Larry Caldwell wrote:
Thanks for the speedy reply. I didn't mention that I'd already done
that--with mixed results. At first, the water would go down--I don't
mean the toilet would flush by pouring water into the bowl, I mean that
after some time it would have drained nearly empty. But then when I
tried it again, the water didn't go down at all, even after a couple of
days it hadn't dropped a bit. (I manually emptied it. Yuck.) So right
now I have an empty bowl and, as I said earlier, I want to do a
controlled flush.

As Bill noted, just pour a pail of water directly into the bowl. If the
toilet is still stopped up, come back with more information. Are you in
the USA? Is this a reduced water flush Kohler, or one of the old style?
Is the plumbing as new as the toilet, or was the toilet a replacement on
old plumbing?

I thought I was clear that I had already done that (poured water into
the bowl) and it ultimately didn't go down, so I manually emptied it.
But for the sake of thoroughness I did it again last night--with the
same results. It hasn't gone down one iota.

Yes, I'm in the USA, yes it's a reduced water flush Kohler, no the
plumbing isn't new, yes the toilet was replaced on old plumbing.

I also didn't mention that this house has been PLAGUED by plumbing
problems since I bought it. There's a recurring issue with roots in the
pipes--but I DON'T believe that's the problem this time. My reasoning
is this: The root problem ALWAYS manifests itself in one specific
location, which affects the OTHER bathroom. Everything else, in BOTH
bathrooms, is working fine--sinks, bathtubs, and the other toilet. If
the roots were back, they'd ALL be showing signs of it (and I know this
from lots of experience!).

Right now, I am guessing you have a plugged trap. Something that you
didn't notice may have fallen into the toilet and gotten wedged in the
trap, which is located in the base of the toilet. Getting it out can be
tough. If you are lucky, the drain cleaner may dissolve it.

Honestly, I just don't see how that could've happened. I'm the only one
who uses that bathroom and I am 100% sure that nothing other than toilet
paper has gone down it. I ALWAYS keep the lids down on both toilets,
plus there's NOTHING anywhere near that could fall into it even if the
lid was up.

I appreciate your help. Thanks. :-)