One of our new-ish toilets (2 yrs old, low water use, 2 flush modes) has begun to have the level in the bowl drop in between uses. Since they use so little water to begin with, the 1/2 flush mode isn't working right with the bowl partly drained. I've read that it could be a partial clog so I plunged it and have used a toilet auger 10 times or more and it seems clear. Nothing leaking outside of the plumbing, the valve is sealing properly, etc. Before I pull it out to inspect is there anything else I should check? thanks
You say it's sealing but check by putting some food dye in the tank. If the bowl water changes color then it's NOT sealing.
I can try that. The bowl fills correctly after a flush. Come back in several hours later and half the water is gone. Someone told me to check the vents on the roof. I had the roof replaced this year so maybe there's something going on there. Looks like 2 straight pieces of PVC, but maybe there's something in one of them. Dunno.
Google: Bowl Water Level Drops You flush the toilet and all is well. After a period of time, a significant amount of water has left the bowl. Two things may be wrong. Water could be slowly siphoned from the bowl by a partial clog of toilet paper up in the colon of the bowl. You can demonstrate this phenomenon by filling a small soup bowl with water and putting it in the center of a cooking jelly pan. Drape a strip of paper towel from the bottom of the bowl, over the bowl edge and into the jelly pan. Watch what gravity and capillary attraction does in several hours. The bowl will be nearly empty. To see if your toilet has a rag, toilet paper, or something else causing the drainage, empty the bowl of water and then use a flashlight and a mirror to look up inside the colon of the toilet. In rare cases, the bowl may actually have a crack in the interior colon or piping of the bowl. This problem can only be solved by installing a new bowl.
When we have high winds the pressure difference in the vent will cause the toilets to drop a bit. I would suspect a clogged vent in your case- other water being drained in the house may be causing a pressure drop in the vent line and pulling some of the water out of the bowl. I have seen vents get clogged with snow and ice- and in one instance pinched off by snow shifting on the roof.
I think it's the vent. I watched the bowl while I had the kids flush another toilet and the water moved up and down. That shouldn't happen if the vent is good. So ya...awesome...I get to climb up on my roof which has like 2' of snow on it. Lucky me. Thanks! I'll report back on my injuries and the solution.
Definitely a vent issue. I would just wait for better weather, it is not going to hurt anything letting it wait a bit. No use in risking falling off the roof.
I think I figured it out. There was a 16 ounce Yuengling glass upside down on one of the PVC vents. It had to have been there since October when the roof was done. I'm assuming one of the roofing crew was using it and put it there so it didn't roll off the roof. Never noticed it as the logo side was facing in towards the roof and everything has been fine until last week. Maybe the snow, cold, moon, aliens caused it to act up now. Removed the glass and everything seems to be working fine now. Plus I got a new beer glass. Bonus.
The aliens moved the glass... but did not put it there. Right. Standard for aliens. What a wacky story.
That's pretty funny, glad you found the cause of the problem. I find the pressure test caps still installed sometimes when they forget to remove them. Mike