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Posted by TKM on October 4, 2006, 3:17 pm
>> OK... so this is a little embarassing...
>>
>> Just about anytime I take a crap in one of our toilets and the load is
>> "large" the toilet tends to clog. It happens almost all the time if I
>> use toilet paper but still clogs often even if I flush before
>> wiping. [sorry for the details]
>>
>> I can always clear it with a few quick plunges. I have tried using one
>> of those hand screw augurs (the ones with the plastic sleeve to
>> protect the trap) and it didn't meet any resistance nor did it fix the
>> problem. I have also tried feeling down the trap with my hand and
>> didn't feel any objects there.
>>
>> The toilet itself is a regular gravity flush one, maybe 5-10 years
>> old. I can't see the model number.
>>
>> Where is the likely source of the problem? clogged/bad trap? too
>> narrow waste pipe? too many bends in the waste pipe? bad wax seal? bad
>> vent?
>>
>> I can't see the waste pipe so I don't know the diameter but since this
>> is a 150 year old house, I wouldn't be surprised if there were issues
>> somewhere with the plumbing. By the way the bathroom (and toilet) is
>> on the third floor and I suspect that it was plumbed in sometime in
>> the last 30 years
>>
>> Any thoughts on how to troubleshoot this? I would prefer not to remove
>> the toilet if I don't have too...
>
> OK - I think I have tried everything mentioned in the thread but to no
> avail.
>
> 1. Closet (toilet) augur - no obstruction
> 2. Trying to flush by filling toilet with bucket of water (to make
> sure that not a water source or siphon issue) - no help
> 3. Using lots of Muriatic acid in the tank and in the bowl - no help
> 4. Removed toilet from wax seal (it had the type with a combination
> wax seal and rubber flange)
> - No visible or palpable obstruction in the toilet
> - No visible or palpable obstruction in the drain pipe
> - Probed both again with toilet augur
> No improvement after cleaning the toilet base and flange and
> replacing with new wax seal with flange
>
> Drain pipe does make a 90 degree curve under floor but it seems
> smooth and obstruction free otherwise. Also, the "load" seems to
> clog before getting very far suggesting that the problem is with
> the toilet
>
> I AM STUMPED
> Again:
> - Any large load (without toilet paper) or even a normal "load" with a
> moderate amount of toilet paper clogs the toilet.
> - As a "control" case, I have never had such frequent problems with
> other toilets
>
> I am beginning to think that maybe it is a bad toilet design. The
> problem (to me) at least seems to be with the toilet since the clog
> seems to happen before the load has gotten very far (presumably ruling
> out a drain problem). In fact much of the "load" regurgitates back
> into the bowl.
>
> It also doesn't seem to be a siphon problem because filling the bowl
> all the way up doesn't restart the siphon and it takes some reasonably
> forceful plunging to clear the clog.
>
> Any other suggestions or should I just buy a new toilet...
The same symptoms came with a house we bought a few years ago. Turned out
that the house had a septic tank (in the middle of a residential community
with sewers). We pumped out the septic tank; but improvement was only
brief. Finally I found a sewer contractor who understood sewer lines. He
found that the pitch of the line from the house to the septic tank was less
than it should be (line was too level) and that caused slow flow and
frequent clogs.
It's relatively easy, of course, to snake the lines and the vent pipe; so
check those out thoroughly. I don't see how a new toilet will make anything
better, however, if the problem is in the pipes somewhere.
TKM
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