Slow toilet after snaking just toilet, please advise!!!! any advise is appriciatred

**bmastermac** · 10-09-2010, 08:12 PM

I have a newer home with a newer toilet. When i flush, the bowl it will fill up with water and slowly drain out. I have augered out the toilet with a toilet snake and the problems has not got any better. when i flush the bowl will fill up and slowly drain out the entire amount of water, leaving just enought water to fill the drain hole in the bottom of the the toilet. i have tried a gallon of hott was with soap to try to free any blockage. The next steps i can think of is to remove the toilet and snake from that opening where the toilet sits or to go in from the roof through the vent on the roof. I can't say that the other drains in the house are slow but possibly a bit. I would like to avoid calling out a professional if possiable.

Is it possiable for a toilet to go bad?

Any advise on this matter would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks Brian.

**Terry** · 10-09-2010, 08:42 PM

It's not the vent.

You may have something in the trapway, it could be anything. Closet augers sold in hardware stores are close to useless at pushing things out, they are too small and can easily pass right by. Hot water? Does hot water get rid of a plastic shampoo bottle, or a toy car?

There are times, when it's better to just replace the bowl, if you can't clear the trapway. What you have costs maybe $75.00 for tank and bowl. They do plug up a lot, but then do allow the builder to sell the home. If you want a toilet that works without plunging a lot, then you can shop for a good aftermarket bowl and move on with your life. My daughter lived with three pluging toilets for two years before she admitted that her new home had "builder grade" poor performing toilets. You would have thought that plugging three toilets on their first day in the home would have been a clue.

We had a similar job we went out to, the first plumber told the homeowner that they had a defective bowl.
Jamie went out with his auger, and decided to pull the bowl.
This is what he found.
The first plumber had run his auger through, but it went right by Mr GI Joe.

I've always believed that if a bowl is having a problem, you should at least pull it out, and look in the lower part of the trapway. Mirrors help too.

**bmastermac** · 10-10-2010, 06:31 AM

I have had this problem before, with a slow toilet. how does a toilet just stop working well and start running slow? I replaced my toilet at my old house when it was slow with a Kohler and it worked great. I just didn't see that there is much to a toilet to make it work good one day and poorly the next. thanks for your advise.

**Ian Gills** · 10-10-2010, 08:26 AM

I think we need to see a picture of Jamie and the auger about now.

This is the auger we use with a 1-3/8" end on it.
If you can't see anything from the outlet, it could be at the top bend.
We did have a rubby ducky stuck at the top bend before.
I'm not kidding, someone put a rubber ducky in and tried to flush it.

**shacko** · 10-10-2010, 03:11 PM

>>>I have had this problem before, with a slow toilet.<<<

If you had the problem before it's a good chance that you have a partial stoppage in the line it's connected to, you have to snake the line AFTER you pull the toilet.

**Ian Gills** · 10-10-2010, 06:15 PM

Wahey!...........

hj · 10-11-2010, 09:42 AM

Pouring hot water into a toilet is a good way to eliminate the problem, since it will usually crack the toilet so you have to install a new one. There are many possible causes, (only one or two apply to the toilet itself however), each with its own cause and remedy, but we cannot tell WHICH applies to your situation without doing our own checks.

**picman** · 10-31-2010, 06:39 AM

My brother had a slow toilet that was tolerated for a number of years. Finally pulled it and discovered rags that were used to clean up paint stuck to the in side of the pipe just below the flange. Probably been there since the house was built in the '80's.