# Two Flushes - Why Now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670 "2014-05-18T03:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/1 "2014-05-18T03:15:50Z")
Why would a toilet’s flush become less efficient often presenting the need to flush twice (even for just liquid) when one flush was always good. I admit, we are on well water, and our water quality is good, but not perfect. Yet, our other (older) toilets have never needed two flushes. The only difference between our older toilets and this one is that this one is supposedly a water saving toilet that can flush 10 golf balls in one flush. And, I admit, for a water saving toilet, its performance has been surprisingly good until now. So, why would its flushing “signature” change? Should I bother to replace the internal parts? I don’t want to waste my time and money if this won’t make a difference. Your thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/2 "2014-05-18T03:27:13Z")
Have you taken the lid off the top and made sure everything is working properly? If it’s taking two flushes for liquids, especially if it wasn’t before, something is wrong. I’d start by making sure a)it’s filling all the way and b)the flapper is opening all the way. Start there. Next, dump about a gallon and a half of water (from a bucket) into the bowl and see if it appears to clear it all, quickly. For good measure, do it after you’ve used it and see if it clears everything out. If not, there’s likely a problem with the drain, if it does, there’s likely a problem with the way it’s flushing. One other thing, if the toilet over flows on any kind of a regular basis, toilet paper can get caught in the holes above the rim. If you’ve used a plunger recently, that can sometimes force toilet paper into that little hole at the base(?) of the bowl. If that happens, you’ll usually notice that it’s flushing differently, but that will cause some problems. ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/3 "2014-05-18T03:32:31Z")
Joey’s suggestions sound good to me. I’d only add that it may not be just toiler paper blocking the rim holes. If your water is hard (and if you’re on well water, there’s a good chance it is) they could be getting blocked by other particulate matter, or even lime deposits. How would you clean those out? I haven’t a clue. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/4 "2014-05-18T04:15:28Z")
I had a toilet doing the same thing and the lever arm that pulled the chain on the flapper bar had slipped out of position. Never really knew how those things worked until I had to fix it. If the flapper valve isn’t pulled up high enough it will fall back down before the tank empties. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/5 "2014-05-18T04:34:00Z")
Maybe those 10 golf balls are plugging it up. 😃 But seriously, try pouring CLR (calcium, lime, rust remover) in the tank and flushing it through the bowl.You might need to do it more than once, but this should help clear the rim holes. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/6 "2014-05-18T14:13:25Z")
If you have a well, do you also have a septic tank? Decreased flushing ability of both toilets was the only indicator that we needed the septic tank worked on last year. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/7 "2014-05-18T14:47:48Z")
‘Flush twice. It’s a long way to Jack In The Box.’ ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/8 "2014-05-18T14:52:49Z")
I recently had a problem with mine caused by lime deposits in the throat of the toilet. I couldn’t see them until I took a hammer and broke up the toilet to examine it. This particular toilet was an expensive larger throat variety and it only lasted about 10 years before plugging up. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/9 "2014-05-18T15:15:51Z")
One thing to try is change the flapper. I don’t know why, but on our toilets, after a few years the old flapper is doing something that doesn’t let as much water thru for a good flush. The flapper has to float a bit after being lifted and then flop down at the right time. The brand of toilet paper can also make a difference. Avoid the cheap stuff, it doesn’t break up well. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/10 "2014-05-19T02:56:42Z")
The most common cause for me with poor flushing had to do with the vent stack being blocked. Go up on the roof and look into the vent stack to make sure birds or wasps haven’t built a nest there. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/11 "2014-06-09T03:00:54Z")
Just wanted to follow-up: I’ll try lime-away in the tank. Oddly, no septic - public sewer! Thanks, all, for your thoughts! ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/12 "2014-06-09T04:07:06Z")
In a house I know of, built in the '50s, where the same thing was happening with every second or third flush of a brand-new toilet, the sewer pipe from the toilet, sink and bathtub leading to the vertical sewer pipe in the basement had gradually shifted from horizontal to an upward slant. I suppose the house had settled over the decades. The old toilet could handle it. The new one couldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/13 "2014-06-09T04:15:26Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > In a house I know of, built in the '50s, where the same thing was happening with every second or third flush of a brand-new toilet, the sewer pipe from the toilet, sink and bathtub leading to the vertical sewer pipe in the basement had gradually shifted from horizontal to an upward slant. > > I suppose the house had settled over the decades. The old toilet could handle it. The new one couldn’t. The old toilet was probably 3+ gallons, the new one is 1.6. ETA, it defeats the purpose, but running the bathroom sink while you flushed may have helped. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/14 "2014-06-09T05:19:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > The old toilet was probably 3+ gallons, the new one is 1.6. Yeah. No doubt. > [@](#): > > ETA, it defeats the purpose, but running the bathroom sink while you flushed may have helped. Thanks. I’m not sure it’s been fixed yet, so I’ll pass that along. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/15 "2014-06-09T05:24:41Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I had a toilet doing the same thing and the lever arm that pulled the chain on the flapper bar had slipped out of position. Never really knew how those things worked until I had to fix it. If the flapper valve isn’t pulled up high enough it will fall back down before the tank empties. This happened to me about 5 months ago. The problem was the arm. I had to replace the handle/arm assembly. A replacement cost about $8.00 at Lowes. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-flushes-why-now/688670/16 "2014-06-09T12:40:32Z")
blocked vent pipe… check it out.