So as the title says I went to use the toilet this morning and I noticed there was just a pool of water in the bottom. When I flushed it, the bowl filled up with water to the very top, and slowly trickled down until all the water had drained and was left with the one little pool again.

I read about how toilets worked and gained a pretty good understanding. I compared the toilet to my two other toilets. It has a different kind of fill valve than the other two. The one on the other two shoots water back into the tank from the top, but I did not see any water shooting out from the problem toilet fill valve, yet the tank did refill. I think the water just comes out from the bottom, and the tank doesnt empty enough for me to see. So I think the fill valve is working. I also noticed this toilet does not have a float in it like the other two.

Also I checked the tube that goes down into overflow tube and it is working as it should. The water trickled from it down into the toilet bowl as it should. Yet the water is still draining down into the trap tube and pipes underneath, leaving nothing but the little pool in the bottom.

If the fill valve, refill tube and overflow tube are all functioning properly, what else could be the problem? Thank you in advance for any helpful advice.

there is an obstruction somewhere. either in the toilet or the pipe below it.

The toilet is losing water due to siphonage. Usually siphonage is caused by a sewer line blockage or restriction. Any chance that the misbehaving toilet is on the first floor and the behaving remaining two or on the second floor?

Actually, the problem toilet is upstairs in the master bathroom. 1 of the other toilets is also upstairs and the other is downstairs.

I wondered if a clog could be it, I plunged but it didnt seem to make a difference. Maybe I will try again.



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The problem could be within the toilet trap itself. Possibly a partial clog.

In that case you have something stuck in the toilet and plunging may NOT remove it.

I see. Please don't think I am being argumentative, but given how much I learned about how toilets work today, I am confused. I thought the weight of the new water from the tank flushes out the waste water. Even if there was an obstruction, why does it still drain out ALL the water, including the new water from th tank? That is the part that has me confused. I will still look into your advice and try to see if it is clogged because that has been suggested more than once, I guess I just can't wrap my brain around it! Hah.

Refer back to my first post- the bowl is emptying out after the flush due to siphonage. The siphonage is a result of a restriction, although I now agree with packy that it may very well be within the trapway of the bowl.

The way the toilet flushes is that the water from the tank runs into the bowl. the water level of the bowl rises until water overflows down an internal drain. As this water begins to drain, it creates a siphon which draws the remainder of the water and waste out of the toilet bowl, leaving it almost empty. The fill valve in the tank directs a portion of the water refilling the tank to refill the toilet bowl to a level right before a siphon can begin. In the case of a partial blockage, the siphon action still starts, but it occurs so slowly that as the tank refills, it attempts to refill the still siphoning toilet bowl which is taking say.. 4 minutes to drain instead of 6 seconds. This means that you have a clog, and all the water that is supposed to be refilling the toilet bowl is instead going into the still siphoning toilet bowl. Since the toilet refill process is done about 3 minutes before the siphon ends, your toilet bowl is almost empty when you return later. In a nutshell and empty toilet bowl= still obstructed toilet.

Toilets work by means of a siphon. When your bowl is full of water, it actuates the siphon, and once it starts it "pulls" the water out of the bowl down to the level of the obstruction. The same thing happens when you flush it, except it happens quickly and the process of refilling the tank also refills the bowl. You have ONE DAY's experience with the toilet, I have 65 YEARS, trust me.



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Well thanks, you all were right, not that I thought you were wrong, I just didn't understand the siphonage part. So I tried plunging again and it flushed right down, and the toilet is back to normal! At least now I know a lot more about toilets than I did... Thank you all for the advice.



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"At least now I know a lot more about toilets than I did... "
now we can look forward to your answering posts about toilet problems. HA HA..
glad it all worked ....

Yes, I'm an expert now.




(tongue in cheek)



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Bowl is clogged , its not parts in tank. If you have used correct closet auger and no result pull toilet and lay on side to see whats blocking outlet on bottom. if you dont see clog to pull it out from bottom then toilet is ready for trash . At that point check plumbing to make sure not a clog in pipes by pouring a 5 gallon bucket of water into floor drain if it goes no problem then get a new toilet and be done w it.