Remove tank insulation for increased tank capacity? Drain line carry

[gelphledor]

Hello I`v recently had 2 sewer line clogs in my basement in the last month and one about 1 1/2 yrs ago . i am in a 4 level sidesplit house with 1 toilet on the uppermost floor and one on the second basement level both of these are dual flush lo flow models upper is the costco 1 piece and the lower is a foremost 1.6 / 1.1 one piece straight side model . we had the cleanout scoped to the main and found 2 low spots one about 20 feet out and another at 70 feet , the first one is about 4 feet long and sags about 4 inches the second about 2 1/2 feet long and sags about 1 1/2 inches the plumber said i should replace the lower toilet with a more powerfull flush/higher gpf model that would "break things up and not cause a plug of waste to get stuck in the sags in the house to main line" ,i`m not finding any more than 1.6 gpf toilets here in ontario canada at the big box stores, can i just remove the 1/2 inch of tank insulation that is applied to the inside side and bottom of the foremost`s tank and realize an increase in gpf and pressure ? i`m thinking without doing any real math that it might get to 2 gpf .the only other idea i had was to extend the height of the flush mechanisms 2 inches or so "i know finding /making parts to do this could be a hassle lol but i like a challange" i guess my only other option is getting a old toilet from a reclaim store as spending the $2500-$3500 for replacing the sagged sections or $7000 -$10,000 to replace the entire pipe is outta the question right now.

[wjcandee]

the plumber said i should replace the lower toilet with a more powerfull flush/higher gpf model that would "break things up and not cause a plug of waste to get stuck in the sags in the house to main line" ,i`m not finding any more than 1.6 gpf toilets here in ontario canada at the big box stores,

I don't think the regular posters on this board are going to suggest that you try to solve a plumbing defect by wasting precious water.

You can't find anything more than 1.6 because in the US, the limit is 1.6gpf. I don't know what the current state of the law is in Canada, but the industry is plainly moving to 1.6gpf or lower.

[hj]

Removing the insulation would do little to increase the volume of water, because it is controlled by the height of the overflow tube AND the flapper in the tank. There could be easier ways to increase the flow, but i doubt that it would overcome the sags in the pipe. Paper material will flow down the pipe until it reachs the "pond" and then float against it but would be prevented from flowing over it to the other side where it could continue its journey.

[jadnashua]

My guess is increasing the flush volume won't help in the least. S*** doesn't flow uphill unless it is pumped, and a toilet won't do it. The longer dip is your bigger problem, and it contains probably over 2 gallons. That's over 8 pounds of water. You need some energy to push that, and a new flush with gravity won't cut it. Even a power assist toilet's flow slows down to the same as a gravity flush almost as soon as it reaches the main drain line. If you want to resolve the problem, I think you need to bit the bullet and fix the slope of the line. How old is the house? Do you have an extended homeowner's warranty?

[Terry]

You may want to consider getting a bowl with a Flushmate pressure assist on it to push the waste down the line farther. Kohler makes a good pressure assist, as does Gerber and American Standard. The Kohler bowl would by my choice with Flushmate for the sagging waste line.

Like hj mentions, taking the insulation out won't change anything, except that the bowl may sweat.