you look at the specs on toilets, some say 2" traps, some 1-1/2" traps, some Fully glazed traps. There are so many different types it's hard to buy without reading everything about the toilet. Used to be...a toilet was a toilet period. Not so now-a-days. Good luck.

 

If the trapway is glazed, my next question would be to ask if anyone takes medications in your home.


Certain meds that pass through the body by feces or urine will have the tendency to attach to surfaces inside the toilet that are not visible. I do not know what meds they are, but I have seen where this is the culprit in some cases. I would use a closet auger instead of a plunger; plunger can have you pulling the toilet if you compress the wax ring if the clog is beyond it.

 

My younger brother had always had problems with this having an enormous colon. His daughter has CF and takes meds that make a sticky mess without using a brush so he replaced his toilet with a toilet that can only be described as a power flusher. When it flushes it slams everything down with a blast but actually uses 1.6 gallons or less. He said in the 5 years he's had it, he hasn't plunged once, where it use to be 3 times a week. The other thing is it may be possible the vent is plugged seeing it affects all three toilets. I think you may find obstructions in the toilet trap. I saw this on This Old House one time, and the auger couldnt clear it....It ended up being a Plastic Army Man that fell in and was stuck in the trap somewhere. He broke the toilet to reveal what was in there to find this. This is why they have covers...

 

Try single ply toilet tissue ....it might cut down the bulk and allow for smoother action.

 

I have lived with the same problems as 2Limey since we bought our house. I have decided to invest some money and replace the toilet. I am looking for any 3-rd party, independent reviews of toilets to help my selection. Any ideas where I might find reviews of toilets?

Thanks

 

We just replaced a toilet (definitely the first time we'd ever done work of that sort!) and replaced it with the Kohler Wellworth (round bowl). It was easy to install and flushes great (we were having a flushing problem with the old toilet). It won some consumer award for this year I believe....and it's not too expensive.

Hope this helps.