Can anyone tell me why my toilet is doing this?

Question

Saturday morning when I left my house there was nothing wrong with my toilet. When I returned that afternoon, it is not flushing properly. I have looked at several qustions dealing with toilet problems and couldn't find one similar to mine. I think it is clogged, but my wonderful husband begs to differ. When you flush it, it starts to bubble(you know like it's stopped up), then it starts acting like it's gonna over flow, then it seems like it takes it for ever to some what flush, then all of the water or what ever is in there does not go all the way down. I told my husband it was either stopped up or the toilet needed replacing. He again argued with me. So does anyone know what might be the problem. And by the way, we are on city sewage.

BTW- I have used a plunger several, several, several times and nothing happens. It just seems to be getting worse with each flush.

Answer 1

It sound like there is an obstruction in the drainage pipe.


Additional: Do NOT use a plunger. All you are doing is moving the obstruction closer to the toilet or lodging it tighter in the pipe. You actually need to push the obstruction down out of the pipe or break it apart so that it will go down the pipe. Snaking the drain might accomplish this.

Answer 2

It sounds like you may have two problems. Bubbling usually means the vent is clogged. drains need air to operate properly. The vent (pipe you see coming out the roof) is the source of the air. If safe, look down the vent pipe with a flashlight. Clear out anything you can by hands and then flush with a garden hose. If a plunger is not working, try a closet auger. Snakes normally do not work on toilets and tend to scratch the finish. You can rent or buy (about $10) an auger. This tool will clear the trap in the toilet.

Answer 3

More likely than not it is partially clogged. If you plunge it several more times that may do the trick. Otherwise, you should use a drain opener designed for toilets.

But first, try the plunger and next the draino. Be sure to give the draino time to do it's thing and read the label carefully.

Last resort is to buy or rent a snake and try to manually pull out what's clogging it (yecch). I've done all the above at one time or another.

Now if all the above fail, If more than one toilet is doing this - or if you are suddenly have sink or tub draining problems, you should have it checked out by a plumber or roto rooter. It could be roots obstructing your drain or the clog could be pretty far down the sewer and will require a long commercial snake to clear. Good luck. The odds are that it needs a simpler fix.

Answer 4

ok before i say what everyone else is saying im going to ask u is the water coming up in the tub tooo?.....or the shower whichever u have close to that toilet?....if not then u do not have a clogged line......if it does come up somewhere LOWER than the toilet it is clogged......if its not then its only the toilet and YOU can fix that urself......no dont get the plunger it wont work.......go to a hardware store and buy a tool called a CLOSET AUGER...its a hand snake that only 3 ft long but long enuff to make it thru the toilet,trap then into the main......u have to twist the handle clockwise while pushing it forward to clear the toilet....sounds like thats all u have since u didnt say anything about water coming up in other places.....this way tooo u will have the tool for the next time and they only cost about $20 or so and well worth the money you'll save by NOT calling the plumber out....trust me if the toilet is the only problem then this WILL work.....

Answer 5

I can only think of two things -
1) it is stopped up
2) it is not getting enough pressure coming in. Try turning the value on the line going into the toilet more towards open. Sometimes they are not all the way open because the water hits the tank too hard and splashes out. Turn it up to just the point before this occurs.

Another possibility that I thought off (happened in my house growing up) is that the roots of the trees in the yard have gotten into the sewer lines. It would act similar to a clog, but could not be resolved by a plunger., I would check the intake value as I suggested (but I don't think it will work - never hurts to try), but you might have to call roto-rooter!

Answer 6

Your toilet is partially blocked. When you used your plunger did you allow the ball to fill with water? Or just trying to push air through? Your plunger must be full of water to create a force when you plunge it downward. If that doesn't help, next step is to contact your local ma and pa hardware store to see if they rent a "snake". If they don't check on rental places. If that does not do the trick, you may have to ask hubby to take the stool off the floor and check to clear the passage. Believe me, after you send him to the neighbors to drop a duece, he will do anything to get that thing working properly!

Answer 7

When I was 14 I tp'ed every single mean neighbor I has lol first I wet the toilet paper in the toilet disgusting then I I did it while like 3 mins they all tried taking it offf then pop a whole bunch of t p fell and most got wet some people didn't do anything told their children to do it and they knew it was me because I told them at school ha

Answer 8

You need a toilet snake. It's a wound metal reel you feed down your toilet then reel in and it grabs whatever IS clogging it. Did you check in the tank that nothing is obstructing any of the passageways or parts? It's worth a look. But you can also try a metal hanger - just leave the hook part and open it up then see if it can pull out the obtrusion. Good luck!

Answer 9

Yep, really sounds like it has some sort of clog. You could try using a plumber's snake to loosen the clog, if you have one, but if not, rather than spend the money to buy one you would really do best to get a professional Rooter or plumber out there to take a look. They'll be able to determine right away if it's a clog or something else.

Answer 10

Sounds like a partially plugged sewer line. Tree roots grow into sewer lines causing them to slow down. Things also collect there making clogs or partial clogs.

To fix you need to have a snake ran down the pipes from a clean-out close to where to pipes leave the house or you can run a snake down the pipe the toilet is connected to. (You may have to remove the toilet.

After you are done things should work good for a few year.