Roc Holland
: : : I have a single story home with a bathroom at each end. : : I am also on a septic system and my problem is that the : : toilet at the end of the house closest to the tank does : : not flush properly unless I hit it with a plunger once : : or twice after pushing the handle down. There is not any : : back-up or odor problems and the other toilet works just : : fine. What can I do to fix this myself?: Dear Roc,: Does the toilet near the tank have a vent? : Is there something lodged in the trap of the toilet? like a toy, make-up pen, toothbrush?: Q.What is a vent, and what does it do for the plumbing system?: A. If you look on your roof, you will see pipes sticking out of the roof aprox 12 high. �For every pipe that goes down, one needs to go up. �The obvious reason we have vents is that sewer gases need to be vented outside of the dwelling. �Not so obvious is what happens if they are not included in the waste and vent design. �Imagine yourself at McDonalds drinking a soda from a straw. �If you put your thumb over the straw, you can pull liquid up from the cup. Remove the thumb and see it instantly drain out! �When liquid goes down a pipe, air needs to follow it. �Without the vent pipe, the draining liquid will try to suck air through the P-traps on the plumbing fixtures,(tub, sink, etc.) glurp, glurp! �If it manages to do so, you may know it from the smell coming from the now dry seal on the P-trap. Without vents, draining one fixture may cause another fixture in the house to back up, yuck! A waste and vent system should keep sewer gas out of the dwelling and drain every fixture well. �: Check also : Toiletology 101 : http://www.toiletology.com: Regards, : Terry Love
