My toilet is flushing slowly and leaving a lot of the solids/paper in the bowl. Sometimes when flushing it, I can hear a gurgling sound in the bathtub. I have used a coat hanger as suggested to clean the holes in the rim of the tank with no improvement. The water in all my other fixtures drains quickly, and the water in the tank is up to the top of the fill tube. Any suggestions on a cure?

TIA,
Jackie

speedball1

A "gurgle" indicated a blocked roof vent. Snake from the lavatory roof vent. If you think it may be froze up then run hot water down the vent until it clears up. Good luck, tom

AdkGal

Thanks for your help Tom!

Do you think our MINUS 35 temperature the other morning may have something to do with this blocked vent? Also, the vent is not through the roof in this house. I don't know what the reason was for that, but I will have to get into the attic to snake it, and there is no access from inside the house. It must be done from the gable end of the house. NOT an easy task at this time of the year.

Before taking on this arduous task, is there any way to make sure this is the problem? I was thinking about removing the trap in the sink ahead of the toilet to see if it flushes better. Does this sound feasible to you?

PS.. glad you are feeling better, and send HEAT!
Jackie in the frozen north country

speedball1

Hi Jackie in the frozen north country,
Welcome from Tom in sunny Florida. First off, if you have vents that terminate in the attic you have a direct connect from the sewer into your home allowing sewer gas to enter. Sewer gas is hamfull to your familys health and the methane content makes it explosive. Have it corrected at once for your familys sake. It's quite possible the vent's froze up. Removing the "J" bend from the lavatory trap will allow the toilet to vent. if you find the vent is indeed froze up you can pour boiling water down the vent pipe to melt the ice plug. good luck, Tom

AdkGal

Hi again Tom,

I unhooked the "J" bend from the sink that is ahead of the toilet and the only thing I did was stink up the bathroom! LOL! The toilet didn't flush any better, however, I didn't hear the gurgle that I heard before. What's this all mean? I'm looking at this in simple terms like holding your finger over the end of a straw and stopping the water from running out. Isn't this the same principle? If I allow the toilet to get air from the sink drain shouldn't it flush better?????

Thanks again!
Jackie

speedball1

Hi Jackie,
"I'm looking at this in simple terms like holding your finger over the end of a straw and stopping the water from running out. Isn't this the same principle? If I allow the toilet to get air from the sink drain shouldn't it flush better?????"

It should since you're by passing the blocked vent and venting with a open trap. You have the venting principle down pat.
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