Toilets are of course designed to flush the poop and your own human waste out of our homes. However, with that being said, they don’t always work as they should, and things do break. If you have a toilet that isn’t flushing the poop down properly, then you do of course have a problem, quite a stinky problem at that.
What we are here to do today is to talk about all of the different possible causes as to why that might happen as well as the various solutions to this issue.
6 Causes (and Solutions) Why Poop Stays in Toilet After Flushing
What is of course very important to note here is the fact that your poop not flushing down the toilet after you flush might be caused by a variety of issues. Right now we’re going to take a look at all of the most common issues that could be causing your toilet to not flush poop away properly, as well as what all of the possible solutions to these various issues are.
#1: A Clogged Toilet Drain
The first, most obvious, and most common issue that you might be faced with here is simply a clogged toilet drain. Now, if you notice that your toilet bowl is filling up with water and then slowly draining, then the issue is most likely a clogged or a partially clogged toilet drain.
Moreover, if enough water seems to be coming out of the tank and into the bowl, but it is not draining properly, then it is most likely a clogged toilet drain that you are dealing with. If you suspect that your toilet drain is clogged, then there are a number of solutions at your disposal.
Solutions
Let’s take a look at the various solutions at your disposal, for remedying a clogged toilet drain.
- The simplest solution to this problem is to just use a toilet plunger to try and plunge the clog out of the drain. Make sure that the toilet plunger is completely covered with water when you go to plunge. Plunge five or six times, and if the water drains all of a sudden, then you have solved the problem. If the clog still does not come undone with vigorous plunging, move on to the next solution.
- If plunging did not do the trick, then the next best solution in your arsenal is to use a toilet snake or a drain auger. To use a drain auger, simply insert it into the toilet drain and then keep twisting until you reach an obstacle. Once you reach an obstacle, twist the toilet snake back and forth and then pull it out. If this still does not do the trick, then move on to the next solution.
- Something you can always try doing is getting a toilet-friendly drain unclogging chemical solution. Now, just beware that many drain uncloggers cannot be used on toilets so make sure to get one that is rated safe for toilets. Pour the drain unclogging chemical into the toilet and let it sit for as long as the packaging directs. If this does not do the trick, then move on to the next solution.
- Lastly, if nothing has worked up until this point, your only real option is to actually remove the toilet from the ground and check to see if there is anything caught in the drain or the trap. If you cannot find anything caught in the drain or the trap, then your only other solution is going to be to call a plumber for professional assistance.
Before doing any of the above, make sure to also read my article about how to unclog a toilet with poop still in it.
With all of that being said, if a clogged toilet drain is not the issue, then the problem could be that the water holes in the toilet tank and the toilet bowl are clogged or due to any of the other issues that we are about to discuss.
#2: Clogged Water Holes
Another problem that your toilet may be faced with which is causing the poop to not flush down properly is if the water holes in the bowl and the tank are clogged. In other words, if the plumbing that connects your toilet tank to the bowl is clogged, then not enough water will come from the tank to the bowl in a short enough period of time to create enough water pressure to force all of the poop down.
Now, this issue is usually going to be caused by hard water deposits that build up in those little holes. Calcium and magnesium deposits can build up over time and cause the plumbing to clog up.
Solution
There are a few simple solutions to this problem:
- You can try pouring a bit of vinegar and baking soda into the toilet tank and then flushing the toilet. This may be enough to unclog those little holes.
- Another solution is to use a chemical product that has the ability to remove hard water buildups. Removing those hard water buildup should be enough to unclog those little holes to the point where they can let enough water through to properly flush poop down the drain. Follow all of the instructions as advertised on your specific product.
- If this still does not work, then you can always try using some kind of small and sharp tool in order to manually unclog those little holes in your toilet bowl.
Make sure to read this article about cleaning toilet jets to get some more ideas on how to solve the issue and how to prevent it in the future.
#3: An Issue with the Water Tank
OK, so if the little holes that bring the water from the tank to the bowl are not clogged, and the drain leading from your toilet to the rest of your plumbing is not clogged, then the issue might be with the water tank itself. In other words, there may be a component in the water tank that is broken and therefore causing the toilet to not flush properly.
Solution
To try to fix this, follow the steps below:
- What you need to do here is to lift up the lid off of the toilet tank and inspect the interior to see if there are any broken components.
- First and foremost, you need to check to see if the flapper and the chain are functioning properly. In other words, when you go to flush the toilet, it should cause the chain to pull up on the flapper, thus releasing the entirety of the tank’s contents down into the bowl of the toilet. If this component is not functioning properly, it may not allow enough water to flush down through to the bowl in a short enough period of time to create enough pressure to flush the poop down.
- If you see that there are any issues with the flapper, the chain, or the floating ball, then you will need to make the appropriate repairs or replacements in order to make your toilet function properly.
- Lastly, if you cannot see any issues for yourself, you may need to call a plumber for professional assistance.
#4: A Low-Flow Toilet
Alright, so when it comes down to it, if all of the poop in your toilet does not flush down properly, the cause could be as simple as having a low-flow toilet. Modern toilets are designed to use minimal amounts of water, thus helping you save money and save the environment.
However, if you have a whole lot of waste in that toilet bowl, then a flow toilet with such a limited water supply may not be able to do the job.
Solution
While there are ways to convert low-flow to high-flow toilets, the only real solution might be to invest in a toilet that uses more water.
#5: Bad Plumbing
Another issue that you may be faced with here is that your plumbing is just old and outdated, or in other words, your plumbing does not have the capacity to handle such large amounts of water and waste at once.
Solution
If you suspect that the issue lies with your plumbing, then the only real solution is to call in a plumber for professional assistance. You will most likely need to replace your existing plumbing with larger pipes that can fit more waste at once.
#6: Excessive Amounts of Waste
The other possible cause here is that there is just way too much waste in the toilet for it to handle. The only real solution here is of course to upgrade your toilet or to start eating less.
4 Ways to Dissolve Poop in Toilet
So you have a bunch of poop sitting in your toilet and you now want to dissolve it so you can get rid of it. Let’s take a quick look at the various methods for dissolving poop in your toilet.
#1: Baking Soda and Vinegar
The easiest thing you can do to dissolve poop in your toilet bowl is to pour a bunch of vinegar and baking soda into the bowl. That chemical reaction will create a whole lot of oxygen that will break down the poop and allow you to flush it down.
#2: Green Gobbler
Another thing that you can do is to use a chemical or organic product that will dissolve the poop right in the toilet bowl. One of the most popular options to go with here is known as Green Gobbler.
#3: Soda
Various sodas, especially the darker colored sodas, contain chemicals that have the ability to dissolve poop right in the toilet bowl, not to mention that all of the carbonation and bubbling that happens in soda also has the ability to dissolve poop in a toilet bowl.
#4: Hot Water and Detergent
You can also pour a couple of cups of dishwashing detergent into your toilet and then follow that up with a good gallon of boiling water. Let this sit for about 20 minutes and it should dissolve the poop in your toilet.
Mistakes to Avoid, Tips & Tricks
To finish off, here are some other things to keep in mind:
- The one and only tip that we want to leave you here with right now is that if you have inspected your toilet and you cannot find any issues, then your best option is to call a plumber for professional assistance.
- If you do not know what you are doing and you are not familiar with plumbing, then you definitely don’t want to go ripping pipes apart to try and find the solution because you will probably end up causing more problems.
Summary
Now that you know what all the possible causes are as to why the poop in your toilet does not flush down properly, you can now work to figure out what the exact cause in your situation is, and then apply the appropriate solution.
Also, in case the poop is not floating but stuck to the bowl, read this article to learn how to prevent that from happening.