Plumbing: Toilet does not flush, but drains are not clogged.
 

Earlier today I removed the toilet to use a power auger to unclog the
drains. The drains are unclogged now without any water backing up in
the drain pipe. I resest the toilet When I flush the toilet the
water just builds up in the bowl all the way to the top. If I tilt
the toilet breaking the wax seal the water drains out (not on the
floor, but down the sewer). I took the toliet outside turned it
upside down and ran water through it with a water hose. I stuck a
drain snake through it with no problem.

Would a clogged vent cause the toliet not to flush? The shower and
sink are draining fine. Any ideas?

Plumbing: Toilet does not flush, but drains are not clogged.
 

Update: I reset the toilet again. After first placing the toilet I
dumped a bowl of water in it and it flushed properly. I then
proceeded to put the nuts on the bolts and tighten it down. The
toilet now slowly drains, after dumping a bowl of water in it, but
does not flush. Any ideas. Could it be when I tightened the toilet it
made the wax ring interfere with the drain?

Plumbing: Toilet does not flush, but drains are not clogged.
 

Aaron wrote:

Update: I reset the toilet again. After first placing the toilet
I
dumped a bowl of water in it and it flushed properly. I then
proceeded to put the nuts on the bolts and tighten it down. The
toilet now slowly drains, after dumping a bowl of water in it, but
does not flush. Any ideas. Could it be when I tightened the toilet
it made the wax ring interfere with the drain?




Three things to watch for:


1. misalignment of the wax seal when seating the bowl.

I clean the floor flange and surrounding floor until it very clean. I
do the same with the "horn" sewage exhaust port under the toilet. I
tilt the toilet 90 degrees and push the wax ring on the horn until it
sticks firmly. Then I lift the toilet and align and seat it in one
motion.


2. clogged vent pipes

The sewer lines will have vent pipes that go all the way thru the roof
and vent pressure. If these lines have pine straw or leaves in them,
it can cause the water to drain slowly. In this case, I get on the
roof and run a rotary cutter thru the vent pipes.


3. clogs in the toilet itself.

A child can flush the lid off a tin can and the lid can get caught in
the internal toilet passage. The tin can lid can pivot and block the
passage one minute, the next minute it can pivot again and allow
sewage to pass. A snake can pass right by it.

The last slow toilet I encountered, someone had flushed Q-tips down
the toilet. When exiting the toilet into the sewer line, those
Q-tips that were mostly oriented straight up-and-down would pass
smoothly. The Q-tips that were oriented sideways were wider than the
horn exhaust port, so some of them had caught and would not pass. In
this example, three or four had hung up and created enough drag to
stop the flushing action.


Good luck, please post what you find.......

Plumbing: Toilet does not flush, but drains are not clogged.
 

Good luck, please post what you find.......


Thanks for the help!

The toilet is flushing now. This morning I went on the roof and put
the snake down the vent. I got it as for as it would go, which I
think was the bottom. I could hear some water sloshing at the
bottom. I came inside and the toilet flushed.

The full story was yesterday I rented a power auger for $40, brought
it home and ran it down about 90' and returned it. I did not check if
it was unclogged before I took back, Doh! I then called a plumber for
$200 he used his power auger. It took him 5 times down to clear. (I
think he was worth the $200) It was clogged with baby wipes. My 4
year old had been using my babies diaper wipes instead of toilet
paper, so that was the cause. I guess when pulling up the diaper
wipes a little bit got caught in the vent. That is my uneducated
guess.

Again thanks for your help.