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gbarlow · Feb 7, 2007, 02:03 PM

When I flush the toilet in the back bathroom it a lot of times will just swirl around and not finish the whole flushing process. It may take 3,4 5 times to get a good flush. And nothing really has to be in the toilet you can just flush clean water and it will just swirl and then just quit.

ballengerb1 · Feb 7, 2007, 03:53 PM

Two things can cause this problem, neither are fun. You should plunge the toilet and use more force pulling on the plunger than when pushing. You may need to buy/rent a rod made specifically for a toilet, this lets you get through the multiple S curves inside the toilet drain. Last and least fun, check inside under the lip of the toilet. There are several holes aound the lip that help establish that swirl. There is also a larger hole in the sump area closest to your feat. This hole supplies a jolt of water to start the siphon effect need to create a good flush. All of these holes should be checked and cleaned out. Hope you have some really nice rubber gloves for this part.

speedball1 · Feb 7, 2007, 04:50 PM

I have one that most repair plumbers miss.. Look down at the bottom of the bowl. If there is a small hole, then that is a jet that starts the syphon action. If it's clogged the water will just swirl around and slowly go down leaving solids behind. Take your finger,(UGH! ) and run it around the inside of the opening. Over the years minerals build up and cut down on the syphon (flush) action. If it is rough or you feel build up, take a table knife and put a bend in it to get around the curve in the bowl and chip and scrap it clear. Next take a coathanger and clear out the holes around the rim. They start the swirling action. And last, check the water level in the tank. It should be 1/2" below the top of the over flow tube. And speaking of the overflow tube, Make sure the small 1/8" tube from the ballcock to the white overflow tube is connected so it discharges in it and that it's flowing when the ballcock fills. This is what raises the water level in the bowl. For a good solid flush they all have to work together. Hope this helps . Tom

Kristyan · Jan 30, 2012, 06:51 AM

To Ballengerb1... thank you so much!! I just fixed a toilet that had both my boyfriend AND his buddy stumped... by the way, his buddy has a handyman business... I knew it had to be between the tank and the drain due to the lack of suction... this was the first thing that popped up when I googled the symptoms... didn't have a hanger to clean out the holes under the lip so I used the handle off a paint can and bent that with plyers so it would go through... it was the perfect tool!!