AboutDana Bostick Expertise Pretty much any residential plumbing questions. Note: I live and work in Southern California. We do not as a rule use boilers, hot water or steam heating systems or wells so my knowledge in those areas is limited. There are others here that can probably answer those questions better.
"We all is city folk" out here! What is a "well" LOL
Experience Licensed General Contractor with Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical sub-licenses
Question QUESTION: I have a water saver toilet. It takes about 5 flushes to get even the tiniest piece of paper to go down. I don't know how that saves water, but anyway - can I replace the "guts" in the bowl to convert it to a regular toilet, or do I need to just buy a brand new toilet? Thanks.
ANSWER: Hello Rusty,
Unless you have one of the very first units from 10-15 years ago, I find it hard to believe that it works that badly. Something is not working properly. The first "low flow" units were 3.5 GPF and "sort of worked", I installed a lot of them because it was required. Then they went to 2.5 GPF and then down to 1.6 GPF which is the current standard. Each toilet is designed to work with the proper amount of water. The only adjustable part is the flush and fill mechanisms. The actual flush is built in to the bowl and trap design which is cast in.
You might be able to replace the internal components of the tank but everything these days is mandated to be low flow. The replacement parts will be as well. The stores are not allowed to sell any other kind.
Does the toilet seem to flush properly? Does the water go down normally? Are you sure it's not a drainage restriction or venting problem? Does it flush any better if you use a bucket of water dumped in the bowl to flush it instead of the water in the tank? This will tell you if it's lack of water or something else causing the problem. (It will flush that way. It's the same as hitting the flush lever. Doing that just dumps water into the bowl as well.)
Good Luck,
Dana
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QUESTION: Its almost like the flush cycle (?) is not lasting long enough. Sometimes, I can do what I call priming it (just barely touching the handle - not activating a full flush, just making it run a little water). If I do that 4 or 5 times, I can get it to flush completely, but not always. Normally when you flush it, it swirls around about 3 or 4 times, then thats it. The flapper valve closes and the tank starts to fill with water again.
ANSWER: It's obvious that this toilet is NOT working as intended. The length of the flush is usually set by the flapper. If it is dropping too soon, it's not working right. The toilet itself could be having a problem. There are internal water passages that must work to create the siphon effect that is the flush. They can become blocked by lime scale etc. and not work.
There could also be a restriction in the drain line that is not letting it develop a good siphon to empty the bowl.
Do what I said before. Dump a 2-3 gallon shot of water in the bowl from a bucket fairly rapidly. It should "flush" correctly. If it does, the problem is with the flush mechanism not putting enough water, fast enough into the bowl to get a good flush. If it does not, the problem may be in the drain line. The bowl should not overflow. I have drained 100 gallon fish tanks on the 15th floor of office buildings through a toilet.
Good Luck,
Dana
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QUESTION: Okay, I poured water into the bowl and it flushed. Looking inside the bowl, I see that the water comes back up to the correct water level as marked on the stem that is sticking up in the tank. Anything higher, and the water runs constantly. What are the two screws for on the back end of of the float arm, where it attaches to the other stem ( I guess where the water comes in)? How do I adjust the length of the flush cycle?
Answer Hi Rusty,
Take the lid off the tank and then flush the toilet normally. Watch the flapper. It should lift up and stay up until the water level in the tank drops enough that it floats back down and seals the flush valve opening. If it does this, it is working as intended. If it drops sooner, stopping the flush cycle too soon, the flapper is faulty. There is really no adjustment for this. It works or it doesn't.
The stem in the center is called the "overflow" and it prevents the tank from overfilling. If the water level is set too high on the fill valve, the excess water goes down the overflow tube and into the bowl where it continuously runs down the drain. Big waste of water!
The screws on the float arm are to adjust the level of the fill. As the float rises, it shuts of the incoming water. Adjusting the float is done with the center screw usually. Screwing it down farther turns the water off sooner, up, later. There should be a level mark on the inside of the tank about an inch lower than the top of the over flow. There should also be a small tube or pipe that runs from the fill valve over to the top of the overflow. The water that it runs into the overflow while the tank is refilling usually runs down into the bowl through the holes in the rim of the toilet for "wash down". If this tube is missing or not pointed into the overflow, the toilet may not flush properly.
Good Luck,
Dana
