Toilet draining completely, no leak found

Hey Folks,

Can't figure this one out. The water in the bowl drains completely after some time (a number of days), below the level of the trap, and even below the level of the jet outlet. I noticed it once the toilet was not in use, as no one was living at the house. I thought it might be evaporation, as the climate is really dry here, but the other toilet in the house doesn't evaporate at the same rate. It might be draining to a certain point, and then evaporating the rest of the way, but I still can't figure out why it would be different than the other toilet. I can't locate a leak anywhere, either. Nothing on the floor in the bathroom, which is on the second floor, no evidence of water or water damage on the first floor, and no evidence of water in the basement where the pipes are exposed. There are no cracks in the toilet that I can see, and the house is about 12 years old. This is a Briggs toilet. Any insight?

Thanks,

J

It sounds like a bad bowl. It can happen.
If a crack develops between the bowl and the drain, the water will simply escape down the drain. Or you may pull the bowl and find it's a little messier then that. It's hard to tell how or why a crack will develop.

Thanks for your reply, Terry. Hmph. There is no crack visible to me in the areas I can see, and I have pretty good eyes. Is there any way to further confirm a crack? Would pulling the bowl and viewing from the bottom reveal such a crack?

Thanks,

J

It's hard to say if a crack would or would not be visible from underneath, but logic says there isn't much else that could be causing the problem. I'd guess that a new toilet isn't something you have planned on, but it may be time. On a somewhat positive note, the Briggs toilets are not very highly regarded, so you might look at this as an opportunity to move up in the world of toilets. Many communities offer rebates from eco friendly toilets, so you should look into that. If the new potty is called for, then I would suggest you consider a Toto. Superior quality and performance.

If you haven't pulled the bowl, you're only guessing.
The Kohler bowl we pulled up the other day, the crack could only be seen from underneath.
It would be like driving by your home and guessing what color your couch is from the street.

I'm guessing orange with yellow stripes. Am I right?

Point well taken. I guess I'll be taking a look underneath, then....Thanks.

Underneath the bowl, not the couch.

A plugged vent in the house could cause upstream fixtures to pull the toilet trap down.

Would the plugged vent cause this to happen even when no use of fixtures is occurring? No one is living in the house at the moment.

It could only pull from the toilet if there was a flow of water causing a vacuum. No flow, no vacuum. Unlikely it is a venting problem.