What causes the level in the toilet bowl to radically change?

[LWJ]

I just had this on vacation in Mexico. After the water was shut off by an unknown party, the toilet was “off.”

A plumber fixed it. I can’t help here. He said something about air bubble and high pressure.

I was on vacation. I ignored him and had another beverage.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

The wax ring may be leaking?

I'll check, but i wouldn't think that would cause the tank to be lower. No water on the floor. I'll have to check under the house. We did have the toilet professionally installed back in Feb (part of a whole bathroom deal).

And it's weird that one day it was "normal" and the next day it wasn't. But sometimes coincidences happen and stuff happens spontaneously.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by LWJ

I just had this on vacation in Mexico. After the water was shut off by an unknown party, the toilet was “off.”

A plumber fixed it. I can’t help here. He said something about air bubble and high pressure.

I was on vacation. I ignored him and had another beverage.

Interesting. That would be a good/possible explanation since our water was "shut off" and the next day is when we noticed the issue.

I'll make sure there's no sewer lake under the house, and give things a thorough check.

Earlier, I took off the tank lid and fiddled with the mechanism, pushed, pulled, twisted, wiggled. The mechanism giggled a little, and I've found the tank back to normal twice since then. Maybe it was a combination of the water issue we had and the hard water causing a mineral build up that my foreplay shook loose.

[look 171]

Only if the water is shut off to not allow the water to flow into the bowl. Once it reaches the upper limit of the ptrap, the level should always be the same. Wax ring was my first guess but it may be unlikely now that I thought about it more. The real problem maybe your fill valve, or fill tube. It may be adjusted to shut off too soon causing not having enough water to fill the bowl back to its normal level. The other long shot maybe your vent is clogged with leaves. If the bowl cracks, you will see water on the floor as well as under the house. They are pretty simple devices, keep at it. Its abnormal to have low water lever like that

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by masraum

I'll check, but i wouldn't think that would cause the tank to be lower. No water on the floor. I'll have to check under the house. We did have the toilet professionally installed back in Feb (part of a whole bathroom deal).

And it's weird that one day it was "normal" and the next day it wasn't. But sometimes coincidences happen and stuff happens spontaneously.

This rings alarm bells. There's something clearly wrong.

[URY914]

Do you have two toilets back to back? We do and when one is flushed it will pull a vacuum on the other and pulls some water from the bowl. Or I think that is happening.

[Jolly Amaranto]

On a really windy day, the air blowing over the roof vent can cause the water in the P trap to slosh a bit drawing water out of the bowl. Depends on the direction of the wind, the roof line, pipe lengths and things like that. Has not been very windy lately so I doubt it is that.

[john70t]

I've always wondered about that.

Theoretically there shouldn't be any vacuum in the drain because of the vent stack, but that could be blocked by a chipmunk or leafs.
The flush action does work on vacuum and air being sucked passed the base o-ring would affect the consistent transfer.

[hcoles]

There is probably a small tube coming off the valve. Make sure the clip holds the end so that the water goes down the 1" dia. tube coming up in the tank. This is what fills the P trap/bowl to a constant level.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

Only if the water is shut off to not allow the water to flow into the bowl. Once it reaches the upper limit of the ptrap, the level should always be the same.

That was my thought.

Wax ring was my first guess but it may be unlikely now that I thought about it more. The real problem maybe your fill valve, or fill tube. It may be adjusted to shut off too soon causing not having enough water to fill the bowl back to its normal level. The other long shot maybe your vent is clogged with leaves. If the bowl cracks, you will see water on the floor as well as under the house. They are pretty simple devices, keep at it. Its abnormal to have low water lever like that

The whole system was running fine for months after the install, and then literally overnight changed.

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

This rings alarm bells. There's something clearly wrong.

See above. Our son-in-law worked for the plumbing place. They sent their best guy to do all of our work, and it's been working perfectly since Feb.

Originally Posted by URY914

Do you have two toilets back to back? We do and when one is flushed it will pull a vacuum on the other and pulls some water from the bowl. Or I think that is happening.

Nope, one upstairs south side of the house and one downstairs north side of the house.

Originally Posted by Jolly Amaranto

On a really windy day, the air blowing over the roof vent can cause the water in the P trap to slosh a bit drawing water out of the bowl. Depends on the direction of the wind, the roof line, pipe lengths and things like that. Has not been very windy lately so I doubt it is that.

Interesting!

Originally Posted by john70t

I've always wondered about that.

Theoretically there shouldn't be any vacuum in the drain because of the vent stack, but that could be blocked by a chipmunk or leafs.
The flush action does work on vacuum and air being sucked passed the base o-ring would affect the consistent transfer.

Right, the vent should eliminate any vacuum as long as it's not clogged. Nothing else is acting weird. I suspect the odds of vermin in our vent is REALLY low.

[KFC911]

I know you're a DIY type, but since you had a pro recently install it, have you considered calling him and asking about it? Any pro (worth using) should acknowlege something is amiss, and stand behind their work. Good luck!

[masraum]

Problem solved. When I got the water going again, we had to run the water for a bit to get the air out of the system. When there's air in the system, you often get little pressure spikes as you work through the bubbles.

I was looking inside the tank, and noticed that the refill hose was filling the canister, but off to the side, not down the middle, and there was no clip to hold it in place. I thought, if it was pressed into the male flange in the middle, it wouldn't need a clip. I stuck the hose in the hole and flushed and everything worked as expected. I think one of those pressure spikes from the bubbles in the system blew the little hose out of the hole.

Not my pic or notations, just one that I found online. But the part where the refill hose goes into the receptacle in the middle of the red circle is the end that popped out.

[LWJ]

Ok. Since I added noise to the conversation. Let me give input that could help.

1). Could the shut off have dislodged debris? Maybe small gravel that affects the float valve? I would start here. Replace the valve or disassemble at a minimum to inspect. (There was considerable gravel in the faucet aerator after the shut off in Mexico. )



2) bleed the system. Purge air and junk from the line.


I vote for the shut off dislodging solid chunks that are messing up performance.

Good luck.

[KFC911]

Awesome! Next time I have a plumbing issue.... I'm calling Steve

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Jolly Amaranto

On a really windy day, the air blowing over the roof vent can cause the water in the P trap to slosh a bit drawing water out of the bowl. Depends on the direction of the wind, the roof line, pipe lengths and things like that. Has not been very windy lately so I doubt it is that.

The first time I noticed that the water in the bowl was sloshing around I thought I must be really drunk to see things. Then when it happened in the morning and I had been in bed for the night, I knew it was a real effect of the wind. It is weird to stand there about to let go a stream, and see the water moving in a solid mounted bowl on a concrete slab floor.

On a really windy day, it is just normal.

[tabs]

When I drop a big load the water level almost overflows the bowl...

[masraum]

Originally Posted by tabs

When I drop a big load the water level almost overflows the bowl...

You should go to more salad bars and fewer AYCE buffets. You'll be less full of it. At least you're in the desert, so your nuts don't get cold. I'm sure the water comes out of the tap at 90º.

[Pazuzu]

The reason that the water level changes is because of the C.H.U.D.s, obviously.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

The reason that the water level changes is because of the C.H.U.D.s, obviously.

Oh man! I'm going to have to watch that again! I vaguely remember seeing it in the 80s.

[Steve Carlton]

I think it has to do with the proximity and gravitational pull of the nearby moon.