A few days ago my toilet started draining slow. When I flush, the toilet fills up, and then slowly drains. To get solid matter to go down I have to flush 3-5 times. I first tried a plunger, which did not work. I then tried a closet auger, which did not work. So, I disconnected the toilet and took it out. I tried the auger and made sure that the auger was getting all the way through the trap, and it was. There did not seem to be an obstruction in the toilet. So, I looked down the pipe where the toilet connected and there was no water and no obstruction that I could see. Nothing else in the house drains slowly, just this one toilet. Any suggestions? In the restroom with the slow toilet we have a shower, tub, and two sinks, none of which drain slow.

Thanks for any advice.

A few days ago my toilet started draining slow. When I flush, the toilet fills up, and then slowly drains. To get solid matter to go down I have to flush 3-5 times. I first tried a plunger, which did not work. I then tried a closet auger, which did not work. So, I disconnected the toilet and took it out. I tried the auger and made sure that the auger was getting all the way through the trap, and it was. There did not seem to be an obstruction in the toilet. So, I looked down the pipe where the toilet connected and there was no water and no obstruction that I could see. Nothing else in the house drains slowly, just this one toilet. Any suggestions? In the restroom with the slow toilet we have a shower, tub, and two sinks, none of which drain slow.

Thanks for any advice.

Hey Kyle,
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. If you still have a problem just click on back. Regards, Tom

Thanks Tom! There is not jet at the bottom of the bowl. However, I have noticed that if I hold the lever for a little longer it is more likely to flush correctly. If I hold the lever down for about 2-3 seconds it will flush, but seems like it is using more water. I checked the water level in the tank and it is about .5 inch below the fill tube top. It almost seems like the flapper in the tank closes to fast. If I dump about 1.6 gallons from a bucket into the bowl it will flush correctly. Any other ideas?
Thanks in advance.

Thanks Tom! There is not jet at the bottom of the bowl. However, I have noticed that if I hold the lever for a little longer it is more likely to flush correctly. If I hold the lever down for about 2-3 seconds it will flush, but seems like it is using more water. I checked the water level in the tank and it is about .5 inch below the fill tube top. It almost seems like the flapper in the tank closes to fast. If I dump about 1.6 gallons from a bucket into the bowl it will flush correctly. Any other ideas?
Thanks in advance.
Sounds like your flapper linkage needs adjusting.
With the flapper seated the linkage wants to have 1/4" of play. Too much play and the flapper doesn't get pulled back enough giving you a short flush. Too tight and it lets water seep past the flapper. I adjust the chain by the link and if it needs fine tuning, I bend the flush lever rod a bit until I have the desired play in the linkage. Let me know if this works. Tom

Sounds like your flapper linkage needs adjusting.
With the flapper seated the linkage wants to have 1/4" of play. Too much play and the flapper doesn't get pulled back enough giving you a short flush. Too tight and it lets water seep past the flapper. I adjust the chain by the link and if it needs fine tuning, I bend the flush lever rod a bit untill I have the desired play in the linkage. Let me know if this works. Tom


Thanks again Tom. I adjusted the linkage and still have the same problem. I have the same toilet in another RR in the house so I measured how much water empties out of the tank in each when I flush. They both let the same amount out but the one still does not flush. If I hold the lever for 3 seconds and more water empties from the tank, it will flush. It almost seems like it takes more water to get the siphon going. Kyle

I have the same problem as you Kyle, except I've done even more than you. I've replaced the complete toilet... twice. Used Drano and also snaked the drain to a length of 25ft with the toilet removed! I hope somebody can come up with a solution, I'm at my wits end. DougP.

Doudzilla,

You need to open a new post, this is 5 years old, Thanks.

John

Home depot has an adjustable flapper set to max that will fix your problem

Seadog111
Did you not read afroo's post? A year ago he pointed out that this was a five year old post. It is now six years old.

Drops the caps, all caps on the internet is considered shouting.


By the way, you advice is totally incorrect.

Wow! Your answer to the slow draining toilet and the hole being clogged up was RIGHT ON! My husband spent Saturday snaking out our sewer line thinking THAT was the problem, even though no other sink, shower or toilet in the house was draining slowly. I asked him to check articles on the internet to see if maybe the toilet itself could be the problem before he left to to buy a new ring to replace the one he planned to destroy when he took the toilet off to try to find an obstruction somewhere down inside the drain from the toilet. He found your answer about an obstruction (which it turned out was caused by a blue cakelike toilet bowl cleaner, that never did ANYTHING other than turn the water blue). Sure enough! After spending a half an hour cleaning out that 'blue crap' that was clogging up the hole you suggested might be clogged, the toilet is NOW draining properly :) THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is one of the cheapest, easiest, most rewarding 'fixes' this house has EVER experienced :)

By the way. Our clogged hole wasn't at the bottom of the bowl like in the front bathroom. I found it on the top, in the front of the bowl. Your suggestion still worked like a dream :) Thank you AGAIN :)

You're welcome and thanks for the update. If we can ever be of service in the future we're as close as a click. Regards, Tom

Was this blue stuff clogging was on the toilet bowl ring or the hole on the tank?
Toilet bowl ring! Would that be the wax seal or the bowls rim. If you're asking where the "blue stuff" it was in the tank.
It's time to close this thread. Tom

It was in the tank.

Very helpful. Fixed my problem as well. Thanks Tom!!

Hi cloghin and welcome to The Plumbing Page at AskMeHelpDesk.com
Happy we could help and thank you for the update. Tom

I wanted to say thank you Tom, have been dealing with the same problem and through I had tried everything short of replacing my toilet and calling a plumber. After reading this post I went to the garage, grabbed some 220 grit sandpapper and went to town on anything that looked like a hole. After about 5 min of scrubing not only was it flushing perfect but also the ring I couldn't get rid of is gone... Thank you very much!

Chris

You're welcome very much and thanks for the update. Have a happy new year. Tom

Hey, a slow toilet problem is timeless. It is 2/17/2013 and I've just developed the problem. However, my slow toilet has little bubbles that come up while it doesn't flush. Then the water slowly drains out and takes more than it should with it, leaving very little water in the bottom of the toilet. It is as if the siphon action that dumps the water out isn't cut short like it should be. I'll check the little hole situation a bit farther and see if that isn't my problem.
Thanks,
N

Hi Tica

The holes will not be the problem here... ;)

It sounds like your toilet is clogged and it slowly drains out creating a siphon as you said... usually finishes with a "blub blub" at the end.

I'd try using a plunger to clear the blockage to start... see if that helps. Getting good suction and then pulling up gets the best results. Do this when the water is at its highest in the bowl.

If that failed to work then I would suggest that you go purchase a closet auger tool and snake through the toilet itself... should clear the issue.

If that failed to fix the toilet then the toilet may need to be lifted and the drain line itself may need to be cleared/snaked.

Post back with results, OK?

Mark

You were right. A simple plunging did the job. I've been gone three weeks on vacation and am in the habit of occasionally flushing this not-often used toilet just to make sure it is in working order. I come back and the sucker didn't flush. I have no idea what could have been keeping it from flushing, but that simple plunging did the job. By the way, why is it that people never seem to sterilize their plunger after using it. On vacation, I discovered a very nasty reeking, and it was a soiled plunger someone thought ought to be close at hand. Sheesh, a little Cascade or other good quality dishwasher soap and a small bucket for soaking does a nice job on them. Or is something else better for sanitizing them?

After you unclog the toilet and flush the toilet a couple times you can pour say 2 cups of bleach into the toilet bowl and then rinse your plunger in that... sanitizes/disinfects the bowl and the plunger at the same time! :)

Mark

Say, Ill go do that! Thanks!

Thanks Tom.
That did the trick for me. Toilet is now running like new. The little hole at the bottom was completely clogged with minerals and the holes around the rim were half the size the should be, some completely clogged.Never would have thought of it myself.
Carol

Hi Loeac10.
Always nice to hear back when a solution works. Thanks so much for your input, Good luck, Tom