I have a close coupled concealed toilet cistern with a push button flush. 6 litres, about 6 years old.
The flush is inefficient in that water doesn't flow right to the front outlet holes.
I have found a temporary solution (outlined below) but, otherwise, when we flush the toilet the water seems to dive under everything in the bowl, leaving everything bobbing about on top while the water swirls beneath. It takes several flushes to clear it and even then sometimes there are stubborn bits of paper still floating about.
The flush button (although it has a loose protruding bit) does not seem to work on a dual flush system although I hold it in during the flush, just in case. Press and let go has same effect.
A few months ago the flush button broke and I called in a plumber. While he was here I asked him if he could make the flush more efficient. When he had replaced the flush button he demonstrated and said that the toilet was flushing better now. I later realised that it wasn't so I phoned him and he was rather condescending (probably because I'm a woman and a 'senior citizen').
He said:
- Modern cisterns don't hold so much water. True it's only 6 litres but it was 6 litres when I bought it and worked fine then.
- Probably something has dropped into the u-bend.
- Pour a very strong toilet cleaner into the bowl and that should fix it.

So I have since been on a quest for real answers online and tried out various things:
• I discovered the outlet holes under the toilet rim and got to work with a coat hanger
• I got my husband to feel down in the toilet for the illusive syphon hole but he found nothing
• I bought a special plunger, an auger and chemicals and used them all in the toilet
• I drained the cistern several times, blocked all the outlet holes with cotton wool and poured toilet descaler into the cistern, letting it trickle around under the rim while holding in the flush button
• I tried this also with cider vinegar
• I noticed that the blue liquid trickled thickly from the back outlet holes but nothing seemed to come out of the front outlet holes.
• I poked about again with a coat hanger. This didn’t seem to resolve anything.
• I left the front holes unblocked and left everything else blocked up. Hey presto! Blue liquid poured out of the front holes.
• I unblocked all the holes, tried the flush but again nothing came out of the front holes.
• I blocked only the back holes and flushed the toilet. It worked like a charm! It's been like that every since.

So now we have a reasonably flushing toilet with cotton wool poking out of the back holes! It seems to indicate to me that the flush doesn’t have enough power to send water all the way to the front outlet holes unless forced to when the back ones are blocked.

I went on line again looking into flushing power and there was mention of water valves, water pressure etc. This made sense to me until I realised that there is no problem with water filling up in the cistern. The problem is when it leaves the cistern.
I had a feel around inside the cistern for any clues as to the condition of the syphon etc but I really don’t know what I’m feeling for.

At this point I would like to again call in a plumber (a different one!) but I’m hesitant about being fobbed off again.

Is it possible for someone to tell me, from my extensive explanation, what is the actual cause of the problem?

(By the way, your 'advanced posting options' button below caused me to have to retype everything because I thought it related still to the categories. Instead it took me to a new blank question box and my text could not be retrieved using back arrow! )

Does the toilet sit level?
Is the water level in the cistern at it's maximum level?
Remove the lid and lift the flush valve manually, observe action in the bowl.
Does cistern empty completely? Does water come out the front holes?
Flush using the flush button and observe if cistern empties completely.


Blue liquid poured out of the front holes.

That implies that you use that blue dye stuff that ladies like.


What is the actual cause of the problem?

Unless the cistern is not filling to the proper level or does not empty completely, it is probably the use of that blue dye stuff. It accumulates into a sticky, gooey residue and stops things up. Stop using it. If you leave the back holes blocked for a period the water may eventually flush the blue gooey stuff of the front holes.

Does the toilet sit level?
Is the water level in the cistern at it's maximum level?
Remove the lid and lift the flush valve manually, observe action in the bowl.
Does cistern empty completely? Does water come out the front holes?
Flush using the flush button and observe if cistern empties completely.

The toilet does appear to be level - and I've had the system for 4.5 years before experiencing problem. There's been no subsidence!
The lid is off at the moment and I've been playing with it for a couple of weeks. The cistern does empty completely but water does not come out of the front holes unless I channel its flow by blocking the back holes.
Yes I've observed the emptying and filling of the cistern a number of times and it does empty completely.
I would say that I have done everything that I have thought about or read about to do with flushing toilets !



That implies that you use that blue dye stuff that ladies like.

No, I hadn't used that actually until just now after I read about adding food dye to see if there was a leak. Food dye seems to mix better with the water. I haven't checked the toilet since then.
What I was actually referring to without repeating myself continually in the text was that, when I used the limescale remover (which is deep blue) that is what trickled through all holes except the front ones.


Unless the cistern is not filling to the proper level or does not empty completely, it is probably the use of that blue dye stuff. It accumulates into a sticky, gooey residue and stops things up. Stop using it. If you leave the back holes blocked for a period of time the water may eventually flush the blue gooey stuff of the front holes.

The 'blue gooey stuff' (which is actually limescale remover) cannot be the cause of the problem as I only used it recently to try and descale the toilet because it wasn't flushing properly.

I did state everything I did as clearly as possible. I had never tackled such thorough cleaning of the system before and anyway I would have thought that limescale remover, by definition, removed things, not built up a goo.

Ah, I was going to say, why would you think anyone would use a blue food dye on a regular basis in the toilet except to test for leakage? I've just realised what you are talking about! You are referring to the toilet blocks etc that gradually trickle and freshen the toilet! You see! I hadn't even realised what you meant because, unlike the ladies you know (!), I don't use them!

Thank you for your suggestion though and, now I've unravelled your comment, I can appreciate how you might have misinterpreted what I meant. I really wish it was that simple!

Hi BBaluna

It sounds like you have a water VOLUME issue at the toilet tank.

Here, lift the lid to the toilet and observe the height of the water in relation to the overflow tube located in the center of the tank... water should be about 1/2" below the top of the oveflow pipe. If this isn't the case let us know and we can tell you how to adjust the water volume. Also, be sure that the flexible tube coming from the toilet fill valve sticks down and into the overflow tube... should also help here!

Mark

Hi BBaluna

It sounds like you have a water VOLUME issue at the toilet tank.

Here, lift the lid to the toilet and observe the height of the water in relation to the overflow tube located in the center of the tank...water should be about 1/2" below the top of the oveflow pipe. If this isn't the case let us know and we can tell you how to adjust the water volume. Also, be sure that the flexible tube coming from the toilet fill valve sticks down and into the overflow tube...should also help here!

Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your input. I don't see how it is a volume issue as the water level reaches about 1/2" below the top edge of the tank! It's a plastic concealed system with the front side lower than the back so there's really no room for any more water! It's hard to see down where the toilet fill valve is as it's all close together over that side. But I doubt it's anything to do with the filling of the tank as it fills up quickly and fully. Just doesn't seem to flush as powerfully as it should! Although it is flushing well with the back outlet holes blocked, I can see actually that the very front holes still aren't flowing as well so maybe there is a build up there that I haven't fully handled. I'm going to keep running limescale remover through it and meantime keep the back holes blocked. I'd happily leave it like that if they didn't look silly with the cotton wool!

Thanks anyway for taking the time to offer your suggestion.

We just had a brand new toilet (Eljer with elongated bowl) installed and have the same problem. I put a level on it and it's too high in the front. Luckily, it still has to come back out once when the new linoleum floor goes down so I will make sure the guy doing our renovations gets it level this time.

Glog

Suggest that you have the drain snaked, (you may say roded) when you remove it for the floor repairs. Water form the holes under the rim is intended to wash down the sides of the bowl. Water from the jet in the bottom of the bowl is intended to make any solids that may have settled, float. Water from the jet also causes the water level in the bowl rapidly rise and fill the discharge port. After that the water flowing down the drain siphons or pulls the remaining water and solids out of the bowl. If the water in the bowl rapidly rising, swirling around, but not emptying completely there must be a restriction in th drain pipe.

Water from the tank (cistern) flows into a cavity that is inside the rim and flows out the holes. If water does not flow out the front holes, the toilet must be seriously out of level.