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About 18 months ago I had some plumbing work done and a ton of sediment was loosened in my pipes. Clogged the bathroom sink faucet fully and it had to be removed and cleaned out.

Since then, the American Standard 4019 toilet also hasn't worked well. Initially, the bowl wouldn't fill well, that has gotten better over time. However, it generally requires holding the handle and pouring about 16 ounces of extra water poured down the bowl to get a successful flush.

I've tried cleaning the jets with an allen wrench, no sediment was detectable there. I poured some food coloring/water into the overflow valve and it only came out of the bottom of the toilet, none seeped from the jets, though during a flush, water does come from them.

I've tried using a cheap manual auger, it didn't have any impact on the problem.

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    Would it be possible that his plumbing vent is blocked? – Dotes Nov 9 '17 at 18:57
  • There was an extra toilet added in the basement during construction, though I believe it got its own vent added. Prior this toilet was extremely reliable – Thomas Nov 9 '17 at 19:25
  • Does the toilet sometimes have air bubbles coming out of the bottom of the bowl when flushed? Another way to tell if it is a vent issue is pour 2 gallons of water down the sink all at once and see if it moves the water level of the water in the toilet bowl. – Dotes Nov 9 '17 at 19:38
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    If you can successfully flush it with a 5 gallon bucket of water then it is not a venting issue. If it is the bowl jets you may need a coffee urn brush or some other very small long brush to clean them out. Another idea is empty the toilet entirely and use compressed air to blow out the jets. Just thinking out loud though. – ArchonOSX Nov 9 '17 at 20:11
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I had tried cleaning out the jets at the top of the rim previously, but it hadn't occurred to me to try to clean out the inlet at the bottom of the toilet bowl. It was nearly sealed shut. About 15 minutes of digging at it with a few screwdrivers of different sizes and I have it nice and clear and back to original excellent flushing quality.enter image description here

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    Thank you for reporting the resolution of your problem. - Too many posters ask for advice and then disappear as soon as they don't need Home Improvement SE any more. - Also thanks for that lovely photo. – A. I. Breveleri Nov 21 '17 at 23:30
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    Just to minimize gross-out-ness, that's mineral deposits and sediment that was caked in the inlet of the toilet. – Thomas Nov 22 '17 at 5:06
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There is a screen at the inlet of the toilet fill valve. This also is probably partially blocked. Flush the line to the toilet and either clean out the fill valve or replace. I vote replace. Then make sure that the toilet tank is filling to an appropriate level. Adjust as necessary. Good Luck.

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