Why is my toilet bowl sometimes almost completely empty when i visit it sometimes?

Question

Sometimes i'll go into the toilet and the water will be almost empty! When i flush it then it goes back to its normal level.

Answer 1

You do not need anything, not a new flapper, nothing. If the flapper was leaking, you would hear the tank refill every once in a while inbetween uses and regular flushes. The food coloring will verify a leaking flapper, but your tank refilling between flushes is not your problem.

It has to do with the shape of the pipe which drains the toilet and what was in it the previous time. It was on the verge of clogging. Flush it and observe carefully. The flapper valve in the bottom of the tank opens, allowing a large quantity to enter the bowl section. Water will flow in around the edge of the bowl and the level will rapidly rise until it starts the automatic syphon, which then drains the bowl faster than the water is entering. Ever heard it gurgle and suck air just as it empties? That is the syphon in action. The bowl empties, the flapper valve in the bottom of the tank shuts when the tank is empty and then as the tank refills, a small amount of water is shunted into the bowl to refill the bowl. Timing is the problem. If the quantity in the bowl is enough, it will take a few moments longer before the syphon action starts and the bowl is sucked down to empty, thus shortening the time for refilling. The refill is a timing process, in how long it takes the tank to refill, not the level in the bowl. Just do what you have been doing and observe what happens. One problem is that the government in its' infinite wisdom declared we were wasting water and decreed we would all use "low volume" toilets, from around 5 gallons per to 3.5 or less gallons per flush, with 2.5 now being typical. Less volume of water means it is now more likely that this event you notice will happen. You'll notice that this event you notice will never happen with liquids only... it only happens with solids when the quantity is almost but not quite enough to clog the works.

Answer 2

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Is that the problem needing repair or are you just wanting to empty the trap? To empty the trap a big sponge works great. If It is not flushing it's either a water transfer problem or a blockage. Take a 5 gallon bucket of water and try to fill the toilet bowl to the rim. If it flushes with the bucket test it is a water transfer problem and you'll need a new toilet. Sometimes if your fillvalve is not filling quick enough it will cause a slow flush also. If the water does not drain with the test it is a blockage. If the tubs and showers drain fine we will assume it's a blockage in the trap of the toilet itself. A closet auger that you can buy at home depot will be the first step. If that does not get it you will need to pull the toilet take it outside and auger from the bottom of the toilet. It's much easier to call a plumber that will charge less than $100 for an auger and has the experience to get it out. As easy as a closet auger is there are tricks if the blockage is hard to remove

Answer 3

Two reasons come to mind. One is that you have a crack in the internal trap in the bowl. This would allow water to leak and go down the drain pipe with no leaking water outside the bowl. Second reason is a clogged/blocked vent pipe. This is the pipe that goes out the roof. Drain lines need an air souce to work properly and if there is no air, the pipe pulls a vacuum. When this happens, the water in the toilet trap is sucked out. If safe, go onto the roof and look down the vent pipe with a flashlight. You may see a birdsnest, spiderwebs with leaves on top etc. You can flush this line with a garden hose. If you have another toilet in the house, have someone flush it while you watch the water in the bowl of the problem toilet. If it is the vent, you will see the water move when this is done.

Answer 4

Your toilet might need a new flapper. Put some food coloring in the tank, not the toilet. If the colored water later appears in the toilet bowl then you'll know it's a leak from the flapper. Toilet tank parts are inexpensive and easy to replace.

Answer 5

ventilation port to the outside roof is not close enough
or
check yoour flapper inside the tank with a dye pill.

Answer 6

there are a few things to look at here....first look at the water level in the tank, then look at the flapper valve in the tank and lastly...do you have a dog and do you leave the cover open??

Answer 7

Maybe the water is scared of the load you're about to drop on it.