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blakekr

This Toilet is Planning to Consume My Whole Life

blakekr
9 years ago

I have a toilet (older American Standard) that I am really trying to fix. Trying to sell the house, and this "toilet which is the only upstairs toilet often does not work" makes for a hard sell.

I am trying everything I can find and making no progress. I don't have any plumbing background but have just tried to research it.

I spent a lot of time on the roof vents. I cleaned them with a hose and then forced air. They seem really clean at this point. It seems like, for a few days after cleaning, the toilet works great, then it stops again. It's very inconsistent. I'm not sure the problem was ever the venting.

I have cleaned out the rim holes and the siphon jet. Both had a little debris but nothing major. It didn't seem to help.

I have had two toilets in this upstairs bathroom and in their defense, neither one has ever worked very well.

Oh, I can pour 5 gallons into the tank quickly without an overflow. I am not sure if it is supposed to actually flush when I do this. Sometimes it does and sometimes not.

When the toilet doesn't flush, it swirls and swirls without draining almost any water at all.

Then sometimes later, it will start working better. Like I said, very inconsistent.

Sorry this is so long. This is very consuming trying to figure it out. Any thoughts?

Comments (7)

  • snoonyb
    9 years ago

    The tank is the reservoir and contains the flush valve.
    The bowl is where the waste material is deposited, followed by the flush.
    Pouring a 5gal. bucket of water into the bowl should result in a flush when the water level in the bowl exceeds the height of the trap.
    If this fixture is used infrequently there is a good probability that you have a calcium build up in the fixture trap.

    When this condition again presents itself, take no remedial action.Remove the fixture and employ the bucket test and if the flow is not consistent, then snake from the open closet bend.

  • Elmer J Fudd
    9 years ago

    A few hundred dollars for a plumber's visit and fix doesn't sound like much of an obstacle if that's all that stops you from selling your house.

  • blakekr
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Trying to get the plumbers to come over when the toilet happens to be malfunctioning does not seem like the best solution at this point, given the amount of help and knowledge available on sites like this one, it seems pretty logical to try to figure it out, since the problem is not consistent and I can't say, "please come in two days in the morning when my toilet might not be working."

  • kudzu9
    9 years ago

    You can get a decent, functional, new toilet at one of the big box stores for less than $100. Even if you are not very handy, a toilet replacement is one of the easiest plumbing jobs there is (see Youtube videos). An hour installing it and your problems will be over. How much more time do you think you should take trying to fix this annoying issue with the existing toilet? It may not be easily fixable and may cost you more in money, time, and aggravation than a simple replacement.

    I once spent hours trying to fix essentially the same problem as you have with an older toilet. After trying all the easy fixes, including a new valve, I gave up. I bought a new one and my problems vanished. Still have no idea why the old one couldn't be fixed, and only regret not junking it sooner.

  • homebound
    9 years ago

    I would have replaced it by now.

    But anyway,...it could be that something got flushed and is stuck in the bottom of the toilet that won't exit the hole in the base. (eg. razor blade cover, hot wheels car, plastic applicator, etc.) (These are some of the ithings I have found over the years in there.) They would only block the hole "sometimes". You need to remove the toilet and lay it down to find out. Bit of a headache.

  • blakekr
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hii all, thank you.

    I have already replaced the toilet which is why there have been two in this bathroom.

    Since then I have not had a reason to think the problem is in the toilet itself but wondered if it was in the venting, the drain pipe or something else. So it sounds like the problem is in this second toilet? The first one did not flush well either although its pattern was a little different.

    Plumbers in my town actually say not to buy the cheap toilets and that they will never work well because of their design

  • snoonyb
    9 years ago

    "Plumbers in my town actually say not to buy the cheap toilets and that they will never work well because of their design"

    So, if you have them install an expensive toilet they are "pimping," and the problem persists, they will agree to reimburse you for both the labor and material?