Toilet Flushes

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

I posted a problem a while ago about a problem where I sometimes have to flush the toilet several times. I heard on a home improvement show that the problem could be the flapper, in that the tank was not emptying completely. I have this problem, and I have a new flapper. Can someone suggest where I go from here?

Thanks,
Kam

[Jerry PeckParticipant]

Some of the water saver commodes as set to have more water in the tank than is allowed through for the flush. This is not a flapper adjustment, it is a design choice the manufacturer made.

I have a Kohler with a tank like this. There is so much water in the tank that you can hold the flush lever down (so the flapper does not close) and get a complete double flush (flush, bowl refill, flush and bowl refill) from one tank. This is not recommended, but I found this out by doing some experimenting on ways to make this flush better because it does not give a good flush. If you have a stoppage and hold the handle down, you will overflow the commode, so definitely do NOT do that.

My conclusion: If you want to correct this condition, replace the commode with a different model (which may have a different flushing problem). This is in our hall bathroom, so I left it, least I get a worse one when replacing this one.

This is one of the seemly consistent problems with many water saver commodes. They just do not flush well.

[GuestParticipant]

Thanks Jerry.
The only problem here is that when the toilets were new, they worked fine.

Kam

[Jerry PeckParticipant]

Try this for a few flushes and see if you still have the problem.

When you flush, hold the handle down. This will keep the flush valve (flapper) open until all the water in the tank goes into the bowl. The bowl should start to fill, flush out, then refill, and probably flush through again. The extent of refill and the following secondary flush will depend in part on how much water is in the tank.

Be careful when you do this. If the problem is a partial blockage in the bowl trap, you could wind out overflowing the bowl and have water all over. If the bowl begins to overfill, and before it overflows, (make sure you have already removed the tank top) release the flush handle – you may need to reach in and make sure the flapper closes.

If this gives a good flush, the rim holes may be clogged and may need cleaning, this is one reason that the proper amount of water no longer drains into the bowl when flushed, causing an incomplete flush. There are also other causes.

[Jerry PeckParticipant]

I forgot to mention the obvious, and may be the easiest: is the water level in the bowl as high as it used to be when you did not have a problem?

The water level in the bowl should be as full as it will get, beyond which it just overflows the top of the built-in trap.

Try this, mark the level of the water on the bowl with a pencil, then gently press the flush handle allowing water to flow into the bowl without causing a flush. The water in the bowl will rise, then settle to the height of the top of the trap. Is the water higher than the pencil mark? If it is, the fill tube into the overflow may be blocked, restricted, have fallen off, etc.

[Author]

Posts