Greetings, I have a problem with one of the toilets in my home where for no apparent reason it clogs up every so often. It hasn't overflowed (yet) I have mastered the art of plunging it and most times that works but sometimes I have to use the closet auger and that will do it. Whatever the clog is is getting pushed out as opposed to pulled out so I have no clue what it is.

I am a woman permanently disabled with a back injury so the plunging etc., really does take a toll on my back. I have a service contract on my house and called for a plumber to check it out and find the problem, but there is a $50 charge for a service call. It was towards the end of the day and when he got there I got the distinct impression he wouldn't be there long.
I took him to the bathroom where the problem was and I swear he stood there and just looked at the toilet and then at the toilet paper on the roll, which happens to be Angel Soft. He said unequivacaly that was the problem and that I had to switch to Scott's. I told him no way, that stuff is like sandpaper and that was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard. I asked him if he thought he should remove the toilet and take a better look which is what I was expecting since I can't do it. He said no it wasn't necessary that it was the toilet paper. I have another toilet in the master bath that never clogs. No issues with anything else plumbing related either.

Is this Scott's TP issue common? Does he have ESP or was just lazy as I suspected. Since I am on a limited income money is an issue so should I have another plumber come in and check it out or just go ahead and buy a new toilet? This on is a 1.6 gallon one and I live in a double wide mobile home that was built in 1993 with every upgrade avaiable.

Any advice would be helpful and appreciated. Many thanks.
Jen

I would have one question. Did the toilet ever work properly? Do you have hard water. And is there any other toilet in the home and does it work properly?


If that is the case, the toilet is the issue. The low gallon flush units vary on quality. Most of them are cheep. They do not have quality flush valves, the interior piping is not smooth as it is with more expensive ones. All of this adds up to poor flushing.

If the toilet worked at one time and as it got older began to have issues. This can be one of several factors. A poor quality piping system that has begun to clog due to interior roughness or pipe turns. The offending toilet sits on a wax ring that may have begun to shift and partly plug the opening. Depending on the hardness of the water in your development the little holes that wash the interior bowl may have begun to clogg and its not pushing the water fast enough into the bowl.

Its not the TP. Of course if you use lots of it all the time regardless of brand, that can clogg, but typcial use should not be any issue.

The fix might be spraying the under the rim area with CRC several times over a few hour period to help loosen the hard water in the little holes under the rim. A small toothpick or paper clip bent open can help clear these little holes. If indeed this was the problem.
But not knowing how long this has been going on makes figuring out the issue hard.

Thanks for your response. When I first moved here it did work properly, this clogging issue is just the past few months. Yes we have hard water and as I stated in the original post I have another toilet in the master bath that has no issues at all.

I would think if it were a poor quality piping system I'd have other plumbing issues somewhere else, but I don't. I've already cleaned out holes that are up under the rim but used a long aluminum nail.

It's just my son and I and neither of us uses a lot of tissue, just enough to get the job done.

I knew it couldn't just be the TP especially since that lazy good for nothing plumber only looked at the toilet & TP and rendered his opinion.

I have two ways to go. Hire another plumber to find out what the problem is and go from there. Or just go ahead and buy a new toilet and pay to have that installed assuming that if I tell the plumber why I bought a new toilet he would do the right thing and check for a clog farther down the line.

Then if it turns out that there is another issue and not TP related, I'll write a letter to the company I have the contract with, and cancel the contract entirely and ask for a refund of the $50 it cost me to have him just stand there and play psychic.

Thanks so much. I've been reading this site for years and finally joined, because I had a question and knew I'd get at least one good response.
Jen

Teh plumbing issue can be a factor, even if every other appliance works properly. It all has to do with the location of the pipes in realation to the main drain. Another issue can be the vent system. If something clogged this that can mess up a toilet draining properly.

But my guess its the toilet causing the issue.
My guess its the water hardness. Even if you un-clogged the little rim holes, the cheeper toilets have bits of sand and garbage that breaks loose within the cavities that can plugg the unit. Also the flapper to the toilet if it shuts off to fast it can prevent the water from draining out of the tank to properly flush the bowl. I would invest in a new flapper/flush valve. To see if that works. Its a DIY type of project with simple hand tools to do. If it does not work, the most you would be out of is about $40.
Good luck.

Thanks again. One obstacle I have is that I am permanently disabled with a back injury and there is no way I'm climbing on the roof to check a vent. LOL As for the flapper, I've watched it several times as that is what I originally thought it was and that's not it. In fact, it appears to be in great shape.

If I hire a plumber to install a new toilet and explain why I am doing so I could get them to check the pipe & vent etc., and if a problem fix it first and then install the new toilet. I don't know how old the toilet is but it does look to be in great shape from what I can see. That way I don't have to pay a plumber to come out here twice.

I hate this. I'm still pretty young and have always been a very independent woman and would normally be doing this myself and I hate having to pay someone to do something I should be able to do, especially on a limited income. But I think that's what I'll do just to save $ and the stress all this plunging is putting on my back.
Thanks again, I really appreciate your help.
Jen

sounds to me that the toilet has mineral deposits in one or two places...either in the channel located at the rim of the bowl where the water exits the tank and goes into the bowl...and/or in the bottom part of the bowl where it leaves the bowl and travels through the bowl trap and enters the drain pipe at the floor level. A closet auger might break the deposits up in the bowl if the auger is a good one (such as a ridgid, around 35.00) and it needs to be forced in and out by pushing vigorously, not just simply turning it through the channel. You might try to plunge or dip out all the water you can from the bowl and pouring CLR or lemmon juice up to the standard water level to set overnight. You may also try pouring clr straight into the flush valve several times to attempt to clean any mineral deposits that may be in the top part of the bowl. Usually, if the problem is in the top part of the bowl, you can pour a bucket of water directly into the bowl and it will flush very well. Also, some bowls have a small hole located at the front side bottom of the large exit hole (some call it a jet-siphon hole). I have cleaned deposits from them using a coat hanger wire, long slender screwdriver, etc. Hope this helps.