Toilet running slow

[arizonian]

This is not your typical topic in this category, and it involves the house instead of the shop, but here goes.

Toilet started running slow on Friday, so I put it out of commission until I could get to it. Pulled it off the floor this morning and hauled it outside. Turning it over I could see an obstruction just above the floor level. Reaching in with long nose needle nose and the obstruction would just break off in small chunks and not really remove anything, so I backflushed it out thru the bowl. After sifting thru the TP and turds, a roughly 2"x2" piece of water scale about 1/16" thick came out. The scale had the curved shape of the interior passage at the waterline at the end of the trap.

Toilet was installed about 5 years ago when the master bedroom and bath were revamped. I wonder if the porcelain finish was not smooth enough so evaporation caused the scale? And now I wonder how long before this happens again.

[mccutter]

The wife got a like-new one-piece Kohler from Habitat for Humanity. Probably a Lowe's or HD return and they gave it to HfH. Reason it was returned was about 1/4 of the under rim "jets" were/are clogged with porcelain during mfg. I hate installing toilets, it was cheap so it stayed.

Not directly related but "low-flow" toilets are the worst invention ever. How are you saving water when you have to double or sometimes triple-flush?

[Lew Hartswick]

Originally Posted by arizonian

, so I backflushed it out thru the bowl. After sifting thru the TP and turds, a roughly 2"x2" piece of water scale about 1/16" thick came out. The scale had the curved shape of the interior passage at the waterline at the end of the trap.

That sort of scale shouldn't form under water normally. Just how "Hard" is your water??
...lew...

[arizonian]

Originally Posted by Lew Hartswick

That sort of scale shouldn't form under water normally. Just how "Hard" is your water??
...lew...

Normal Tucson water. Hard as hell...

I'm now wondering if the scale might have been formed on the backside of the trap (the side toward the floor drain). A couple of drops of water more than what the bowl needs would result in a minuscule overflow and then evaporation resulting in scale. Multiply that by 5 years.

With our low humidity and use of swamp coolers, I have seen the stillness of the water in the bowl be affected momentarily by high winds and also by opening/closing doors. That could account for a minuscule overflow.

[LKeithR]

Originally Posted by mccutter

...Not directly related but "low-flow" toilets are the worst invention ever. How are you saving water when you have to double or sometimes triple-flush?

Yeah, I agree. I'm a big fan of doing things to protect and improve the environment but my experience with low flush toilets has not been good. I know that--like most of you, I imagine--I don't always drop dainty little turds in the toilet. When I lay down a big one I want a toilet that will swallow it whole without complaining. Too often a low flush toilet just chokes and gives up. It's bad enough that you have to flush two or three times but it's even worse when things plug up and you have to perform surgery to get things moving again...

[Ironman]

Bill, in general, if a toilet is doing a slow trickle or has a leaking float valve, the water scale will build up on the inside of the S curve trap, and also plug the water vents around the rim

[milomilo]

Do you have a water softener?

[slip knot]

If your connected to city sewer, maybe dump some high acid toilet bowl cleaner in it every 6 months or so to dissolve the hard water deposits. I wouldn't recommend it for a septic system

[moe1942]

I have a biden toilet. Raised the water level. Now I hold the handle down and it flushes like a normal toilet.

[arizonian]

No water softener. Water is hard as hell. I'm heading to Lowe's to pick up some dye tablets to see if the flapper leaks.