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 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
