Plumbing Question

mbalbritton

mbalbritton

#@$%!
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Location
Lakeland, FL
Seems there's some plumbers on here as I recall.

Got a Toilet problem: It seems to loose water from the bowl. Typically there's about 4-6" of water in the bowl to trap gasses in the pipe. Every now and then the water level seems to drop, and yesterday it dropped to the point that it was no longer trapping the gasses out.

Not TOTALLY sure on this, but I'm starting to think it corresponds to when other water is being used in the house. e.g. Wife did a bunch of clothes washing yesterday.

So my thoughts are (and they may be missdirected) that when other water flows out of the house it pulls water from the toilet drain. do that several times and the level gets lower and lower.

Could this be? Is it a symptom of some problem I can fix, or just bad plumbing set up?

TIA
 
I would hazard a guess you have a clogged vent somewhere. But that's just a guess.
 
I'd double check the tank first, but my guess is the rubber/gel seal between the toilet and floor is cracked/rotted.
 
x2 on what Rob said
 
And for the trifecta... haul your arse up on the roof and clean the birds/bees next outta the vent! Hopefully, the cap is still on it and not part of the "clog"...

BTW, you still have my handtruck?
 
my guess is the rubber/gel seal between the toilet and floor is cracked/rotted
Click to expand...
i'm guessing you mean the wax seal between the toilet and the drain collar. which it wouldn't be, that has nothing to do with water staying in the bowl.

as has been mentioned, check your vents. a clogged one can and will siphon water out of a bowl. usually a clogged vent will cause the system to draw from sink/tub drains first, but it can affect a toilet also. drag a hose up on the roof and run water down the vents. it could also just be improper venting of the system when it was built. is this something that's always happened or just recently?

about the only other thing it could be is a crack in the porcelain somewhere and it's leaking out. it could be a crack in the bottom of the trap, which you likely wouldn't see until signs of it showed up elsewhere below the toilet (ceiling, crawl space, etc.).
 
RufusTheRam said:
about the only other thing it could be is a crack in the porcelain somewhere and it's leaking out. it could be a crack in the bottom of the trap, which you likely wouldn't see until signs of it showed up elsewhere below the toilet (ceiling, crawl space, etc.).
Click to expand...


there are some hairline fractures in the porcelin......

as for just started or been happening, we just moved in in January, still learning the house.

CaverDave said:
Tow rig driver!
Click to expand...
Oh ya! I know you!!!
 
mbalbritton said:
there are some hairline fractures in the porcelin......
as for just started or been happening, we just moved in in January, still learning the house.
Click to expand...

Anything damp underneath the house? If I read RtR's post correctly, outside of a clogged vent siphoning the bowl dry, any holes/cracks in the throne should manifest something being wet below?

mbalbritton said:
Oh ya! I know you!!!
Click to expand...

Dave's not here man! :D
 
I ws under the house the other day checking for Ants and didn't notice anything thing wet... but then I wasn't looking for water

guess what I'll be doing this weekend...
 
Floor under bathroom in crawl space is Dry and looks good.
Ran hose down 3 vents on roof (all of them) and everything seemed to flow freely.
The pluming under house seemd to grade nicely out the back of the house and pipes are Black PVC and look to be in new condition.

There are hairline fractures in toilet bowl, but does that mean it would not leak into plumbing, and only onto flooring, sub flooring?
 
I'd think that if you were losin ga whole tank of water into the floor/sybfloor, it's be pretty wet. What kind of floor does the bathroom have?
 
Just to Clarify, It's not loosing water from the tank, just the bowl.

The flooring in the bathroom is that Fake Laminate wood flooring crap. To be replaced with tile when I get to remodeling that room. Sub Flooring is 3/4-1" Ply.
 
Two story house? Check in the cabinates under your sinks. Look for a little vent under there. It'll come off the drain and stub up above the level of the p-trap. Called a Studor vent which basically lets in air when plumbing is in use but won't let gas out. They're basically a check valve and can go bad. I doubt that they had them in '74 but maybe been added on.
 
Could be the toilet itself was not vented properly or not sized properly.Is the toilet close to the laundry connection(share the same vent?) May have to revent the stool.
 
Nope, This toilet is on oposite side of house. Laundry is vented to the Hall Bathroom, we're dealing with Master Bathroom.

Wrong size toilet? My arse fits but yours may not :D
 
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