Make sure there's no 'disinfectant' tablet involved anywhere.

Joseph Meehan wrote in message
...
diagravial wrote:
Yeah, I tried that--just makes the toilet run longer, but it doesn't
flush.

On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 21:44:37 GMT, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

diagravial wrote:
The toilet isn't working correctly.
When I pull the handle, the water in the tank goes down. the flapper
goes down, and everything looks like it is working from inside the
tank. But, in the bowl it is a different story. It doesn't flush.
What I mean is that the water from the tank seems to be going into
the bowl, and the water in the bowl seems to be going down the
trap, but it is more like an exchange of the waters. That is to
say, the bowl doesn't empty like a full flush would be. If I add
some water to the bowl directly, I get a full flush, but not unless
I add the water.
I tried adjusting the float the other day, but that didn't do any
good.

Got any ideas? Thanks,

Try holding the handle down until it flushes. Many toilets have
two flush modes. Regular or heady duty. You get the heavy duty by
holding down the handle. You also may have a problem with the flap
valve.

In that case I would look into the suggestion to check the holes under
the rim. You might also consider that there may be some of partial
obstruction or a problem with the flapper valve keeping it from fully
opening or closing too soon.

Finally it may be time for a new toilet.

Buying by brand name is not a good idea. Most brands make good models
and poor models.
Many of the water savers are very good, some are very bad. I was
looking
at a few the other day. Limiting it to standard looking models (no color
or
special designer looks) I found models priced from $39.95 to $289.95.

All the cheaper models (which likely make up 90+% of the total sold,
especially to contractor homes) have 1.75" traps unglazed. The better
ones
had 2" or larger traps with additional water surface areas and the trap
areas were glazed. Some even had special pressurized water tanks.

Consider the difference. Have you felt the surface of an unglazed
ceramic surface? That along with poor design, small opening etc. all
contribute to poor performance. Using a lot of water was just a cheap way
of getting around bad design.

Get a good water saver and you will be fine. Get a cheap model of any
design and you will have problems.

A very large market for them are builders who want the cheapest
thing that meets the code, so they all make one. You don't want this.
They
all also make nice looking models that have a lot of appeal until you get
them home and you find that the working parts are the same as the
builder's
specials.

Consumer Reports magazine did a report on them not long ago, you
should
be able to find a copy in the library. That may help.

Most people seem to be very happy with the American Standard Cadet
models. Note that they do make more than one model in that line and pay
attention to the trap design in which one you pick. Others like the
Gerber
(sp) power flush line. They are a little nosier and have a little more
complex flushing system, but it is very effective.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math