Our commode does not flush properly following use. Most of the water and refuse go out but not with the proper force.

E.C. P
by E.C. P
We have used a plumber's friend but it does not completely solve the problem. Suggestions?
  5 answers
  • The problem is no doubt in your drain pipes. You have an obstruction or partial blockage causing the water to slow down. You will need to call in a plumber to run an auger down the pipes to clear out tree roots or other blockage that are slowing things down Given more time the blockage will totally stop the flow of progress all together. Don't wait for total blockage call the plumber now.
  • There are five reasons why a toilet does not flush with force. 1. The flapper inside the tank is either closing to quick, or its not opening far enough. 2. The tank is not full enough which is caused by incorrectly set water height. 3. An blockage in the tank trap or drain pipe leading to the main stack. 4. A blocked vent on roof. 5. Hard water plugging the cleaning/wash holes around the edge of the tank not rinsing the bowl properly. The flapper and the water height is easy to check. Remove the cover on the tank, flush the bowl and watch. The water should be starting from just below the level of the little pipe that sticks up from the bottom of the tank. This is the overflow drain pipe for the tank. The tank should empty to just about two inches above the center hole when its done flushing. It is very common for the flapper to close early only allowing about a little more then half of the tank to drain. The bowl needs a quick volume of water all at once to clear the bowl properly. If the flapper closes to quickly or it does not open all the way and partly blocks the opening its supposed to seal off the flow slows down resulting in poor flushing. If the vent on the roof is plugged. Perhaps a dead bird or ice? This prevents the water from draining freely and slows its force once it enters into the drain line. You can tell if this is happening by listening carefully to the sink next to the toilet. If it begins to gurgle and make noise when you flush, you need to check the vent. If the tank flushes but the sides do not rinse well, this is often caused by hard water plugging the little holes that surround the lip of the bowl. Using a mirror look up along the edge and check to see that these holes are not plugged with calcium. If so, using a good hard water removal such as CLR or even Glass Plus that is used in dish washers can help clear this hardness away. For real tough plugs you may need to use a wooden stick such as a chop stick sharpened at one end that would fit into the holes to loosen up the hard water. Of course as Homework said an obstruction in the drain line can cause this as well.
  • Woodbridge's five reasons a toilet doesn't flush with force explanation should be listed on Wikipedia, the internet encyclopedia. I congratulate them for there thoughtful explanation of all of the functional aspects of a toilet's performance and all of the issues that could impede it's performance.
  • Woodbridge is right on. to expand on reason 5 we have also seen where people put the tidy bowl solid cakes in the tank, I've seen them break up and debri will get between the tank and bowl and slow the flush down. The toilet will start flushing again once it dissolves but other foreign matter not dissolvable could get in there also.
  • Lori Lori on Jun 30, 2015
    If the problem is tree roots, flush some rock salt down. It will kill the roots and prevent further problems. There is a recipe on-line for this. There is also recommendations for preventive maintenance