Constantly clogging toilet?

Question

We just bought a house a few months ago and one of the toilets is constantly clogging up. It's an upstairs toilet. There is another one on the same floor that is fine.

I'm thinking the previous owners must have dropped something into it that lodged in the flush pipe. I've replaced toilets before, so I'm okay with taking it off the base, trying to fish it out, and get a new wax ring and replace it, but I'm not looking forward to it. Is there another good way to try to fix this?

Answer 1

In most new homes, the size of the water tank is reduced to 1.5 gallons flush. Less than most are used to in an effort to conserve water. You might consider two flushes per use. One for the solids, the other for the paper. Another thing I learned was that different toilet tissue could take care of the problem, too many plys could be the cause.

Answer 2

I doubt that a blocked vent would do this unless it's completely blocked. Then again, I'm not a plumber, only a home owner. When you say you "replaced the whole toilet assembly", do you mean the mechanism in the tank, or the whole porcelain or plastic toilet itself? If you had the toilet up off the floor so that the drain was open, did you run a drain snake down the pipe to clear any obstacles? It's possible that something that wasn't supposed to be flushed got flushed any way, and is lodged in the pipe. This might be a toy, although I know one guy who found his missing pager this way. If you didn't take the toilet up, try it. FIRST THING - turn the water supply to the toilet off. Then flush, bail what water you can out of the bowl, disconnect the water, disconnect the bolts that hold the toilet down, and lift the whole assembly up and set it aside on a big piece of cardboard. Get a big piece - there's a wax seal underneath the toilet that will make a nasty mess on the floor otherwise. Look in the drain for any foreign matter (toys, pagers, etc). Look inside the bottom of the toilet, too. Run a drain snake down the pipe to see if it's clear. Remove any obstructions, clean all the old wax that you can off the toilet and drain pipe, install a new wax ring, reseat the toilet, connect the bolts and water supply, turn the water on, and try it. It's common for water valves that don't get used often to leak a bit when they're turned on or off. Put a cup or bowl under it for a day, or at least a rag. That will catch drips, and prevent a water stain on the floor.

Answer 3

If the upstairs toilets are on opposite sides of the house they may use different vent lines. A toilet will not flush properly if the vent lines are clogged. Easy fix may be going on the roof and making sure it isnt clogged. If everything seems fine here, then you have something lodged in your drain line.
In regards to the posts about low water consumption toilets--hold down the flush lever till the water in the tank completely empties. If it flushes fine then it is the toilet. You may be able to raise the float lever so more water empties with each flush.

Answer 4

You may have a blockage in the trap of the toilet or it may be one of the first water saver type toilets. When water saver toilets were first being made and sold they were notorious for stopping up without much being in them. I am not sure when they first came out but it was around the mid to late 1980's. You can find out when your toilet was made by taking the tank lid off and looking inside the tank. The date will be stamped in the ceramic. If it is one of the first water saver toilets then this is probably your problem. The only remedy is to replace the toilet. I hope this has helped at least a little. Good luck.

Answer 5

Did they buy a new cheap low flow toilet offered by the water dept. and install it before putting the house up for sale? If so, buy a better toilet.

Something hard lodged in the toilet? Small children in the home? We once had that problem in our downstairs toilet. It's close to the backyard, so we took it out and put it on the lawn to examine the problem and out popped a little green apple. Oh yes, my brother had a plastic lid lodged in the pipes of his toilet. It would swing open but stuff would build up behind it. That happened years ago.

Answer 6

Do you have a plumbing snake and have your tried a plunger. My son says that if you hold the flush handle down partially and just let the water slowly, gradually flow through that's the best way to unclog a drain. Me, I'd go for the snake. It will take patience and sometimes another set of hands is helpful in order to wind it up down and around until you reach the drain pipe. I'm always trying to do repairs around the house first. Sometimes I'm lucky and sometimes I'm not. The kids could have flushed who know what down it. If all else fails, call the neighborhood plumber. You'll need them sooner or later. Good luck.

Answer 7

My toilets reacted the same way. I called the manufacturer. They said that the models that are sold now are all low flush so just not enough water is going down at a time to keep them clear. They told me that I could replace the internal part with one that is not low flow and that would correct the problem.

I researched online and discovered that all I have to do to counter act the low flow mechanism is to hold the handle down for 3 second. So since I'm lazy and don't want to replace internal mech. I just hold for 3 seconds when I really, really, want a good flush. Since then I've had no problems.

don't know if that helps you.

best of luck

Answer 8

I cant remember what you call it but you can get it at your local hardware store. It is a rubber attachment that you put on the end of your water hose. you then stick it down your pipe or toilet bowl hole and turn the water hose on full blast. it takes two people, one to hold the bulb in the hole and the other to turn on the water. the rubber bulb will expand and will not allow any water to come back out. the pressure from the water will push pretty much ANYTHING down the drain.
hope i explained it well enough!
good luck

Answer 9

It could be clogged with old toilet paper or you may need to have the septic tank serviced. Also this is a little gross, but some women flush the cotton part of a tampon and it could swell up inside a pipe, so you may need to snake it.
Good Luck

Answer 10

Call A Plummer. Maybe A Plunger