[pwa]

Hi to all,I search the archives and could not find the answer to my problem.I bought a used A.S. toliet and rec'vd the used guts with it.The rubbers looked pretty iffy on the aucuator so I bought all new parts only to find the tank to bowl rubber needed a flanged seal.Anyway the tank does not empty all the way,the flapper drops when the water levl is about an 1 1/2 above the drain giving me a weak flush.Theres no obstruction and the chain is directly over the flapper with a little slack.Could I have the wrong seal on the inside raising the hieght of the acuator?It came with a system that look like little barrels,would those work better?Can I attach a little be of styrofoam or something boyant to keep the flapper open a little longer? Thanks in advance for any input

 

[Mike Swearingen]

Rubber flappers can become weak with age and use although you can't tell it by looking.
Replace the flapper and adjust the chain with very little slack so that it just allows the flapper to seal completely.
Good Luck!
Mike

 

[Just Bill]

You don't specify what is the gal usage(or age) of the toilet, but most toilet tanks do not completey empty, even old 3+ gal toilets. Modern 1.6 gal toilets definitely do not empty. They barely use 1/2 tank.

A general rule of thumb is: the flapper should drop as the water bottoms out in the bowl. Sooner may not give a complete flush, later is just s waste of water. Fluidmaster makes and adjustable flapper that works well, about $5.

 

[pwa]

The toilet is a 3 1/2 gallon model 4049 year unkown. The flapper is new and is adjustable. It has a scale with numbers on it and seems to work best all the way up to #8.If there are floaters in the bowl it will not clear it with out holding down the handle.I threw some small bits of styrofoam in and they went right down, I just dont get it?When install the toilet it was not what you would call text book.There didnt appear to much roam for my wax seal so I got the thinest none reniforced one.Could some of the wax squished out and ubstructed the drain causing a week flush?

 

[Homerepairguy]

The toilet is a 3 1/2 gallon model 4049 year unkown. ...snip... Could some of the wax squished out and ubstructed the drain causing a week flush?

Try dumping 3-1/2 gallons of water into the bowl from a bucket. That might help answer your question.

HRG

 

[pwa]

sorry for being a novice do I dump the water in the bowl or the tank?I have heard the toilet will flush by itself if water is dumped in but I have never done it.

 

[Homerepairguy]

sorry for being a novice do I dump the water in the bowl or the tank?I have heard the toilet will flush by itself if water is dumped in but I have never done it.

Insure that the water level in the bowl is what it normally is and then dump the 3.5 gallons of water directly into the bowl. This will test the flushing ability of water in the bowl and the waste drain pipes and venting. It eliminates any problems in the path from the tank to the bowl.

If the test above flushes with a whoosh, then the problem is in the path from the tank into the bowl.

HRG

 

[ScottR]

the flapper drops when the water levl is about an 1 1/2 above the drain giving me a weak flush.

Looking at the stock flush valve for your toilet, I think the toilet was designed to have the flapper close with (give or take) 1 1/2" of water left in the tank.

 

[pwa]

Yeah your right it looks that way to me too.I dumped 3 1/2 gallons into the bowl and it went right down and the water level returned to where it was.So if appears there is no obstruction and the tank is emptyed to its designed level how can I improve it flush?

 

[Homerepairguy]

I dumped 3 1/2 gallons into the bowl and it went right down and the water level returned to where it was.

When you dumped water "from a bucket" directly into the bowl, almost all of the water should have been flushed down with only a small bit left at the very bottom of the bowl. If the water level returned to where it was, there's something wrong with the toilet trap, drain pipes or venting.

In fact this is how I clean our toilets. I dump a pitcher full of water into the bowl and most of the water is flushed down. That allows scrubbing the parts of the bowl that are normally under water very easily without diluting the cleaning agent. Just one pitcher of water does the flush for either our old many gallons/flush toilet or our new 1.6 gallon/flush toilet.

HRG

 

[pwa]

Great, sound like I need to pull the toilet off and check to see if the wax ring is causing an ubstruction .The old toilet work fine but had cracked at the base after someone falling against it.I dont know where the trap is or how to check it? Thanks for all your help!!

 

[Homerepairguy]

Great, sound like I need to pull the toilet off and check to see if the wax ring is causing an ubstruction .The old toilet work fine but had cracked at the base after someone falling against it.I dont know where the trap is or how to check it? Thanks for all your help!!

The trap is built into every toilet. Look at the side of your toilet and in most cases one can see the shape of the trap channel that is molded into the toilet. The trap holds water to keep sewer gases and critters out. When the bowl is filled after a normal flush, the top of the water level in the bowl corresponds to the top of the water level in the trap.

To verify that the trap in your toilet is clear, see post #13 in this thread:

http://www.diychatroom.com/f7/toilet-wont-flush-103796/

HRG

 

[pwa]

ok, tried dumping in 3 gal instead of 3 1/2 and there was only a little water left at the bottom,can I assume this is a 3 gal. toilet or 3 1/2 with a problem?Also do you know why the bowl clears when the handle is held down?