May 21, 2015  What to Do if There is No Water in the Toilet Bowl

Recently, a reader wrote to us with this question:

“My spare bathroom has an issue, the bowl never keeps the water in . I filled it,flushed, but nothing comes back. The tank always has a supply of water yet it does not stay in the bowl. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.”

Chances are, this problem is caused by one of two possible issues. It is most likely the first one, which is a partial blockage in the toilet trap.  The blockage is usually composed of toilet paper.  Here is what is happening. Although the toilet paper is only partially blocking the opening, it is actually siphoning the water out of the toilet bowl and trap.  

What is happening is similar to an oil wick, which draws the oil upward.  In this case, the toilet paper is the wick, and the water in the toilet bowl is being drawn…out of the bowl.  The remedy for this problem is to auger out the toilet with a toilet auger (closet auger).

This should correct the problem. If it doesn’t fix it, however, then you will know that you have the second issue, which is that you have a crack somewhere in the toilet’s interior, which is draining the water out of the bowl.  This is uncommon, but it does happen.  If this is the issue, then you will need to replace the toilet bowl. This is because the water in the toilet bowl creates a barrier which prevents sewer gas from entering your home, so you would want to deal with this problem as expediently as possible.

by See Jane Drill, Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved
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