Toilet problem?

Question

I am(ok we) are thinking of replacing our down stairs toilet. It has a tendancy to clog and back up very easy. We are not flushing anything weird down it and not using excessive toilet paper. We are not on a septic system. I noticed on home depots website that toilet bowls and toilet tanks are sold seperately. For our problem should we replace the bowl, the tank or both? I don't know what the major factor here is. The upstairs toilet works just fine. I'm not calling a plummer, my husband knows how to instal a toilet.

Answer 1

Probably both. They are usually meant to be sold as a set. Your problem could be caused by a clogged up bowl or maybe a clog in the sewer line under it, which replacing the toilet wouldn't fix. Before replacing it, why don't you get a closet auger (http://homerepair.about.com/od/termsaf/g... and really clean it out and see if that helps.

Answer 2

I'm not a plumber but I would hesitate to focus on replacing the toilet its self.  The problem may be in your piping.  The pipe that brings the waste water out of your home may be partially clogged.

Answer 3

If you have a concrete slab and 3 inch pipe is too far over more than likely that if you change the whole toilet you will have the same problem since the pipe is too close to the wall.  You can change the toilet out and the tank, but it wont do much help, you will have the same results.

Answer 4

There is one thing you can check before pulling up the toilet. Get a mirror and check under the rim on the inside. Sometimes the small holes under the rim plug which, in turn causes the water not to swirl properly. This in turn will cause things not to flush properly. If this is the case you can clean out the holes with the end of a coat hanger. Get a quart of delimer and pour it down the stand pipe in the tank after you open a window. Follow the directions carefully.

Answer 5

Okay, the upstairs toilet works fine.

Before investing on a new toilet, I would take off problem toilet, insert a hanger wire and move it around vigoriously, something may be lodge in there. A friend of mine had a similar problem.

Anyway, we took the toilet off, and began "feeling" for a foreign object. I felt "something", it turned out to be a cell phone. My friend's son (17 yrs.old, duh!) had dropped his cell phone in the toilet; he knew what he had done, but didn't tell a soul. I wiggled the phone with the help of some oil, and voila! Went to Home Depot, bought a ring, caulk, cleaned the area and toilet (oily) and screwed back on to floor. I waited a day to make sure everything was properly sealed. The toilet has flushed with no problem after that.

If nothing is lodged, pour water (tank amount) from bucket into floor opening and see how slow the water drains. Be PREPARED for a backup with lots of news papers or towels you can throw away; spread them on the floor BEFORE you pour the water. Repeat the process a few times, since you want to make sure the problem is or is not down in the pipes.

If the water backs-up, it is NOT the toilet.

I would buy a "snake" and insert it into opening. Wear a raincoat, boots, and goggles, okay, that was a joke! Once you have done the snake, pour more water into opening to see if the water goes down easy or easier. If it goes down quickly,you may have solved the problem, if not permanently, at least temporarily.

Tree roots are very invasive, and often times they are the culprit. A tree can be quite a distance from your property, but still invade your pipes. If a pipe is cracked or broken no lye or any kind of product is going to help your problem.

I hope your problem is just something wedged deep inside your toilet, and you can retrieve it without cracking the toilet. Good luck, and happy hunting.

PS: NO, the phone wasn't working after that.

Answer 6

It sounds more like a problem with the pipes to me.  I'd call the plumber.

Answer 7

maybe you should try the certified plumbers second opinion rather than just your husbands. it may be costly though to have the water pressure tank replaced. sometimes that can be the issue.

Answer 8

I would evaluate the altitude of the downstairs toilet some times a lower floor toilet does not have very much down hill pitch causing the whirlpool to rise some then go down slowly. If you have good circular motion in the bowl this may be the case

Answer 9

Replace the tank since that is what controls water pressure/flow.  But check first with your municipal government since some towns limit the amount of pressure toilets can use (generally for environmental reasons...less water flow means less water used).  If your state/town does have these limits changing the toilet may or may not help.

Pipes might be a problem too, either partially clogged due to age/use or because they are too narrow to meet the need.  Changing the toilet can be done yourself but if you get into replacing piping I'd call a plumber to make sure it is done correctly.

Answer 10

i know that your husband can replace a toilet, but can he run the snake down the pipes? That is what you should do long before you replace a toilet that flushes. Your lines will build up with gunk ( iamsure you can picture what gunk is) when you flush things like sanitary napkins and such down the pipes, they get hung up on hte gunk. It doesn't mean that it stays there, but it closes the hole up so much that anything besides water will slow down considerably. try using a snake with cutters on the end. You can rent one from your local home improvment store. It will be big and usually have a motor to spin the snake for you. Other things that can happen is roots can actually grow into your pipes if they have been there for a long time.

Answer 11

Heh heh heh heh heh. Toilet.

Answer 12

You'd be better off to have a plumber take a look. You could have buildup in your pipes and/or septic system that is causing the issue.