toilet problems help

[jimr]

I put a new toilet in when we did our floors and it worked great but now when you flush it the water goes gown and refills then the water in the bowl seems to drain out. I went under the house and there are no leaks. the drain stack is shared with the washing machine and that works fine. I asked the boys if the flushed something they shouldn't have and they said no. any ideas before I pull it up? I also ran some drain cleaner down the toilet and the vent stack.

 

[Coors]

Re: toilet problems help

Is the flapper in the tank sealing?

 

[JB]

Re: toilet problems help

Sounds like the refill is going over the siphon level and trying to reflush, Jim.

Try resetting the float to a lower level in the tank.

 

[Coors]

Re: toilet problems help

Yes, check that first. I usually have been on septic tanks, and it seems that if it isn't the flapper; a clog somehow sucks the bowl dry, and a bad drainfield/full tank will do it too. I have never figured that one out.

 

[jimr]

Re: toilet problems help

I'm on city sewer and the water shuts off when the tank is full and doesn't run again till you flush it.

 

[Coors]

Re: toilet problems help

I forgot to add; it takes several days of emptying, until a clog appears.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: toilet problems help

A couple of thoughts....check to see if the soil line/washer drain is vented to the outside. If that soil line can't pull air, the vacuum will/can drain the toilet bowl.

 

[Coors]

Re: toilet problems help

The stack is shared with the washer, which puts out lint. Is the rest of the house working normal? I so, I would get one of those cleaners that you hook to the hose- it swells to seal itself in the stack(from the roof) and pulsates pressure in the stack, Ace, H Depot.

 

[Coors]

Re: toilet problems help

Xc, I think that is the problem- vacuum from the stack being clogged. I'm not a plumbing inspector, but I have the books, nothing was done wrong on his plumbing, but air is not getting where it needs to be.

 

[lakelover]

Re: toilet problems help

I vote for a stack/vacuum problem. I have a similar situation, but it's my washer causing the nearby kitchen sink trap to gurgle & suck air.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: toilet problems help

Did you replace any plumbing at all when your floors was done? If nothing was changed there,,,,,my guess is the toilet is dumping too much water too fast. As the water goes into the soil pipe, the vent cannot make up enough air so it pulls it thru the trap in the toilet.

First check your vent pipe

Second,,,,make sure the little tube inside the tank is put into the overflow tube. This refills the bowl

Third,,,,, Try lowering the level of the water in the tank. This maybe the reason. Just make sure there is enough to take a load down

Last,,,,,,,may need to try a different type/style toilet

 

[jimr]

Re: toilet problems help

I didn't change any plumbing and just laid linolieum down nothing got in the line. I went up to the roof with the garden hose and dug up the cleanout and watched it,the water flowed good. I checked the water level and its right at the full line too. it does this when the washer is off. The toilet that was in there was a handicap style (taller) and we put a regular (1.6 gpf) and it worked fine for over a month then started acting up. I am going to get the water jet (water weenie)for the hose and try it again. Will a bad wax ring cause this? it doesn't leak on the floor just looking at everything. the only things on this line are the toilet,washer,sink and shower and everything works fine except the toilet.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: toilet problems help

If the wax ring ring was not sealing, you'd have water around the toilet base or running around the soil pipe and into the subfloor/crawl space. Toilets have a built-in P trap to hold a seal of water to prevent sewer gases from entering the bathroom. As was mentioned, the small tube from the fill valve pushes a small amount of water down the overflow tube during the tank refill. This water washes the rim of the bowl and refills the bowl to the proper level.
If the water in the bowl is disappearing, there's only a couple of reasons. A cracked bowl, allowing the water to drain into the soil stack or a vacuum is pulling the water from the bowl.
Try something. Make sure the toilet bowl is at a normal level. Dump a 5 gallon pail of water into the sink drain and watch the toilet bowl level. Do the same with the other fixtures connected to the soil line. Be sure you run a load of laundry too and watch the toilet bowl level. The fixture that causes the toilet bowl to get sucked down isn't vented.......

 

[rwise]

Re: toilet problems help

If the drain in the toilet has something caught in it you will get this same drainage from it. The 1.6 gal flush units are verry picky on water level, if the flush cycle is over and the bowl has to much water in it, it is going to drain, I learnt this with kids and 1.6 toilets if you have a snake run that down it

 

[jimr]

Re: toilet problems help

Ok I think I got it fixed. I picked up a water weenie and ran it down the vent and prayed there wasn't a leak in the wall. then I did the washer drain and the toilet itself. went out and ran it down the pipe. All seems to be working ok. Thanks everyone for the tips. I am glad I didn't have to pull the stool.

 

[rwise]

Re: toilet problems help

I replaced one over a bar of soap, it did finaly melt out and then I had a spare