How to fix a toilet that flushes incompletely

repairtoilet

The toilet in one of our bathrooms routinely flushes incompletely. It does not clog or back up, but it takes several fill/flush cycles to get all the "material" to go down. It just seems to be weak overall, like the flush volume is too low. I suspect that this is the original toilet that was installed when the house was built (early 1970s).

Short of replacing the toilet, is there anything I can do?

Best Answer

One thing you can try is to shorten the chain to the flapper. Sometimes a long chain leading to the flapper will not allow you to open the drain fully (you are only lifting the flapper just a little bit). A partially lifted flapper will not allow the maximum volume of water to flow into the bowl in the shortest amount of time possible, causing a weak flush.