Siphon Jet clogged? - Toilet

Hello,

Last night our toilet suddenly stopped emptying the bowl upon flushing. If I pour several gallons down the bowl from a jug it will empty just fine, so it's not a drain clog. I checked all the siphon holes around the rim and they are all fine. Also, this happened overnight rather than a slow buildup, so I seem to be left with the conclusion that something must have fallen into the siphon jet somehow and gotten trapped in there.

Is that an accurate assumption? If so, what would be the solution to remove the object? I already fished around inside the siphon jet hole with a coat hanger to no avail.

My wife says she's not missing any jewelry, so I can't for the life of me figure out what might be in there!

Reply to
jcseely
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Maybe I missed it, but I don't see anything that says you tried using a common plunger. That should be the first thing to try. BTW the holes around the rim are not siphon jet technology, they are just down wash to clean the sides of the bowl. They can become clogged reducing the efficiency of the unit however.

Reply to
sligoNoSPAMjoe

jcseely had written this in response to

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: Ah yes, sorry I forgot to mention that. I've tried plunging it half a dozen times or more, each time doing about 15-20 plunges, and nothing. But when pouring a bucketfull of water into the bowl it 'flushes' just fine, so wouldn't that rule out a clog in the drain? 

Reply to
jcseely

Did you take the lid off the tank and make sure that the thin rubber hose that enables water to pour into the overflow pipe when you flush has not become disconnected at the base of the flush valve assembly, or that the clamp holding the rigid U arm directing the water from the thin rubber hose into the overflow pipe did not fall off the edge of the overflow pipe? I've had both situations happen and it leads to a major loss of flush strength.

Reply to
Peter

Take the lid off and watch what happens when you flush.

Is the tank filled to the proper level before you start? How far down does it go when you flush? Is the flapper falling prematurely (sinking)? If so, does holding down the lever make it flush properly?

(Assuming a "standard" toilet.)

Reply to
Larry The Snake Guy

Yes all of this looks normal. The rubber hose is attached and stil clamped securely, the water level in the tank is normal and the flapper is working correctly.

When I flush, the water level does not go down at all. It rises about an inch or so and then returns to normal near the end of the flush. Also, there is a kind of squirting sound coming from the bowl during the flush that was not present until this problem arose. 

Reply to
jcseely

> > > > > > jcseely had written this in response to
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> �: > > > Larry The Snake Guy wrote: > > > > Take the lid off and watch what happens when you flush. > > > Is the tank filled to the proper level before you start? > > > How far down does it go when you flush? > > > Is the flapper falling prematurely (sinking)? > > > If so, does holding down the lever make it flush properly? > > > (Assuming a "standard" toilet.) > > > ------------------------------------- > > > Yes all of this looks normal. The rubber hose is attached and stil clamped > > securely, the water level in the tank is normal and the flapper is working > > correctly. > > > When I flush, the water level does not go down at all. It rises about an > > inch or so and then returns to normal near the end of the flush. Also, > > there is a kind of squirting sound coming from the bowl during the flush > > that was not present until this problem arose. > >snip< > > I could be wrong, but this might be a venting problem in the stack. > Bird nest, debris, whatever. Easy to check. > > Joe- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -

You know everything works till it breaks:(

So it may of been in trouble for a long time till it just quit.

Is the OP using the blue toilet cleaning stuff in this unit?

Its well known for causing sludge buildup, and poor flushing.

Put some food coloring down the dip tube and flush. Does it come out good all the way around the bowl?

or just see color near the back?

Reply to
bob haller

Ah, so the water in the tank does not make it to the bowl?

If that's the case, then there's an obstruction between the tank and the bowl, probably at the little hole in the bottom of the bowl where the water from the tank exits.

Try poking around there - the small hole. Or from the top. Something is clogging it up.

I suspect a frog.

Reply to
HeyBub

jcseely had written this in response to

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: "I could be wrong, but this might be a venting problem in the stack. Bird nest, debris, whatever."

That's a great idea, I didn't think of that. It's a condo so I'll have to call our association to have them come out and check the vent pipe. This could be why the solution has been so elusive.

"Is the OP using the blue toilet cleaning stuff in this unit? Put some food coloring down the dip tube and flush. Does it come out good all the way around the bowl?"

Nope no blue stuff, and I tried the food coloring. No leakage. That's why this has gotten me so stumped, everything seems to be working in good order except that the water just doesn't evacuate from the bowl properly. Vent stack could be the culprit; unfortunately our condo association isn't the fastest in responding to maintenance issues.

To the previous poster: the water does actually make it into the bowl upon flushing. There's just a lack of pressure during the bowl evacuation phase which is causing the problem.  

Reply to
jcseely

> > > > > > jcseely had written this in response to
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> : > > "I could be wrong, but this might be a venting problem in the stack. > > Bird nest, debris, whatever." > > > That's a great idea, I didn't think of that. It's a condo so I'll have to > > call our association to have them come out and check the vent pipe. This > > could be why the solution has been so elusive. > > > "Is the OP using the blue toilet cleaning stuff in this unit? > > Put some food coloring down the dip tube and flush. Does it come out > > good all the way around the bowl?" > > > Nope no blue stuff, and I tried the food coloring. No leakage. That's why > > this has gotten me so stumped, everything seems to be working in good > > order except that the water just doesn't evacuate from the bowl properly. > > Vent stack could be the culprit; unfortunately our condo association isn't > > the fastest in responding to maintenance issues. > > > To the previous poster: the water does actually make it into the bowl upon > > flushing. There's just a lack of pressure during the bowl evacuation phase > > which is causing the problem. > > The food cloring wasnt to check for leaks! > > Try flushing the color must go ALL the way around the bowl........ > > Might be internal sediment, might try giving it some acid to clean the > internal passages. Low cost easy to do- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -

If it is the stack, then pouring water into the toilet would not work. The OP didn't say if the water in the tank went down slowly when he flushed, it it goes down slowly, the problem is in the siphon area and an earlier poster said to fish around which is what to do.

Reply to
hr(bob) " <hr

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