Hi!

I am growing very frustrated at my toilets weak flush. The water just swirls around and does not go all the way down. To get solids and toielt paper to go all the way down, I have to flush 2 or 3 times, while holding the handle down. It is definitley not clogged as I have plunged it, snaked it, etc, and had a plumber (who still couldn't determine what's wrong with it).

Well, today, I tried dumping half a bucket of water in the bowl as it was flushing and sure enough, it flushed all the way down every time. I cleaned out the little holes under the rim and also the main bigger hole in the bottom of the bowl. Some deposits came off, but still, it did not solve the problem. The toilet only flushes normally when I dump a bucket of water in the bowl when it is flushing.

I have also checked the air vent and it is not clogged.

What do I need to do? Thanks!

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

Thanks Speedball, but it seems as if I have tried all of this, but it doesn't solve the problem, but when I put a bucket of water with the flush it works. Am I missing something? Thanks for your help!

You're quite sure the jet hole's clear with no mineral buildup? Did it ever flush right or is this something that just started? Give me a little history. Regards, tom

Well, I just moved into the house, so I am not sure on the history of the flush of this toilet.

The jet hole is the hole that is about the size of a dime, located on the bottom of the bowl, under water, correct? If so, I did use a screw, and coat hanger, and scraped stuff out until no more came out.

Feel with your fingers. Is it smoth or can you still feel mineral built up farther back. I have the impressiom that you're telling me that there was indeed minerals built up in the jet. The reason I'm pushing this is because you have described a classic case of a blocked jst. The only other likely thing that would cause this is if the toilet were installed with the wax seal blocking the discharge and you haven't got the history of the toilet so you can't tell me. This would have been a ongoing problem for the seller.. Can you contact him and ask? Cheers, Tom

When I ut my finger in the hole, it is smooth now. I took a screw and also scraped the hell out of the hole as far back as I could go, so there no more deposits that I can tell...

Would buying a new toilet solve this problem, or is there something I can still do.

I have no idea where the seller moved to or how to get a hold of him. I actually asked him about the toilet beofre I moved in, and he said it has a weak flush, that needed to hold the handle for a decent flush, so I assume he didn't think it was too big a deal.

Maybe it could be a bad toilet. I recently bought a new toilet for one of my bathrooms since we were remodeling. It flushed so poorly that I had to take it back and get a different brand. Some of these new low-flow designs are just not made very well. I had the same problem in one of our rental homes with a low-flow toilet. Fortunately, the home supply stores have flush ratings etc. now. The one that I got first was mis-labeled on the shelf and didn't match the box flush rating. I wished I had noticed before installing!

If we had the model of the one you have, we might be able to check it out.

Just a thought.
Al

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I actually asked him about the toilet beofre I moved in, and he said it has a weak flush, that needed to hold the handle for a decent flush, so I assume he didn't think it was too big a deal.

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Good! Then the toilet has been a ongoing problem since day one. Read on! In my capacity as shop trouble shooter I began to run into a slew of complaints on our new construction that were just like yours. I knew they all couldn't be " bad toilets" so I went looking for the cause. I found that when installing the new bowl that the wax ring had been forced out into the discharge pipe and blocking the free flow of water. When the water hit it a backpressure was set up preventing the siphon that makes a good flush and the solids just swirled around while the water went slowly down. I had to set up meeting with our plumbers and show them the problem and how to fix it. When you set the bowl, put the wax seal down on the flat side to the closet flange. Then take your hands and bevel the wax seal outward so that when you set a bowl on it the wax is forced out instead of in blocking the flush. The customer complaints stopped and I had less work to do. Try molding the wax seal so it doesn't choke down on the flush. Good luck, Tom

I just came across this string - and this is an issue that I have had for going on a month. I replaced a toilet that flushed fine, and installed a new one (1.28gpf).

I won't go into all the details - but have been working with the manufacturer troubleshooting. I have installed the toilet three times (two separate brand new toilets) - and it still has the same issue.

What @aboshell is describing is exactly what is happening to me. If I pour a bucket of water down there, it works fine. Also, if I hold down the handle and let all the water empty, it will flush and empty completely.

I am pretty sure that it's not an issue with wax ring blocking - as I have done it three times. Also, have poured water at a high rate of speed down the drain without a toilet and it works fine.

Could there be any other issues? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Speedball1... thank you so much for your information that you gave Aboshell. I tried the chemicals and the snake down the drain of two of my toilets with no relief. I went as far as to disconnect each one from the floor and check the wax ring around the main drain to see if it was obstructing anything. Still no relief until you told me about the jet that can get calcified over time. I used the coat hanger and now it works perfectly fine. Thank you.

Just in case anyone is yet utilizing this forum to solve a similar problem... I had the same symptoms and found the cause to be "chlorine/sanitizing disk" my wife had inserted into the fill tank. The disk dissolved to the point wherein it was small enough to enter the tank drain, but was still large enough to lodge near the release point (around the rim). I simply used my finger and a coat hangar to break up and dislodge. I had to get in there pretty far, though. Hope this helps.

Hi Amos and welcome to the Plumbing pageat at AskMeHelpDesk.com. You piggybacked on an a 4 year old dead thread. In the future, before you post, look in the upper left hand corner for the date.
Thanks for the update. Most welcome information. Just another thing to check out. Regards, Tom

Thank You Thank You! Our toilet has been not flushing all the way forever! I kept complaining to my husband that something needed to be done! Then I googled and came to your answers! We cleaned out that hole and it works perfectly! So this time, the wife at home fixed the toilet! :)