“We have two bathrooms in the house – one upstairs, by the bedroom, and the family bath downstairs,” Morgan said. “Now when we flush the downstairs bathroom, it drains – but only very slowly. Sometimes all the #2s don’t leave. Then we have to flush again, repeating the whole process. The upstairs bathroom doesn’t seem to be impacted. Is this a concern I need to worry about, or is this one toilet just a slow toilet?”
As a licensed plumber in New York City, let me assure you: there is no such thing as a slow toilet. All toilets should quickly and completely remove water and waste material with a single flush. If that’s not happening, there’s a reason it’s not happening – and you’ll want to have that fixed sooner rather than later.
What can cause a toilet to flush poorly?
There are a number of reasons that can cause a toilet to flush poorly. The most common causes are associated with the toilet drain. When this becomes blocked, either partially or completely, it makes it impossible for water and waste material to leave as intended.
The fact that the toilet was flushing fine previously but now has started developing problems leads me to believe there may be a clog between the toilet and the main sewer drain pipe. This is a relatively easy fix: have your local licensed NYC plumber perform drain cleaning services, and the toilet should be working fine for you.
There are other issues that can contribute to poor flushing. These include clogged rim jets, which stop the toilet bowl from filling as quickly as it needs to in order to flush effectively. Other issues from inside the toilet tank can also be a problem, such as a worn-out flapper, a bad float, or problems with the handle and chain. These problems will not self-resolve, and they will get worse over time. The best solution is to have them fixed promptly.
