# toilet bowl losing water in high rise



## blowfish (Aug 24, 2008)

I remodeled a condo, I pulled the old toilet and installed a new wellworth 1.28 gpf toilet . The problem is bowl siphonage, when other toilets are being flushed the toilet is burping and there seems to be alot of turbulance. I replaced the bowl with anouther , it still doing it but not as bad, I checked the roof vents. I am not sure what to do with this one.


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

Is it a back to back or close to another


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Might have a partial stoppage.


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## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

Sounds like maybe the venting configuration is wrong


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

yoiu may need a relief vent due to the difference in air pressure


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## blowfish (Aug 24, 2008)

they are back to back I believe, the neighbor is pissed of all the noise the remodeling made that she won't let me or my helper in her unit to flush her toilet to see if it's causing the siphonage. These new toilet barely have any bowl water. I either need to change neighbor toilet to the same one or try and find a toilet that has more bowl water.


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

blowfish said:


> they are back to back I believe, the neighbor is pissed of all the noise the remodeling made that she won't let me or my helper in her unit to flush her toilet to see if it's causing the siphonage. These new toilet barely have any bowl water. I either need to change neighbor toilet to the same one or try and find a toilet that has more bowl water.


That is prob ur problem. Check the center fitting and make sure it is a ff. same old story . Incorrect install.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

justin said:


> That is prob ur problem. Check the center fitting and make sure it is a ff. same old story . Incorrect install.


Dang Justin. Are you grouchy to nite?? Lol


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## NYC Plumber (May 4, 2011)

I bet its a venting issue... Make sure the wc has its own vent and vented properly.


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Dang Justin. Are you grouchy to nite?? Lol


Nah, maybe sound that way. Funny. Lol


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## Good Enuff P&H (Mar 24, 2012)

What was the WC that was removed? 
I'm curious if the existing WC's design and amount of water in the bowl wasn't affected like the new one.
The newer super flush WC's that can handle 24 golf balls and bags of dog food are outperforming the drainage and vents.
Take a look at this link for a little more on the topic. 



http://www.pmmag.com/CDA/Archives/980678adbcfc7010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0


I'd bet those toilets are on a double sanitary tee. 


Kohler says "For back to back installations:
Connect the toilet to the vertical stack using a double fixture fitting, double combination wye and 1/8th bends or double wye and 1/8th bends


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## Lmp (Oct 17, 2011)

I agree that it's a venting issue


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## walker426 (Oct 17, 2011)

Lmp said:


> I agree that it's a venting issue


Its a hydraulic jump problem


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## blowfish (Aug 24, 2008)

we can't replumb the building, is there any other options. I told them I can get a used toilet to put back in your newly $500K renovation


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## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

I had issue with that. Defiantly a vent problem. Had to cut a vent in and solved all problems.


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## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

blowfish said:


> we can't replumb the building, is there any other options. I told them I can get a used toilet to put back in your newly $500K renovation


Take the trap off the sink and then flush see if that helps..


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## blowfish (Aug 24, 2008)

vinpadalino said:


> Take the trap off the sink and then flush see if that helps..


 I assume you put a AAV or studor vent on the sink and thats what solved the problem. Was your problem in a high rise also?


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

How is it a vent issue? Were any vent stacks re-done? The old W/C's worked fine. The new one doesn't. If the vent(s) were not moved, then it is not a vent problem.

You know, a partial stoppage will cut off a vent, causing the symptoms you describe like a burping W/C and a sluggish flush. Have you ruled out a partial stoppage before you go to plan 'B'?


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## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> How is it a vent issue? Were any vent stacks re-done? The old W/C's worked fine. The new one doesn't. If the vent(s) were not moved, then it is not a vent problem.
> 
> You know, a partial stoppage will cut off a vent, causing the symptoms you describe like a burping W/C and a sluggish flush. Have you ruled out a partial stoppage before you go to plan 'B'?


When other toilets are flushed its going to effect a partially clogged toilet???


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## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

blowfish said:


> I assume you put a AAV or studor vent on the sink and thats what solved the problem. Was your problem in a high rise also?


I took the trap off just for a test. I used that as a vent. I put trap back together when I figured the problem out. Then I had to open up some Sheetrock.


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## user7551 (Oct 21, 2011)

just ran into a problem like this today, back to back floor mounted w/c's with flush valves . The problem was when ever the womens toilet was flushed it would pull half the water out of the mens toilet. so we pulled the mens toilet to camera what was going on . So when the womens toilet was flushed we seen it flowing across the 3 " sanitary cross the mens toilet filling up the 90 and then flowing out . Only thing I could figure is that when the mens toilet was installed the water coming from the womens toilet was siphoning the water out of the mens bowl.


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## walker426 (Oct 17, 2011)

playme1979 said:


> just ran into a problem like this today, back to back floor mounted w/c's with flush valves . The problem was when ever the womens toilet was flushed it would pull half the water out of the mens toilet. so we pulled the mens toilet to camera what was going on . So when the womens toilet was flushed we seen it flowing across the 3 " sanitary cross the mens toilet filling up the 90 and then flowing out . Only thing I could figure is that when the mens toilet was installed the water coming from the womens toilet was siphoning the water out of the mens bowl.


Thats what happens


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## user7551 (Oct 21, 2011)

We found this problem in a building that was 6 months old and the original contractor kept telling the owners that there was that could be done . Basically said thats just the way it works lol. Anyways we jackhammered the floor up and put both toilets on their own stacks to fix the problem. Weird thing was the next set of toilets were installed back to back with the same fitting setup but not siphoning each other out . Told the building rep that theres no sense in fixing something that isn't broke at this point.


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## blowfish (Aug 24, 2008)

This problem is still going on. The customer made me take a toilet from the other bathroom because he knows it works. I told him that won't make a difference. He called me and said that its worse than before. duh. Is there a new toilet bowl that holds alot of water?


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

blowfish said:


> This problem is still going on. The customer made me take a toilet from the other bathroom because he knows it works. I told him that won't make a difference. He called me and said that its worse than before. duh. Is there a new toilet bowl that holds alot of water?


what dumps into that stack above the toilet? i have seen this lots of times. As others have said, you have a vent problem. You should camera the stack and see what is plugging it up. If the Lav drops into that stack above the toilet I would do like someone else suggested and remove the trap and test it. I understand you big problem is the person next door won't let you in to flush their toilet to test. I would figure out how this is vented and then unclog the vent. It sounds like the other toilet having more water in the bowl was simply masking the problem. just changing the toilet is not the right fix, It will only get worse.


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## user7551 (Oct 21, 2011)

Plumber Jim said:


> what dumps into that stack above the toilet? i have seen this lots of times. As others have said, you have a vent problem. You should camera the stack and see what is plugging it up. If the Lav drops into that stack above the toilet I would do like someone else suggested and remove the trap and test it. I understand you big problem is the person next door won't let you in to flush their toilet to test. I would figure out how this is vented and then unclog the vent. It sounds like the other toilet having more water in the bowl was simply masking the problem. just changing the toilet is not the right fix, It will only get worse.


Doesn't have to be a vent problem the other toilet could be flowing straight through a san cross into the 90 under the problem toilet and siphoning it out as it flows back out. Seen it happen.


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## MikeS (Oct 3, 2011)

yeah, but if thats the case, wouldn't it work both ways? I mean, it shouldn't matter which toilet is flushed, it should happen to both.

edit: doh, never mind. Just reread. Like the two toilets are stacked. Not combied in. Bottom tied in toilet is sucking out top toilet. Still, if they share a common vent, it should pull air, not water.


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## Joeypipes 23 (Feb 2, 2011)

sounds like a venting issue, as you know vents are necessary to keep pressure balance


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