Any plumbers here?! Low water level in toilet bowl...

I suck at DIY so any help here would be much appreciated :)

We've recently noticed that the water level in our toilet is really, really low. The cistern seems to be completely fine, and flushing works absolutely fine. When you flush, the water level in the toilet bowl fills up to the proper level, but slowly drains away and 10 mins or so later it's really low again. I thought there may be a leak but surely if there was the water would completely drain away leaving the toilet empty - it doesn't do this, it gets down to a low level but then stays there.

Does anyone have any ideas? Any checks I could do before I pay a plumber to come out and have a look? Could it be related to maybe low water pressure in the area or something (not that I've heard there is)?

Nothing to do with water pressure, and yes it could be a leak.

the water stays at a given level because of the u-bend. The shape of the bend will determine the hight of the water level.

If there is a leak in one of the joints, it will drain down to the level of the leak.

Have a good check round the toilet area for signs of water and damp.

EDIT: No, i'm not a plumber, despite what others on here will tell you.

EDIT2: Here is a diagram

http://www.ab10.org/hexus/toilet.gif

The blue line is the water level. If thee is a leak anywhere below that line, the water will drain down to where that leak is. Simple gravity :)

Give it some rare candy, that should raise the level :P

thought about using sand/washing up liquid to find the leak?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Funkstar

Nothing to do with water pressure, and yes it could be a leak.

the water stays at a given level because of the u-bend. The shape of the bend will determine the hight of the water level.

If there is a leak in one of the joints, it will drain down to the level of the leak.

Have a good check round the toilet area for signs of water and damp.

EDIT: No, i'm not a plumber, despite what others on here will tell you.

EDIT2: Here is a diagram

http://www.ab10.org/hexus/toilet.gif

The blue line is the water level. If thee is a leak anywhere below that line, the water will drain down to where that leak is. Simple gravity :)

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Ooooh thats interesting thanks Funkstar, looking at that diagram suggests there's almost certainly got be a leak somewhere at the base of the u-bend. Guess I should be getting that plumber called out :/

Or you could try and fix it yourself first.

Find the leak.
Drain the toilet completely
Dry it out along with externally
Get some epoxy putty filler (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?...source=15&SD=Y for example, also available in just about every DIY store)
Stick some of that to the area as per instructions
Wait for it to cure off
Try the toilet again

Simple :)

Neil's a closet plumber :)

To drain the loo, tie or hold the float in the cistern up after flushing.

Then have at the bowl with the bog brush in a plunger-like motion.

Don't go down behind the loo if you've recently eaten, no matter how clean you think you are, some always misses.

just take the old one to B&Q and get a new flush that fits. i replaced mine with a funky push button design taking the u bend out and changing a a drop pipe with plunger design. works great :)

OK, if the toilet is flushing ok, ie a cistern full of water is going into the pan everytime you flush then I would say it's probably one of two things.
First as mentioned it could be a leak but not in one of the connections, because if it was leaking there the ubend would still maintain the same level. If there is a crack in the pan it would also cause the level to drop, but unless you are seeing a puddle on the floor I doubt if it's that one.
Now the most likely cause (from experience) is that you have a slight blockage in the waste pipe or round the other side of the ubend. What you need to do is get some drain rods with a plunger attachment and give the pan a good plunging. :)

I love plunging the pan with my rod.

You'll go blind!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Whalefish

OK, if the toilet is flushing ok, ie a cistern full of water is going into the pan everytime you flush then I would say it's probably one of two things.
First as mentioned it could be a leak but not in one of the connections, because if it was leaking there the ubend would still maintain the same level. If there is a crack in the pan it would also cause the level to drop, but unless you are seeing a puddle on the floor I doubt if it's that one.
Now the most likely cause (from experience) is that you have a slight blockage in the waste pipe or round the other side of the ubend. What you need to do is get some drain rods with a plunger attachment and give the pan a good plunging. :)

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Aye, I was thinking the same thing, a slight blockage can cause a suction effect, pulling water into the drain from the toilet.

Also, and this is a long shot, but is the toilet door fairly snug fitting? Have you just fitted a new floor covering?

If the window is open and it's windy, the increased air pressure when the wind blows can push water around the u-bend... we used to get it a lot in the downstairs loo if the window was open and the door shut.

So before you go grubbing around the back of your loo, (not the most savoury of places) try checking your drains or just looking to see if the enclosed space an open window is causing it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GoNz0

just take the old one to B&Q

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ummmmmm


erm

this is just wrong, and i aint ever eating at your place

i said B&Q not BBQ :(

my eyes have completely gone fuzzly


you inviting me over for dinner then?

It has been windy recently. If there is no water outside the loo it is almost certainly just an air pressure differential between the surface of the water in the bowl and in the pipe, as Nick says. If there's no leak don't go drinking the water or sticking your head down to see what happens when you flush; there's no need.

The level in our downstairs bog was pretty low for a while, but now it's sunny and bright again it seems OK.