My toilet has been flushing satisfactorily for 12 years without any problems! A few days ago for no apparent reason it did not flush away 100% of the contents. The flushing lever continues to work as before and the same amount of water is flushing through. Comparing it with an exactly similar toilet in the house the water in the defective system is flushing round the pan like a whirlpool whereas in the pan that is working properly the water comes in from either side, meets in the middle and flushes straight down the waste pipe.

I have tried limescale remover, knitting needles etc to see if there is any blockage but without success. I have looked jnside the rim at the top with mirror and torch but there is no apparent fault and it all looks clean.

Has anyone got any suggestions ?

Peter Booth, September 2009

Well now you won't get far with a knitting needle. You may have a slight blockage the other side of the water trap bend which you obviously can't see. Get some one to fush the toilet while you are looking in the manhole it feed into and note the speed of flow. Then do same with outher toilet check it's flow. If there is a noticalble difference then the slight blockage could be the problem. Plung the toilet, with water in it of corse, using the cup type drain plungers as rods won't go around the bend. A mix of boiling water and causitc soda can some times clear a blockage. Wear rubber gloves as caustic soda burns skin when wet. I've used both methods to clear minor blockages in mine.

Bob, September 2009