Are you experiencing the issue where you see water disappearing from the toilet bowl? If so, then you might be having some problems with your toilet that you may not be aware of.
To help you figure that out, I will be going through the causes of this problem.
Don’t worry; I won’t leave you high and dry; I will also provide the solutions to those problems. So, if you have similar problems with your flushing toilet, then stick with me for a while to find out the answers.
Without wasting any, let’s get right into it.
What Causes The Water Level In The Toilet Bowl To Drop?
Now, there are several causes for the water level to go down in your toilet bowl.
Finding out the causes for the problem is very crucial for solving it.
So, let’s check out why water is not staying in the toilet bowl.
- Clog In The Toilet Trap
The most common reason for water not staying in the toilet bowl is a clog in the toilet trap. This can happen from different sources.
For example, when too much toilet paper gets jammed in one place, it can cause the toilet trap to clog up.
When toilet papers are clogging up the trap, they will siphon water out of the toilet bowl. As a result, you will see the water level going down in your toilet bowl.
- Leaking Toilet Bowl
Another reason that can cause the water level to drop significantly is a leak or crack in the toilet bowl. This lets out all the water to flow down the drainpipe.
You can also notice water dripping from the back of the toilet. When the issue is water running out on the floor, it’s much more evident. But when the water runs down the drainpipe, it’s much more difficult to determine the reason.
So, whenever you use water level going down on your toilet bowl, make sure to check up on the drainpipe for possible leaks.
- Flushing With A Bucket Of Water
This can be an issue that you might have caused without knowing correctly. This issue occurs if you ever use water from a bucket to flush your toilet instead of the flush system.
Since the flush wasn’t used in the process, the tank stayed unengaged.
Typically, when you engage a tank for flushing, refills the toilet bowl with fresh water. When you flush the toilet with water from a bucket, the tank won’t get to work.
As a result, it doesn’t refill the toilet bowl; hence you end up with the issue where the toilet bowl water level drops overnight.
- Issues With The Fill Tube
The fill tube in your tank can be a cause of this problem. As you may already know, the fill tube is responsible for controlling the level of water you will have in your toilet bowl.
The component helps in refilling your toilet bowl every time you use the flush.
So, when the fill tube is either damaged or not working properly, you will surely come across this problem where the water level goes too low. This may feel like water is almost disappearing from the toilet bowl.
These are some of the common causes for your toilet’s water level to be significantly low. Whenever you have this issue, you have to check up on your toilet and look for these components.
See if they are going through these problems or not. Once you figure out the cause, you can simply move on to solving them as well.
You can watch this video to understand more why water drops so rapidly.
Solutions For The Water Disappearing Issue
Luckily, there are solutions to the problems that I discussed above. So, you don’t have to keep wondering why would a toilet bowl suddenly go dry.
You can just find out the cause of the problem and then try out the solutions that I am about to go through.
Let’s get started.
- Fixing The Clogged Toilet Bowl
When you are dealing with a toilet clog that’s mostly caused by toilet paper, you can easily fix that problem.
All you have to do is clear up the clog using an auger.
You can also use a plunger to remove the clog but having an auger will save up on water usage while cleaning.
If the clog doesn’t clear up, you will need to opt for professional plumbing services to eliminate the issue.
- Solving Structural Problems
Unfortunately, if you have a crack or broken toilet bowl, there is no way to repair the thing. You will need to opt for replacement.
Now, you can either get a toilet bowl and replace it yourself or try out professional plumbers to get the job done. I recommend doing the latter one because it’s not easy to replace a toilet bowl and install a new one.
- Fixing Fill Tube Issue
If you are facing issues with the fill tube of your toilet tank, then the solution for that is pretty simple. You just have to replace the fill tube with a new one.
However, if the fill tube isn’t damaged or broken, you can surely try to repair it somehow.
Having said that, it’s better to go for replacement as fill tubes don’t cost that much anyway. Also, you can replace the fill tube yourself without any professional experience.
So, solving this issue won’t be that big of a deal.
As for flushing with the bucket of water, you simply avoid doing it in the first place. And if you have already done it, then the solution is to do a flush using your toilet tank to refill the toilet bowl as it should be.
There is not much to solve this problem.
Now, if you are not sure of the problem or don’t feel like inspecting the issue yourself, then your best bet is a professional plumber. Whatever the problem might be, don’t let it sustain for too long and get it fixed as soon as you can.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are some commonly asked questions regarding this issue –
Well, you have to maintain no standard water level. Some toilet bowls will have markings on them for the best water level you can maintain. But typically, you would want the water level to be around 1 inch below the overflow tube you have in your toilet.
Yes, you can try out the specific solutions for the issue by yourself. Unless you have to replace the whole toilet bowl, you can easily fix the problem without too much trouble.
Conclusion
All in all, when you are dealing with water disappearing from the toilet bowl, it can be a bit confusing in the beginning. As soon as you find the cause of the problem, solving the issue shouldn’t be that difficult.
But make sure you are getting the solution right away and not wasting any time.
Now that you know what causes this problem to happen in your toilet bowl, it gets even much easier for you. The only thing you have to do is, troubleshoot your toilet to find out what is causing the problem.
Identify the problem source and get it fixed right away. It’s that simple.
I live on the 6th floor of a 15 story apartment building. Once or twice a week the toilet bowl drops down and large gurgling noises ensue. Flushing the toilet fixes it, but the bowl fills up and very slowly empties down to the usual level. This occurs around midnight, plus or minus an hour or two. What could cause a negative pressure in the sewer line to empty out the siphon followed by higher pressure to keep it from flushing?
Hi Clyde,
I hope you can figure this one out. After flushing the water in the toilet bowel fill to appropriate level. Slowly the water disappears over 2-3 minutes to the neck part of the bottom of bowel.
No leaking on floor is detected.
The toilet will flush properly if you push lever to add some water, wait till tank stops filling, then proper flush works.
Now this will last 2-3 weeks, up to 2-4 moths winter or summer ( I live in Toronto). Then everything works fine for a few months or weeks before it happens again.
It’s been doing this for 3-4 years and no one has figured it out yet.
I hope you see a solution.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Pete