Toilet fills normally but slowly drains out and does not flush completely.

**Ashtonm743** · 11-04-2012, 03:21 PM

About 2 weeks ago my toilet started to just fill up and then drain really slow, i have tried several things online so far, When i pour a bucket of water in it flushes just fine. I have plunged it and snaked it several times, even tried emergency septic tank unblocker thinking that there is a problem with my septic tank, However i dont think that is the case because none of the other drains in the house, or the washing machine drain slowly. This is the only toilet in the house and has always worked perfectly, Me and my wife live alone and neither one of us has flushed any other objects down that could potentially get stuck in the trap. We do not have one of those jet things at the bottom and i have cleaned out all of the holes under the rim with a coat hanger. The only thing i have not tried is pulling the toilet and replacing the wax ring. I have also not checked the vent but i have never had a problem with it in the past........any ideas?

Ashton

**jadnashua** · 11-04-2012, 03:38 PM

Your symptoms point to a clog. Could be in the toilet, could be in the line. Most smaller homeowner type snakes have a small head, and it may only poke a hole in a bigger clog. Being able to pour water down without it backing up, but flushing something and having it back up points to a partial blockage that gets worse when you add in the waste and toilet paper. A vent is not the problem...a toilet will drain without a vent just fine - it might create problems for other things if the vent does not exist or is blocked, but it won't affect the toilet. The only time a wax ring might be the source of the problem is if there's too much wax and it squeezed into the opening of the drain. Using a wax ring with a plastic funnel COULD be the source of your problem. If it isn't centered in the drain or is too big for the drain, it can get distorted and restrict flow of solids.

**Ashtonm743** · 11-04-2012, 03:41 PM

I think you are right about the wax ring, the toilet does not move around at all and i have never had this problem before and have not lifted the toilet.....As far as the clog, i did use a small diameter snake and felt no resistance, but when i pour water from a bucket into the bowl it flushes normally, anything that goes down stays down and does not come back up. would that still be possible if there is a clog?

**jadnashua** · 11-04-2012, 03:48 PM

If the bowl just has water in it and you pour a bucket in...yes, you could still have a clog. Throw in some waste and toilet paper that gets caught, and things will back up or drain slowly.