 Fir_Na_TineGiggity GiggityPremium
join:2001-01-03
Sout Joisy | Toilet problem This is probably an easy fix but one I don't know.
What would cause the water in the toilet bowl to go down on its own? Mine flushes itself on its own but water stays in the tank and the bowl remains almost empty after, sometimes I thought I smelled sewer gas. It started on Monday the day of the storm. For some reason I thought the two were related but it did it today too as I was showering. The first time nobody was in the bathroom and we just heard a gurgling sound and the water was gone from the bowl.Like it got sucked down.
Do I need a new toilet? New flapper valve? Something wrong with the vent? Or worse something clogged in the sewer pipe. I've had it clogged in the past but a few pumps with the plunger and its fine.
Any thoughts?
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"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
-Jimi Hendrix |
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 alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | This.
Somewhere in the drain stack that goes UP to the roof (or to a floor above) is an obstruction that doesn't let go in when water is flushed.
So when someone is running water into the drain, air needs to come in the drain from above, since the vent is blocked, it sucks in the water from your toilet. When it does that, your toilet's P-trap is dry, so there is no water to block sewer gases from coming back up. |
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 japPremium
join:2003-08-10
038xx | reply to Fir_Na_Tine
Yup, what alkizmo  said.
If it's a through the roof vent and you discover blockage is upwards of all water activity then you have the option to cut the pipe and cap it inside the building with a check valve. You need to identify the plumbing installations dependent upon that vent and make your cut-'n'-valve well above all water activity. Check your local code for guidelines.
I'm old school and prefer venting to daylight but have installed interior vents and there's nothing wrong with them if done right. Moving vents inside is often performed as part of a roofing job to reduce roof perforations.
You may discover your vent is already interior and the check valve has failed or something is simply obstructing it's air intake.
If you're in closed-windows climate you'll want to deal with this soon as sewer gas = a respiratory & fire risk. It's why drains have traps.
»www.nachi.org/sewer-gases-home.htm
G'luck! |
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Fir_Na_TineGiggity GiggityPremium
join:2001-01-03
Sout Joisy | reply to Fir_Na_Tine
I'll check the vent as its on the roof right above the bathroom. Its only happened twice so far. Once while in the shower and once outta nowhere.
--
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
-Jimi Hendrix |
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PrntRhdPremium
join:2004-11-03
Fairfield, CA | reply to Fir_Na_Tine
Also pull the commode and replace the wax ring. |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | reply to Fir_Na_Tine
said by Fir_Na_Tine:I'll check the vent as its on the roof right above the bathroom. Its only happened twice so far. Once while in the shower and once outta nowhere.
What's ABOVE the toilet?
Is there anything up there or is it straight to the roof?
If it's straight to the roof, you have no choice but to go up there and try to snake it, if there's a bathroom up above, then you might try snaking from up there beforehand.
Oh ya and before you go through the trouble of getting on the roof, get the tools on hand
»www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R···1gYbH-3E
Even if it turns out you don't need that because you found out it was a pine cone stuck at the top, it's still useful to have it on hand (Or you can just return it, just don't break the packaging until you're up there and you know you need it). |
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Fir_Na_TineGiggity GiggityPremium
join:2001-01-03
Sout Joisy | said by alkizmo:said by Fir_Na_Tine:I'll check the vent as its on the roof right above the bathroom. Its only happened twice so far. Once while in the shower and once outta nowhere.
What's ABOVE the toilet? Is there anything up there or is it straight to the roof? If it's straight to the roof, you have no choice but to go up there and try to snake it, if there's a bathroom up above, then you might try snaking from up there beforehand. Oh ya and before you go through the trouble of getting on the roof, get the tools on hand » www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R···1gYbH-3EEven if it turns out you don't need that because you found out it was a pine cone stuck at the top, it's still useful to have it on hand (Or you can just return it, just don't break the packaging until you're up there and you know you need it). We have a snake thing and the roof is right above the bathroom. Cape Cod style house with one bathroom on the first floor. It hasn't done it in a day or two but have noticed the kitchen sink drain is now gurgling a little more than usual when using it.
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"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
-Jimi Hendrix |
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | reply to Fir_Na_Tine
I had this problem a few years ago. Turned out to be a partially clogged (collapsed) sewer line. Since you have had that problem in the past, I'm going to wager that's the problem again. |
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 Jack_in_VAPremium
join:2007-11-26
Mathews, VA
kudos:1 | reply to Fir_Na_Tine
said by Fir_Na_Tine:This is probably an easy fix but one I don't know.
What would cause the water in the toilet bowl to go down on its own? Mine flushes itself on its own but water stays in the tank and the bowl remains almost empty after, sometimes I thought I smelled sewer gas. It started on Monday the day of the storm. For some reason I thought the two were related but it did it today too as I was showering. The first time nobody was in the bathroom and we just heard a gurgling sound and the water was gone from the bowl.Like it got sucked down.
Do I need a new toilet? New flapper valve? Something wrong with the vent? Or worse something clogged in the sewer pipe. I've had it clogged in the past but a few pumps with the plunger and its fine.
Any thoughts?
Since it started the day of the storm one factor could be your sewer line is slow draining backing up possibly almost to the flange since it happened after the storm. If you're on a septic system that is a classic symptom of a saturated drain field. If you are on a city sewer then your sewer line may be plugged or collapsed. I doubt if it has anything to do with your vent stack.
When you flush the full line will siphon the water out of the bowl until it breaks the suction resulting in a low water level. I have the problem myself after extremely heavy rains.
Is it better now since it's been a few days after the storm? |
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| As has been pointed out, a partially/mostly clogged drain line can cause this. I can vouch for this from personal experience, though in my case it was roots in the pipe. The toilet would start gurgling if you ran water down any of the drains, especially the washing machine. In my case, the toilet would always lose almost all of the water in the bowl. Needless to say, bad things happened if the toilet got flushed, and all the plunger did was force water into the tub.
Hopefully, this is just related to heavy rains, and might clear up. If not, you may consider calling a plumber. |
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