How to Repair a Slow Flushing Toilet
A slow flushing toilet can present itself to be a massive headache, especially if the flush is weak and doesn’t flush down the waste you’re trying to get ride of. Knowing how to repair a slow flushing toilet will be beneficial and may save you from many embarrassing stories.
Why your Toilet is Flushing Slowly and/or Leaving Waste in the Bowl?
A clogged or blocked drain isn’t necessarily the reason for a slow-flushing toilet. Also, as mentioned before, a toilet that doesn’t flush properly can cause massive embarrassment. No one wants to know how your bowel movements are going, maybe your mother but no one else. Below, we’ve compiled a list of possible causes and repairs for slow flushing toilets.
Low-water-consumption toilets:
Usually, the contemporary low-consumption toilets are using about 6 liters per flush, sometimes even less. They are designed like that in order to reduce the water consumption. But this may lead under performance of the toilets if their flush valves or toilet fill are not adjusted properly. So keep in mind that there might not be a need of a complete toilet change but just a proper control maintenance, if you suspect this is the case, it is advisable you call the your local plumbing specialists in Melbourne.
Improper Venting or a Blocked Drain
At times toilets are just taking too long to empty or don’t empty themselves completely. But why?
• There may be a blocked building drain or waste piping: You should try using the toilet plunger and remember not to give up too soon. There might be a need of some serious plunging happening because of a blockage of excess toilet paper.
• Partially blocked plumbing vent: If you hear a gurgling sound coming from the shower or sink drain when you are flushing the nearby located toilet, you might be dealing with a problem in the drain-vent system. If this is the case call for assistance from a trained plumber.
• Improper toilet venting: If you see that the trap at the bathroom sink has an S-shape, it is possible that this is an old building and that there might be no plumbing vents at all.
• Low-pressure system: A low toilet tank installed for aesthetic reasons might be used with low profile toilets. There is a possibility that those models might not be flushing properly when the volume of the cistern is not properly adjusted or the vent system or the drain are not working properly.
Inspecting and Readjusting the Toilet Cistern and Tank Fill Volume
If you are sure that the vents are working properly and that there is no blocked drains, just a slow flushing of the toilet, you should inspect the cistern and toilet bowl volume.
• Low volume of the water in the tank: Keep an eye for the level of water, when the tank is refilling and the fill-up stops. Usually, the level of water must be about 1/4th of the fill line that is marked in the toilet tank itself. At the highest tank fill-up, the water level should be just below the top of the overflow tube which is located in the center of the tank.
Slow rate of running water
• Low volume of water in the bowl:If the volume of water in the bowl is very low, you should inspect the diverter tube. The small amount of water in the bowl could mean that there is a disconnected fill tube that is directing water into the standpipe of the tank while you are refilling the tank itself.
• Inspect the adjustment of the float assembly and the cistern fill valve There is a possibility for the cistern not to be filling up the indicated line in the tank and that the diverter tube is filling the bowl properly. If this is the case, you should just adjust the ball-cock float’s position or just the vertical rise toilet fill valve’s distance in order to put enough water in the tank.
If the cistern fill valve is operated by a ball-clock float, adjust the float arm in order for the float to raise, this will bring more water flowing into the tank.
If the fill valve is vertical rising concentric, you might be able change the location of the vertical float in order to increase or decrease the fill volume of the cistern, by sliding or screw-operated adjustments.
• Inspect the rim holes of the toilet bowl for clogs It is normal for rim holes to be clogged partly by hard water or debris that is passing through from the toilet tank. Those rim holes are designed to wash the toilet bowls’ sides. But if they get clogged, this will slow the volume of flush water and also the flushing itself. You can use lime, scale removers, vinegar or dishwasher detergent in order to clean the clogged rim and toilet bowl.
There are different types of toilet problems like slow flushing or blocked toilet – some of those can be easily fixed only by simple adjustments but other may require more thorough inspections and repairs, if that’s the case you should call a blocked drain specialist if it’s constantly blocked or an emergency toilet plumber for other emergency plumbing problems. You can be assured that these specialists will know how to repair a slow flushing toilet and all other toilet/plumbing related problems.
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