Toilets Don’t Drain Quickly? Causes and Remedies

It might be really unsettling to see a toilet that is slowly draining. It can be simple to worry that something terrible has happened when your toilet is flushing incorrectly, but most of the time the issue and its fix are quite straightforward. With this simple method, you should be able to identify the issue with your slow draining toilet and resolve it, either through unclogging or through problems in the tank. A slow toilet drain is something that needs attention.

What Might Be the Reason for Your Slow Draining Toilet?

When flushed, a toilet with a sluggish drain will first fill with water before slowly draining. This disrupts normal toilet use and raises the possibility of flooding your bathroom floor. A sluggish draining toilet can be caused by a variety of factors. Here are a few of the most widespread:

Pipe blockages: A backed-up toilet drains more slowly. The incorrect items are frequently flushed down toilets, which can lead to blockage. Wet wipes, tampons, pads, napkins, and cotton swabs are examples of items that are not meant to be flushed and do not decompose in the same way as toilet paper. Check to see if your kids have flushed any toys or household items down the toilet if you have kids. A gurgling or bubbling toilet during flushing may be a clue of this since it denotes a buildup of negative air pressure in your plumbing.

Your tank’s water level is low: Your toilet may be flushing slowly because the tank isn’t fully filled. For your toilet to flush quickly and with sufficient pressure, the tank needs to be fully filled.

Issues with the flush valve seal: The device that directs water into the toilet bowl is called the flush valve seal. This occasionally fails to open properly, rendering the flush useless.

Mineral buildup: If your toilet tank isn’t filling properly as a result of mineral buildup, the float may close earlier than it should.

How to Improve Slow Toilet Drainage

If your toilet is slow to drain, there are many measures to follow before you check the tank, attempt to use a plunger to clear the obstruction, or utilise common household cleaners to do so.

There are two ways a toilet can drain slowly: either the bowl fills slowly or the bowl drains slowly. If the toilet bowl fills slowly, your tank is probably the cause of the issue. If your toilet takes a long time to drain, your drains most likely have a problem.

How to Fix Tank Issues in Your Toilet

Most home toilets feature a tank that is accessible above the bowl. We’ll assume for the sake of this instruction that you have simple access to your toilet tank even if it’s hidden behind a wall or other bathroom fixtures.

Your toilet tank will contain a fill valve that draws water in; a flush valve with a flapper seal linking it to the toilet, and float arm connecting it to the float. The flapper seal and the flusher should be connected by a chain. When the toilet is flushed; the chain should be able to fully lift the flapper while still naturally allowing the flapper to rest over the valve. The flapper seal must remain open after flushing for two to three seconds. It is typically possible to disconnect the chain and connect through a smaller loop to tighten the connection if it is not strong enough.

More Ways to Resolve

The toilet tank may drain slowly due to a buildup of minerals. This is particularly typical in regions with hard water. To prevent accumulation, it is advised that you clean your toilet tank twice a year. With a scrubber and plain white wine vinegar, you may clean the tank. Just remember to remove the tank’s water first and then refill it with fresh water (you can turn off the water with a water valve, usually located at the bottom of the toilet).

Flushing power can be improved by adjusting the float level. You must first turn off water and drain the toilet tank to do this with traditional ball and arm float. Then, increase the float using the screw on top of the fill valve; being careful to only adjust in full rotations as incomplete rotations can affect flushing. To make this operation simpler, some toilet tanks have fill lines marked inside of them. Once this is finished, refill the tank; wait a few minutes, then flush the toilet once more to determine if the problem with the delayed draining has been resolved.

How to Clear a Clogged Toilet

You have a few choices if a blockage in the drains is the cause of your toilet’s poor drainage. Utilizing a plunger is the most typical. We advise purchasing a toilet plunger with an extension flange because these are made exclusively for toilets. When plunging, always make sure the plunger is submerged in water. Try twenty plunges once you have a seal, increasing the force if required. Don’t be scared to try a few times after waiting at least 10 minutes to allow the water to refill the bowl.

Try using a drain snake to remedy your slow draining toilet if the plunger doesn’t work for you. To help unclog toilet lines, a drain snake is a long coil that may be inserted into the pipes. Because it can reach far deeper into the piping than a toilet brush, it is more efficient. Don’t substitute a wire coat hanger because the snake will come with plastic coating on its end to protect porcelain. The snake can extend up to 25 feet into your drain with a clockwise turn of the handle on your end.

Once you’ve located a blockage, you can remove it by lightly winding and unwinding the material until there is no more resistance.

Remember to cover and clean the toilet area before and after, then flush the toilet with a concentrated toilet bowl cleaner afterwards. You can remove heavier things by completely retracing the snake.

Try some Common Household Cleaners

You can also try using common household cleaners to unclog your slow-draining toilet. Pouring a pail of hot water into the toilet bowl and flushing it through is a straightforward solution that might be helpful. Clogs in pipes can be removed with approximately four litres of hot water. Avoid using boiling water when using hot water to avoid damaging porcelain. To assist break up grease, dishwashing liquid can be used with hot water in the toilet bowl.

To break up things inside the pipes, you can also use warm water and Epsom salts. As long as you choose a non-corrosive cleaner and stay away from chlorine; which can react with other substances in your pipes to harm your plumbing system and release smells; drain cleaning chemicals can also help you fix your sluggish emptying toilet.

How to Deal with Slow Draining Toilets

It’s time to locate a professional to help you get your slow draining toilet back in working condition if none of these fixes work. We at Purified Plumbing offer the North Shore area with high-quality drainage work. To assist with all drainage concerns, our qualified North Shore plumber is accessible on a 24/7 emergency callout basis.