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Question DetailsAsked on 1/13/2018

Tank fills properly but flush is sluggish and bowl does not refill completely

Tank fills properly, flushing is sluggish and bowl does not refill to right level

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1 Answer


Then you most likely have a partial blockage in that line, or something stuck in the "syphon" - the gooseneck section of the outlet through the toilet (which commoinly is expressed by a "goose neck" or "swan neck" shaped bulge on the outside of the base casting. Sometimes just putting a squirt of liquid handsoap (liquid type, not gooey type) or dish washing liquid soap into the bowl, then flushing down severl buckets of full hot water from the hsower/tub will clear it out - of course, have someone watching to be sure there is not a backup at a low elevation drain - floor drains, showers/tubs for instance in case the clog ismore than can handle the buckets of water. When doing this, keep the bowl full to the bottom of the rim by pouring in more water as it runs out.

If that does not do it, try plunging with a cup type plunger - gently pressing the plunger down into the bowl, then making sure the "cup" is sealed at the bottom of the bowl opening, sharply pulling back a few inches to put a suction on the syphon. This will pull any clog near or in the toilet back up the way it came, generally unclogging it. Do NOT push the plunger down with force - that commonly just forces the clog in tighter. I have never had this fail in a toilet (as opposed to further down the pipe) which was blocked by "natural" products, as opposed to "foreign objects".

The reason for the incomplete bowl refill is that, because of the slow draining out, the bowl is still emptying when the refill water from the tank stops running (this usually tops up the bowl, running in from under the rtim with most brands). If the drain-out continues but is slow (commonly causing a gurgling noise in that case too) that inflow is done before the bowl empties, so there is no inflow to refill the bowl so it usually sits at about the level of the top of the outlet from the toilet rather than the usual 2-4 inches deeper than that.

If those fail, then the blockage could be further down the line and need to be snaked out. Drain Cleaning is the normal Search the List category for that - also if the clog is foreign material like pill or small shampoo or perfume bottle, stuffed animal, toy, washcloth, paper towels, hygiene products, etc.

Answered 1 year ago by LCD

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