Low water level in Toilet bowl.

[eastender3]

Hi Folks,

After flushing the loo yesterday, I noticed the water suddenly gone down on upstairs bathroom and also checked the downstairs small toilet as well, it had also gone down about 2 inches. There is no obvious leak anywhere.

Attached is the photo of our upstairs toilet cistern, which has lower level of water at the cistern than downstairs. Should I be worried about the lower level water in bowl and also in the cistern?

 

[terryplumb]

if the water level in the toilet pan ( bowl) ,after flushing ,is a couple of inches lower than you are used to seeing in the past ,it is a sign that your drains are partially blocked.

 

[eastender3]

if the water level in the toilet pan ( bowl) ,after flushing ,is a couple of inches lower than you are used to seeing in the past ,it is a sign that your drains are partially blocked.

Thanks for the reply.
This could be from the downpour from last Friday. Don't know where to look for the drain.

Is it the main drain, which is in the garden patio, covered by decorative pebbles. Do I need to call a plumber to sort this out, as I'm not sure I can do this and had never opened the metal cover.

 

[terryplumb]

the level of water in the cistern ,as pic, is a separate issue. this can be adjusted easily if need be. I can't tell if the level is at the 6 litre mark from pic.but if it is flushing OK leave it be. do you by any chance flush baby / hand wipes thru WC, they are prime suspects for causing blockages.

 

[terryplumb]

more a job for drain cleaning company ,steer clear of the bigger operators who are quite costly IMO.. some do a fixed price . if you want to try it yourself pics may help us give some tips. be away that if left alone you could end up with no working toilets ,sinks etc.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Blocked manhole- get it jetted!

Andy

 

[eastender3]

more a job for drain cleaning company ,steer clear of the bigger operators who are quite costly IMO.. some do a fixed price . if you want to try it yourself pics may help us give some tips. be away that if left alone you could end up with no working toilets ,sinks etc.

How I could try it myself, what pictures do you need?

 

[terryplumb]

your toilets waste goes into a vertical pipe ,the soil stack, if it is outside your property take pics, especially floor level, looking for an access point which you may or may not have. also look around the floor for a small metal plate ,and of course the manhole you mentioned.

 

[eastender3]

I

your toilets waste goes into a vertical pipe ,the soil stack, if it is outside your property take pics, especially floor level, looking for an access point which you may or may not have. also look around the floor for a small metal plate ,and of course the manhole you mentioned.

I think the daughter uses too many toilet paper, as I asked her and no wipes were put down. I'll the open manhole which is in the back garden. If it's the excess toilet paper causing the partial blockage, what can I do?

 

[terryplumb]

if the mh is blocked not much unless you buy a set of drain rods( 25 quid ),and you need a strong stomach !! worth lifting it though, just to see if blockage is before or after mh.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Post a picture of your blocked manhole and what post code are you in?

Andy

 

[eastender3]

Right, opened the manhole, for the first time did this since moving in to the house about five years ago, found nothing.
Picture attached. Cleaned some soil deposit with a garden hose pipe and then put the metal lid back on.

 

[terryplumb]

pity you didn't get all toilets flushed by helpers whilst you looked in man hole to observe the flow.flushing with toilet paper as well so you could see if it came thru. never mind ,this just leaves the house and the section in between.here is some thing for you to try if you have a few big buckets full of water ,and 2 helpers. one of each stationed at downstairs loo and upstairs loo. at your command tell both to flush loos and tip their full buckets in at the same time. the overall water volume /weight may well shift thru to man hole ,where you will be watching.

 

[eastender3]

pity you didn't get all toilets flushed by helpers whilst you looked in man hole to observe the flow.flushing with toilet paper as well so you could see if it came thru. never mind ,this just leaves the house and the section in between.here is some thing for you to try if you have a few big buckets full of water ,and 2 helpers. one of each stationed at downstairs loo and upstairs loo. at your command tell both to flush loos and tip their full buckets in at the same time. the overall water volume /weight may well shift thru to man hole ,where you will be watching.

Hi Terry,
Because we closed the drain cover, which has decorative pebbles and it was a hassle to remove to access the manhole, we'll try flushing both loo with full buckets, to see if it raises the water on bowl.

 

[terryplumb]

may take a few attempts .