Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Toilet not clogged but won't flush

Toilet is apparently not clogged but won't flush. When the handle is pushed the bowl fills but the water is slow to drain. A plumber looked at it and I think he said the "valve (or maybe flapper) is allowing the bowl to fill too guickly and the drain cannot keep up". He said that was not a problem and there was no fix. Does that sound correct or maybe something similar? It worked for two days after he left but is now not working again and will not clear the waste even though the water eventually drains down to the normal level.

Thanks-Steve

No insult intended, but have you tried a plunger? If you think it's clogged, that's a good place to start.

Assuming you have tried this, does the water flow into the bowl from the tank when you flush like it used to or is that flow slower?

No offense taken. We have tried a plunger and a toilet snake (closet auger). The plumber also used a toilet snake and said he felt no resistance. The water is filling at what seems to be a normal rate. Unfortunately, we just moved into this house last week (built in 2000) and I do not know what might have been normal for this toilet. We are also on a septic system if that relates.

I'm having the same problem, actually. I've plunged and plunged, but the water just slowly drains down, and when I try and flush it again, the bowl gets dangerously close to overfilling.

I haven't watched what the tank does yet, but will watch next time it drains down and I try to flush. (there's no septic system here, though.)

Aoi

Plumber was mistaken. You have a clog. You should be able to dump a 5 gallon bucket of water into the bowl and never see the water level rise. The only thing that stops the water from draining is a clog. One thing you may want to try is a drain cleaner called Draincare. It is an enzyme cleaner. Enzyme cleaners cling to the clog and "eat" them, unlike caustic cleaners that make a hole and then go down the drain pipes. It is also safe for septic systems. Good luck.

I have had a similar sounding situation in a rental property last year. The bowl always drained slowly. Snaking did not pull out any debris but the problem remained. I pulled the toilet and the drain lines were clear and the toilet snaked OK up from the bottom. Pouring water in the bowl while it was out in the yard the bowl still drained slow, even with no drain line connected. On about 1 in 10 tries with the snake I thought I could feel something. Well after exhausting all the tricks I knew I was resigned to puting in a new toilet. A hammer to the trap section of the toilet revealed a plastic ball. The ball must have been shoved into the toilet by a child. It was slightly too big to pass out either end of the toilet and it's smooth surface did not give the snake anything to grab.

I had to take the toilet off and then use the snake. It was too far in for the snake to reach going through the toilet but it cleared once I was able to use the snake directly in the drain pipe. It was not a pleasant task given that the toilet was not completely drained. I did remember to put a new wax ring on the toilet! Thanks for all of the responses.

Mine's still not working...I'm gonna try and get that Draincare product sometime tonight...but it looks like water is coming UP from the bottom of the bowl.

I've shut the water to the toilet off, and tried flushing it and the water looked somewhat like a dome and the water level went up some. Any idea what this might be?

Aoi

AoiJuuni, The water goes down through the trap that is built into the toilet base. If it hits a blockage, the only place it has to go is back up the bowl. Draincare is really good but if it does not work, you may have something stuck in the trap or the piping that is not able to be taken care of (toothbrush, comb etc) with it and may need a drainsnake run through it. If it doesn't work and you go the snake route, remove the toilet and pour water down the pipe first to make sure if its in the piping or the toilet bowl. This saves time if you know where the clog is. Good luck.

Sometimes an object (like Pilot Dane's plastic ball) will give this kind of symptom:

"It worked for two days after (the plumber) left but is now not working again".

A toothbrush, for example, will let plenty of water pass but gradually snags paper until the drain is blocked. Then a snake or plunger clears the paper - not the toothbrush - and here we go again. Some toilets work tolerably well but prove to have held collections of objects all along.

***

AoiJuuni, if you use a snake, have it pass through a short, wide rubber hose or similar tube where it's in the bowl. This protects the bowl from marks a steel snake will make otherwise.

I had a similar problem. Here's what solved it for me. When I look down into the bowl, there is a small hole towards the front of the toilet (not the one where the stuff goes when you flush). I poured some CLR into the bowl and let it sit overnight. Then I cleaned out the small hole with a piece of a wire clothes hanger. A bunch of sediment came out. That solved it. Looking back, if I had to do it again, I'd probably use a small bottle brush -- less chance of scratching the porcelain.