Bob wrote:

A toilet I have in my house keeps getting clogged up so one day I ripped up
the floor boards (it is on a second floor) and I followed the toilet 3-inch
toilet drain pipe line. To my dismay, before taking a vertical drop, the
drain runs 15 feet. The drain is well ventilated after about 9 feet and is
at a steady slope of only 1/4 inch per foot. I replaced the drain pipe, but
there was no damage to the original one so I don't think that will help
much. I built a 1.5 inch pedestal below the toilet to slightly increase the
slope. Even though this is at-or-above the 1/4 inch per foot slope minimum,
is this 15 foot horizontal drain setup "up to code"?

Unfortunately, the house is poorly designed and it is pretty much impossible
to move the toilet to a different location. Additionally, there are no
possible different routes for the toilet drain. The closest vertical drain
drop is only about 6 inches away but it is only a 2 inch pipe for the
shower, and 1.5 inch pipe for the bathtub (which merge a couple feet down
the wall). Why didn't the builder run the toilet drain down the same wall?
Who knows... I cannot run the drain line down the same wall myself because
the drains go into a solid block of the concrete below the house.

Secondly, I've been looking at more expensive toilets which may help reduce
the chance of the toilet clogging up in my current setup. My current toilet
it some generic 1.6 GPF toilet. But I am considering a jet,
pressure-assisted, or power-assisted toilet. Kolher advertises their
power-assisted toilet is king when it comes to flushing -- but will this
help me in my situation?

http://www.us.kohler.com/tech/produc...ushsystems.jsp

*Thanks* for any input.


There's nothing fundamentally wrong with a long horiz run
at 1/4" per foot.

"The drain is well ventilated after about 9 feet"
What does this mean??
The drain should be vented no more than 3 feet from the
toilet. But I doubt that venting is causing your problems.
Have you determined where the clogging occurs? If you can
plunge it clear, I suspect the clogs are completely within
the toilet .

One of the major causes of clogging in low-flush toilets
is the use of "soft" tissue. This modern stuff wads up
into great clumps which defy flushing. As an experiment,
try switching to old-style tissue for a few weeks.

Yes, you'd probably be happier with the Kohler.

Jim