# Why won't my toilets flush? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415 "2019-01-25T20:14:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/1 "2019-01-25T20:14:18Z")
Ok, so new homeowner, and having issues with all three johns in the house. Two upstairs, one downstairs. When you flush, assuming there’s much of anything in the bowl, they clog. Watching it, it’s like everything is pushed to the back of the bowl, then tries to slowly settle in the trap, and then stops and clogs. I can do this with just a few wads of toilet paper. As such, I’m clogging a toilet about once a week. Thankfully, it does clear easily – flush again, the water level rises, and that’s about enough to push everything through. But why is it acting this way in the first place? In my last house, I clogged a toilet maybe 2-3 times over a decade. This pattern of clogs is insane. I went on the roof and looked in all of the vent lines. I couldn’t see anything. What’s the next step? Is it just a universal bad toilet design? [Sample flushing failure (just TP) in action (inaction?)](https://www.dropbox.com/s/vem07jy0k8t5vll/20190125_120236.mp4?dl=0) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/2 "2019-01-25T20:28:32Z")
Are you on city sewer or septic tank? ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/3 "2019-01-25T20:30:06Z")
Welcome to the World of Low Flow Toilets! Some low flow models are champs. Others should come with attached plunger. Try dumping a couple of gallons of water into the bowl when you flush. If everything goes down, it might be the toilet design. See, the builder had a brother-in-law who needed to unload a bunch of useless toilets… Go to Home Depot and talk to the guy about the best low flow model. And replace your potties. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/4 "2019-01-25T20:36:00Z")
Probably not your problem, but when we moved in to our current home we discovered that one of the toilets was installed with the wrapper still on the wax ring. Yes, it’s just as stupid as it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/5 "2019-01-25T20:44:24Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Are you on city sewer or septic tank? City sewer. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/6 "2019-01-25T20:45:24Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Probably not your problem, but when we moved in to our current home we discovered that one of the toilets was installed with the wrapper still on the wax ring. Yes, it’s just as stupid as it sounds. I’ve been wondering if there was a clog, like something got dropped in, but all three toilets? Hoping it’s not a crappy toilet design. I **hate** resetting toilets. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/7 "2019-01-25T20:47:57Z")
Looks like there’s not enough water dumping in from the tank to fully flush. Open the top and try adjusting the float so the tank fills higher, if possible. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/8 "2019-01-25T20:55:04Z")
What brand and model of toilet do you have? Sometimes it’s printed on the underside of the tank lid. It sounds like a poorly designed low-flow toilet. The well designed ones will develop a powerful siphon effect to empty the bowl. It sounds like this one doesn’t really do that and doesn’t build up enough force to pull stuff down. You can also check the waterlevel in the tank. Fill up the tank as high as you can with a bucket and then flush where you hold the handle down until the tank fully empties. Some toilets have a dual flush system. Those have a light flush for liquids and a heavy flush for solids. You may need to hold the handle down longer to activate the heavy flush. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/9 "2019-01-25T21:12:18Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > What brand and model of toilet do you have? Sometimes it’s printed on the underside of the tank lid. > > It sounds like a poorly designed low-flow toilet. The well designed ones will develop a powerful siphon effect to empty the bowl. It sounds like this one doesn’t really do that and doesn’t build up enough force to pull stuff down. > > You can also check the waterlevel in the tank. Fill up the tank as high as you can with a bucket and then flush where you hold the handle down until the tank fully empties. > > Some toilets have a dual flush system. Those have a light flush for liquids and a heavy flush for solids. You may need to hold the handle down longer to activate the heavy flush. Says Sterling on the bowl. Underside the lid there’s the following stamped into the porcelain: 404615 906 10/26/92 House was build in 92, so these must be original toilets. These toilets only have a single-flush setup. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/10 "2019-01-25T21:31:59Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > Says Sterling on the bowl. Underside the lid there’s the following stamped into the porcelain: > > 404615 > 906 > 10/26/92 > > House was build in 92, so these must be original toilets. I suspect that you have first-generation low-flush toilets, which are often pretty pathetic. The [Wiki article on the subject](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-flush_toilet)indicates that US law mandated that new toilets have reduced water use starting on 1/1/94, but local laws on the subject appear to have predated that. My parents remodeled their upstairs bathroom at about that time, and that toilet has been a problem ever since. Slow flushing, and hugely easy to clog it if you aren’t careful. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/11 "2019-01-25T21:37:09Z")
It does look like poor toilet design. The original toilets in my house were the traditional 4 gallon design and they flushed poorly. The builder may have put in the cheapest ones. You may want to replace them. The modern low-flow toilets are pretty good. I know Toto Drake works really well. Some cities have rebates for switching to low-flow toilets. Check with your water company to see. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/12 "2019-01-25T21:41:18Z")
Thank you everyone. I’ll look into replacements. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/13 "2019-01-25T21:47:40Z")
When we remodeled one of our bathrooms in 2008, we had a Kohler toilet installed. It has a pressurized tank, and it’s impressively powerful for a low-flow toilet. In 10 years of use, it’s not clogged once. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/14 "2019-01-25T21:58:10Z")
Low-flow toilets became Federal law in the early 90’s with some states adopting more strict building codes a little earlier, so they were on the market and builders would install them as selling points saying their homes were more efficient because of them. The first generation low-flow toilets were quite terrible. They basically took toilets that were engineered for lots of water and just used less water. The reduced volume of water that was dumped in the bowl wasn’t enough to generate the pressure needed for a good flush, so what happened was we essentially traded one flush of 1.6 gallons for two of 1.3 gallons. Toilet makers over the last couple decades have re-engineered the toilets and today we have really good low flow toilets which have dual modes which save even more water. Pressure assist toilets are really reliable and affordable as well. Since it’s all your toilets it’s unlikely to be a clog or problem with your supply lines or anything like that. Odds are it’s the design. You can do some things about this, the flapper inside the tank may be adjustable to stay open longer and let a little more water drain into the tank(this may require adjusting the lifting chain, or replacing the flapper). The tank may not be filling to the proper level, causing a weaker flush because of insufficient gravity feed from the tank. Or there may be partially clogged feed holes in the upper bowl rim due to hard water. [Fluidmaster](https://www.fluidmaster.com/toilet-problems/toilet-flush-weak/), the company which makes repair kits for lots of toilet innards, has a page with lots of helpful info on how to deal with toilets that have weak flushing. Good luck! Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/15 "2019-01-25T22:10:48Z")
I know everyone is saying its the toilets being low flow, but when this happened to me in my old apartment it was because of a clogged line that connected my apartment building to the main sewer line. [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839155&highlight=toilet](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839155&highlight=toilet) A plumber came out, snaked the line that was outside the building and that fixed the issue. You may have something similar going on. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/16 "2019-01-25T22:17:48Z")
Similarly, when all of the toilets in our house started flushing poorly, it was due to roots in the sewer line and the clog they caused. Everything went back to normal once the rooter guys did their thing. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/17 "2019-01-25T23:02:30Z")
Pray it’s not this: The last house we rented (in Texas) was built in 1974. We started renting in 2013; within a few months, all the toilets AND bathtubs/showers started backing up. Handyman came out–temporary fix. Two weeks later, same problem; plumber came out with snake and camera–temporary fix. Three weeks later, same problem. Long story short, when the house was built, some goober pounded a rebar through the main waste Y fitting to the street. 40 years of dirt had sifted into the pipe, with the rebar catching some solid goodies to add to the fun. They had to dig a man-sized, 15-foot long tunnel under the house to replace the Y fitting. Then everyone and his uncle had to come out for inspections. Finally, it was fixed, and the guys did a fantastic job of putting all the dirt and grass and PALM TREES back in their place–you’d never know where they dug. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/18 "2019-01-25T23:38:54Z")
I’m thinking something in the outflow drain, too. Could be roots or a broken pipe. Probably close to the street. In otherwords the part you’ll have to pay for. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/19 "2019-01-25T23:58:21Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I know everyone is saying its the toilets being low flow, but when this happened to me in my old apartment it was because of a clogged line that connected my apartment building to the main sewer line. > > [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839155&highlight=toilet](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839155&highlight=toilet) > > A plumber came out, snaked the line that was outside the building and that fixed the issue. You may have something similar going on. If it was the drain line, wouldn’t sinks and bathtubs also have drain issues? Right now it’s just the toilets ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415/20 "2019-01-26T00:02:38Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Pray it’s not this: > > The last house we rented (in Texas) was built in 1974. We started renting in 2013; within a few months, all the toilets AND bathtubs/showers started backing up. Handyman came out–temporary fix. Two weeks later, same problem; plumber came out with snake and camera–temporary fix. Three weeks later, same problem. Long story short, when the house was built, some goober pounded a rebar through the main waste Y fitting to the street. 40 years of dirt had sifted into the pipe, with the rebar catching some solid goodies to add to the fun. They had to dig a man-sized, 15-foot long tunnel under the house to replace the Y fitting. Then everyone and his uncle had to come out for inspections. Finally, it was fixed, and the guys did a fantastic job of putting all the dirt and grass and PALM TREES back in their place–you’d never know where they dug. My drain lines go out under the concrete garage floor and concrete driveway… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-toilets-flush/828415.md?page=2)