How to Get a Better Suction in the Toilet
If your toilet isn’t flushing hard enough and you are getting consistent clogs, chances are your suction system is compromised. While you can replace your toilet, there’s a chance that you can get better suction by examining and adjusting your entire flushing system from the tank to the drain pipe and beyond. Does this Spark an idea?
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Water Pressure and Levels
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Low water pressure reduces your toilet’s suction. Most toilets operate on a gravity-fed system that relies on the force of water to flow through the flapper valve and into the bowl to flush down waste. If the water in your tank is low, that water pressure may not be enough. Adjust your tank's fill-valve system so it high enough to meet the tank’s maximum water capacity.
Toilet Trap
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Clogs in your toilet usually happen in the toilet trap. The toilet trap is typically an S-curve and designed to prevent large objects from obstructing the drain pipe just before the water and waste flushes down. The trap can get clogged from toys, small solid objects or masses of toilet paper and paper products. Even if there isn’t a complete clog, objects restrict the water flow path, thereby restricting the suction power. If your toilet looks like it's flushing slowly but you don’t see any obvious objects, take a toilet auger, also called a plumber's snake, and feed it into the curve to loosen any possible objects in the trap.
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Drain Line
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The toilet drain, if clogged, reduces suction. Although flushed objects sometimes get past the trap and into the drain line, drain line clogs usually happen over time from sludge amassing in the pipe. The sludge can be formed from flushing grease down the toilet or a backed-up sewage system depositing sticky residue onto the pipe walls. This narrows the water path and reduces suction when you flush, much like an artery with a plaque build-up. Commercial chemical products can be used to dissolve sludge. Also, hot water and baking soda can clean the pipes.
Ventilation
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Your toilet and other drains have a ventilation system that you may not be aware of called the drain-waste-vent. The drain-waste vent is often found on the roof or the side of the house and provides neutral pressure to your toilet trap. If these vents are compromised, it reduces air pressure for your toilet’s pipes. Check the vent for debris or animal nesting.
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References
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
