Can I adjust the water level in my low-volume toilet?

[Cat Whisperer]

We installed a new low-volume toilet (6 litres, I believe), and it works okay, but the water level in the bowl is practically non-existent. This leads to a crappy situation where the bowl gets way too dirty way too fast. Is there a way to adjust this level upwards, so the toilet doesn't have dried-on poo in it all the time?

(I did a little Google search on this topic, and I think it can be done, but the explanations given are just beyond me. Can someone tell me what to do in terms of "bend the little metal stick with the chain in it a teeny bit"?)

[Santo Rugger]

The level in a toilet bowl is determined by the shape of the trap, and there's not really anything you can do about it.

From www.toiletology.com/frequent.shtml

Question: Why is the water level in my toilet bowl lower than I see in many other toilets ?

A. If you have one of the newer 1.6 toilets, many of them are designed to have a very small amount of water left in a bowl after the toilet is flushed. There is nothing you can do about this; the amount of water in these bowls is determined by the shape of the bowl.

To determine what the water level in your toilet bowl should be, slowly pour several gallons of water into the bowl. The water level will settle at the maximum height that your bowl is designed to hold.

On the other hand, if the water level in your bowl after flushing is now lower than it usually is then you have a problem that is more likely correctable.

In this case, the first thing to do is to carefully remove the lid from the tank and check that the little tube from the refill valve is directing water into the overflow pipe. This little tube sometimes gets knocked out of position while someone is making a repair in the tank. The tube should never drop down inside the pipe; it should be clamped to the top edge. This water refills the bowl during the flush.

A low water level in a bowl can also be caused if the toilet is not properly vented, or the vent is clogged. Poor venting can create a vacuum in the system when a toilet is flushed and too much water will be sucked out of the bowl.
<snip>

I tend to trust this answer, as one of the previous questions on the page debunks the "clockwise flush in the Northern Hemisphere" urban legend.

[Cheesesteak]

Just another thumbs up for Santo's post, though it should not require "several" gallons of water to check for your bowl's natural water level. One gallon should be plenty to check a 1.6 gallon flush toilet.

Carson is also definitely right, those instructions are for the tank, not the bowl, and may not even be right for your new toilet, there are a dozen different designs for both the float and the flapper. It's worth double checking the depth of the water in the tank, make sure it's either at the fill line, if it's marked, or simply up near the top of the overflow tube. If it is too low, you have to see for yourself how the float adjusts, and raise the float so it turns the water off at a higher point.

[Carson O'Genic]

The prior post is gospel as regards the bowl level.It is determinined by internal siphon which while conceivable to alter would be mind numbingly tedious to effect.
The given instructions relate to water level in the cistern which may alleviate your complaint marginally.You are likely S.O.L.

[Cat Whisperer]

Well, thanks for the info. I gotta say, this is the last low-volume toilet I will be installing if that's the nature of that beast. I find it extremely distasteful for my toilet to be so dirty all the time just for the sake of a couple cups of water (when the average North American wastes gallons and gallons every day).

[Kilvert's Pagan]

Originally Posted by featherlou

Well, thanks for the info. I gotta say, this is the last low-volume toilet I will be installing if that's the nature of that beast. I find it extremely distasteful for my toilet to be so dirty all the time just for the sake of a couple cups of water (when the average North American wastes gallons and gallons every day).

::trying not to take umbrage:: I think it depends upon the model as well. I installed a low flow toilet a few years ago that works BETTER than the two older ones we still have. We just checked out Consumer Reports, and then found whichever one of their top few picks had the best deal.

It could be a "user issue" - maybe you're just abnormally shitty.

OK, so maybe I took umbrage after all...

[11811]

Originally Posted by featherlou

Well, thanks for the info. I gotta say, this is the last low-volume toilet I will be installing if that's the nature of that beast. I find it extremely distasteful for my toilet to be so dirty all the time just for the sake of a couple cups of water (when the average North American wastes gallons and gallons every day).

My dad had a pricy, pressure-assisted, low-volume toilet installed. The water is somehow stored under pressure prior to the flush, so it comes out like a small tsunami. I think this helps prevent the pooh from crustifying.

[Carson O'Genic]

Low-flows are mandated in many codes in the U.S. Early reports of their use were mostly concerning line back-up,and were blamed on Democrats (dim memory says Al Gore had a hand in the passage of pertinent verbiage) with resulting puerile scatology.

Personally I have installed several,had them in my own home prior to mandate,and have had no problems,apart from sporadic need for double flushing.

Perhaps there is a cleaning product dosed by tank filling that could alleviate your problem.

[lieu]

Originally Posted by featherlou

Can someone tell me what to do in terms of "bend the little metal stick with the chain in it a teeny bit"?)

Make sure the plane's over the middle of the lake before the bomb doors open.

[Long Time Lurker]

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...1&SKU=13688672

[Rattlehead02]

As much as I would like to blame Al Gore or Democrats in general, I think the real backers of Low Flow Terlets are the Big Plunger Companies. I'm unclogging mine at least once a month.

Though I too may be abnormally shitty

[Ignatz]

KYou can easily check whether or not the bowl will hold more water than is there after a flush. Just take a container of water and pour it slowly into the bowl. If the level rises, then it will hold more than the flusher produces.

Right now my old tub/shower faucet is leaking drip, drip, so I've put a plastic waste basket (Brits read dust bin) under it to catch the drips (just to see the rate of wastage). I've been pouring the 2 or so gallon bucket full into the commode rapidly instead of flushing and it all goes down. The water level goes much lower than after a normal flush so I pour the last of the water in slowly to raise the level to normal so that the next solid droppings will splash vs. slide.

Hope to get my leak fixed soon as we are in a drought right now.

BTW, my flusher is 30 years old so still gets the full blast. I'm just using the drippings until my landlord fixes the faucet leak.

[Leaffan]

If you do adjust it upwards, think of the males in the family please. I just went into the washroom at work to take a dump, sat down and the head of my penis went straight into the water! That has never happened before. The water was running ever so slightly. I think it somehow raised the level a bit. Either that or I suddenly grew by an inch or two whilst in flaccid mode.

[Kilvert's Pagan]

Originally Posted by Leaffan

If you do adjust it upwards, think of the males in the family please. I just went into the washroom at work to take a dump, sat down and the head of my penis went straight into the water! That has never happened before. The water was running ever so slightly. I think it somehow raised the level a bit. Either that or I suddenly grew by an inch or two whilst in flaccid mode.

well, at least you can pee underwater that way... less splashing.

[Cat Whisperer]

The toilet is in my husband's "reading room." Whether or not *I* am abnormally shitty is not the issue.

Leaffan, the water level is so low (think completely empty bowl except for water in the neck of the bowl at the bottom) that I don't think penis dipping would be a problem. Not to tell tales or anything, but my husband does not have an 18" schlong.

[Darth Nader]

Originally Posted by featherlou

penis dipping

Band Name!

[Darth Nader]

I once lived in an apartment building where the toilets would clog nearly daily. The building manager explained to us how she never flushed toilet paper, as that was "too much" for the nearly 100-year-old building's plumbing to handle. We moved. Eew. Plumbing does the job in one flush, or it's broken. There should never be any floaters or skid marks.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Darth Nader

I once lived in an apartment building where the toilets would clog nearly daily. The building manager explained to us how she never flushed toilet paper, as that was "too much" for the nearly 100-year-old building's plumbing to handle. We moved. Eew. Plumbing does the job in one flush, or it's broken. There should never be any floaters or skid marks.

That's how I feel - if I have to flush twice to get rid of the skid-marks, then we really haven't saved a lot of water, have we?

(If you're not flushing toilet paper, you are - putting it in the garbage can? Can I get a really big here?)

[Santo Rugger]

Originally Posted by featherlou

<snip>
(If you're not flushing toilet paper, you are - putting it in the garbage can? Can I get a really big here?)

In Brazil, we were asked to do just that. There was a little bag next to the toilet for that purpose, emptied once or twice a day. On the plus side, there was also a hose, that was exactly like a hose and nozzle you might see on an American sink. So, even though you didn't flush the toilet paper, it was mostly water on it anyway. No big chunks, so to speak.