With our present home, many times the toilet with (stop up) with flushing; things flush down but immediately get stuck inthe pipes, and the toilet bowl water just rises instead of setting at the normal level. We must use a plunger to make everything normal, again. Are the pipes too small? We are building a new home. Are there standard sizes on these flush pipes connected to the toilet, or can we go larger. What size pipes can we have installed?
With the new low gallon toilets it is not uncommon for these to plug up. Increasing the pipe size will do nothing. The Plunging of the toilet which appears to be fixing the issue when it gets clogged indicates that the plug is in the toilet. A better grade toilet will usually solve the issue. These $100 specials that are installed in homes today do not flush well at all. As far as increasing the size of the pipes. As the pipe gets bigger it requires additional amounts of water to clear it. Once the pipe gets to big the solids will simply stick to the inside of the pipe while the water drains. There are very strict codes on piping sizes that must be followed. If you still think the pipes are the issue have a plumber evaluate the pitch of the pipes, quite often pipe pitches that are to shallow or to steep will cause drainage issues as well. When building the new home, if you have a say, use high quality power type flush toilets to assure proper clearing of the trap in the toilet.
Posts: 1012 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 31 January 2006
Adding to the foregoing post: If the wax ring is not properly centered on the flange, the act of compressing it when the toilet is mounted to the flange bolts could cause it to squeeze into and partially block the flange inlet, leading to the situation you describe. I have also seen one instance when high-absorbancy sanitary products were flushed, and the absorbant gel caused the product to adhere to the inside of the trap of the toilet, causing the same phenomenon. In either instance, the simple remedy is to remove the toilet, clear away the obstruction, and re-set the bowl, preferrably with a wax ring that has a horn, a plastic funnel-shaped attachment which will keep it centered on the flange, thus diverting all effluent through the center, and out.
The pipe diameters are regulated by code, and sized for the loads they have to carry. A pre-determined volume of water should be able to create enough head-pressure to move the waste along a properly-sized, properly pitched pipe, with a swirling motion within the pipe that sweeps solids along until they exit the house. There are instances, however, with older homes having cast iron soil pipes, where, over the years, the bore of the pipe gets smaller than it originally was, due to a combination of effluent adhering to the inside surface, exacerbated by corrosion of the interior of the pipe. In such instances, the pipe bore may have become too small to do the job. The remedy is to ream it out, using a plumber's auger/snake, such as Roto Rooter, and the like. However, in this instance, it is likely that the drains from other fixtures are also clogged, and slow to empty. If you hire someone to snake your drain pipes, the snake should go all the way through the pipe network, and out through the exit point of the house.
One other problem which causes the phenomenon you describe was alluded to by Home Care Club: if a real old toilet was replaced with a newer, cheap, low-flow toilet, then there is not enough water going into the old, now over-sized, pipe to keep the effluent moving, which could cause it to settle out of the waste stream, depositing itself on the inner surface of the pipe, and creating an obstruction to the efficient removal of solids.
Hope the foregoing proves helpful.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: W. J. Parker,
Posts: 105 | Location: West Haven, Conn. | Registered: 15 November 2005
my son flushed a tube of toothpaste down our toilet causing it to flush sometimes and backing up other times. we tried snaking it out which didn't work. we had to remove the toilet turn it upside down and then used a coat hanger to fish out the toothpaste. i also learned when you do this to lay the toilet on flat on the floor. i leaned mine against the wall and after unplugging it the toilet slid down the wall and shattered. lesson learned!
Posts: 2 | Location: tenn | Registered: 14 February 2007
I agree with the long post above. I do a lot of bathroom remods, and the customers that complain the most about their old bathroom and flushing problems, end up being the ones that have old cast iron pipes, and a cheap toilet replaced after the large capacity ban. Newer toilets that are not built with some efficient flush method tend to clog easy, pair that with cast iron and you have a chronic clogger. If you wish to solve this problem in the house you are in. replace the toilet with a better one, and replace the Cast iron with PVC from the closet flange (where the toilet bolts down) to the stack (vertical pipe entering floor/ground depending on basement or crawl). Rubber boots make this easy, they collars with hose clamps that allow transition from iron to pvc. from the boot on it is simply prime and glue. This will solve the problem for years to come unless you have kids, in which case there is no solution to any problem except waiting til they move out, then everything seems to magically stop happening.
Originally posted by vada: With our present home, many times the toilet with (stop up) with flushing; things flush down but immediately get stuck inthe pipes, and the toilet bowl water just rises instead of setting at the normal level. We must use a plunger to make everything normal, again. Are the pipes too small? We are building a new home. Are there standard sizes on these flush pipes connected to the toilet, or can we go larger. What size pipes can we have installed?
Vada, I have heard numerous times how the new low volume water toilet tanks do not flush properly. The solution to them is this. I bought an assisted flush toilet and had my plumber install it. It goes "whoosh" and all is well! Since, my brother in law was so impressed, he went home and bought two of them for their house. Just ask for the "assisted flush" toilet at Lowe's, Home Depot, where ever. If they don't have them in stock, they can order them from you. Happy flushing.
Originally posted by vada: With our present home, many times the toilet with (stop up) with flushing; things flush down but immediately get stuck inthe pipes, and the toilet bowl water just rises instead of setting at the normal level. We must use a plunger to make everything normal, again. Are the pipes too small? We are building a new home. Are there standard sizes on these flush pipes connected to the toilet, or can we go larger. What size pipes can we have installed?
Champion makes a new low flush toilet with a larger cavity that can handle flushing a basket full of golf balls. I work at a large hotel and installed a couple of these and have not had one single problem since then. it's a little pricey but I opted to get the one piece toilet and tank unit for 365.00. very much worth the price.
Posts: 1 | Location: Ft. Collins Colorado | Registered: 21 February 2007
I have found that there are more problems with the newer toilets than just being low water consumption. If you are shopping at Home Depot, look at the displays. You will see different characteristics on different models/brands. Things such as "fully glazed traps" make a big difference. An unglazed trap will have a tendency to cause "drag" on solids. The discharge hole size is also important. I have seen them from 1-1/2" to 2-3/8". Adjusting the flapper allows it to stay open long enough to allow all the water in the tank to be utilized for a full flush.
Posts: 3 | Location: Arkansas | Registered: 15 September 2006
Originally posted by edlon: my son flushed a tube of toothpaste down our toilet causing it to flush sometimes and backing up other times. we tried snaking it out which didn't work. we had to remove the toilet turn it upside down and then used a coat hanger to fish out the toothpaste. i also learned when you do this to lay the toilet on flat on the floor. i leaned mine against the wall and after unplugging it the toilet slid down the wall and shattered. lesson learned!
Originally posted by The Home Care Club LLC: With the new low gallon toilets it is not uncommon for these to plug up. Increasing the pipe size will do nothing. The Plunging of the toilet which appears to be fixing the issue when it gets clogged indicates that the plug is in the toilet. A better grade toilet will usually solve the issue. These $100 specials that are installed in homes today do not flush well at all. As far as increasing the size of the pipes. As the pipe gets bigger it requires additional amounts of water to clear it. Once the pipe gets to big the solids will simply stick to the inside of the pipe while the water drains. There are very strict codes on piping sizes that must be followed. If you still think the pipes are the issue have a plumber evaluate the pitch of the pipes, quite often pipe pitches that are to shallow or to steep will cause drainage issues as well. When building the new home, if you have a say, use high quality power type flush toilets to assure proper clearing of the trap in the toilet.
I have been through thi enough times as I have a building and we changed all the toliets over to all new 6 litres and have of the time you are holding the handle down so it will flushh twice. I found if you bend the rod up some on the inside of the tank to fill up more it will flush with abit more water and more force so you don,t get plugged. But always remember to check the water level in these new toilets as they seem to sometimes ajust them selfs to be lower or higher in water level so always check about 3-4 months to make sure you are safe.
Check with the plumber that installed the fixture or your builder. I commonly find that the plumber 'missed' the site of the waste line, and uses an off-set flange to move the toilet over. The trouble is that the off-set flange restricts the size of the pipe, which could cause your problem. Also, while the flange is sold everywhere, it does not meet general codes, although is allowed in some municipalities. Regards,
Recently I had problems with a low flow toilet not flushing properly without the aid of a plunger. The issue that I found was that a bird had fallen into the vent pipe and died. After snaking out through the vent pipe. The toilet has worked like a charm.
If you are on a septic tank waste system as opposed to city sewer, the problem could possibly be caused by overfilling of the septic tank or buildup in the lines. Tanks need to be pumped out periodically and the lines s***** as needed. The amount of time between cleanings would depent on the number of people in the household, etc. You should also be aware that tree roots etc. can grow into the lines causing drainage problems. You would be suprised how far some roots will travel to find water. Even if you are on city sewer, tree roots can still be a problem. It sounds like your dilema is more than likely a low-flow toilet. But, if all else fails, this info might be helpful.Good luck. P.S Don't forget to flush a cup of brown sugar once a month to feed the healthy bacteria in a septic system.
For the complete solution, confirm the problem. Remove the toilet and inspect the clog. You may find that it is caused by preventable source. Even small children can deposit legitimate challenges to an average toilet. Snaking most toilets can damage the finish, making the problem worse. Cheap low-flows are a problem. Toto seems to have the best reputation for a super flush action (look at the undersides of your unit next to a Toto...the difference is remarkable). Unless you pull the unit and see a piping obstruction, your pipes are probably fine.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brad in Denver,
Add a little dish detergent before you plunge. It's surprising how the soap lubricates/cleans? the pipes. Plus you can "clean" the bowl at the saame time. It's simple and works in both the old and new toilets at our house.
There are several good things to check listed here. In addition we have found a run of toilets that had a blob of ceramic that was "lodged" in the trap a replacement cured the problem.
I was a licensed plumber when big brother mandated water saving regulations and the low water flow toilets made their dubious debut. (two or three flushes to clear the bowl doesn't save water).
In my experience, the most likely culprit is bad toilet design. As previously noted, fully glazed traps (common in brands such as Kohler) usually work very well compared to a host of less expensive brands. Make sure the water level in the tank is adjusted properly. Inadequate water flow with a toilet already operating with minimal amounts of water is sure to clog.
Toilets have built-in traps, and partially clogged trap (as noted by others above) such as with blob of ceramic, toothbrush, toothpaste tube or misaligned bowl wax can flush normally with water only, but easily block with minimal paper.
Did the toilet work fine for a while, then start to clog regularly?
If blockage is suspected, try clearing the toilet with a "closet auger". It's a hand operated snake, designed just to clear water closets. It's about three feet long spring in a metal pipe with a crank handle designed to get through a toilet and down into the main drain pipe. I have caught several toothbrushes "fishing" with this type of snake. It might come back with a bunch of bowl wax on the end or some other suprise.
Good Luck
InspectorMark
Posts: 87 | Location: OmahaNE | Registered: 26 July 2005
I have replaced my toilets with expensive, lo water types required by code. The one piece Kohlers are TERRIBLE and constantly clog up.I replaced one with the assisted flush system and all is well now. Don't buy Kohler, they only look good but don't deliver. Spending the Money on quality always pays off in time and energy expended later to fix a problem.
Have you considered that tree roots may be the problem?
We, too, had a toilet that repeatedly plugged up - it was frustrating and costly as heck!
Our 'process of elimination' before actually discovering the root of the problem here involved SEVERAL repeat visits by professional plumbing companies (**!)
After they'd use their large, sharp-bladed augers to free up the plug, we'd be OK for a while but the problem kept returning.
I hated that we were on a first-name basis with these companies so I decided to pull the toilet myself to investigate the situation.
Either because of the number of times the pipe had been augered or just for our 'amusement', the roots had woven themselves into a mesh that lined the pipe instead of making an outright plug (essentially reducing the pipe size.)
It was an ugly but wonderful discovery!
After pulling out this mesh that was nearly a foot long (e-u!) and, without knowing whether I should or not, I then poured weed killer around the hole to hopefully prevent new growth. Once the vapor from the weed killer was gone, I reseated the toilet with a new wax ring.
Also, upon the advice of an apartment owner, I now pour a full gallon of bleach down the toilet every few months (I was told that weeds do NOT like bleach.)
I'm pleased to say we've maintained our royal flush condition since.
