If your toilet fills up and then drains slowly, you should act immediately. It might not look serious right now, but it can cause serious troubles later, such as a blockage in your drainage system. Even if you don’t notice that the water slowly drains, but you notice that the tank is never completely full, there’s something wrong. In this article, we will explain how to fix this issue.
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What Causes the Toilet to Fill and Then Drain
There are several reasons why a toilet drains by itself. Read each of these causes to figure out what to do next.
Something is Stuck in the Toilet
This is the most frequent reason for this issue. In most cases, you will notice that the water rises before going down, and in some cases, it might rise too high. This usually means that your toilet is clogged with debris such as tissues, wipes, waste, or similar.
To solve the problem, try using a plumbing snake that you can use either with a drill or manually. All you have to do is to put the snake into the toilet and rotate the handle clockwise as it enters the bowl. Once you reach the clog, simply rotate the handle counterclockwise while pulling the plumbing snake out of the toilet.
Toilet Ports are Clogged
If your toilet slowly loses water, it might be due to clogged toilet ports. These are usually under the toilet bowl and are very simple to inspect. If they are clogged, a simple solution may be getting one of those all-in-one toilet repair kits. Those kits usually cost around $25 and include various items, such as a new flapper, flush valve, handles, and more.
Level of Water is Low
Sometimes, the water might slowly drain because of the low water level in the tank. To fix the issue, you will first need to detach the tank. Turn off the main supply valve and flush once to empty the tank, and then inspect every single part to check if everything works correctly. Also, it might happen that your tank doesn’t receive enough water because your water supply is not working properly.
Consider reading our guide about how much water a toilet bowl should contain.
Ways to Solve These Issues
Any of these issues can cause your toilet to fill up with water, which will then slowly drain. However, it doesn’t take professional skills to solve. Let’s see what to do about these issues.
Dishwashing Soap and Water
Most likely, if the water in your toilet slowly drains, something is clogged in the pipes. To remove it, we advise you to use hot water and dishwashing soap. Simply mix these two components into a 1-2 liter bottle and pour it into the toilet. A few minutes later, the problem should be solved.
Use Plunger to Unclog the Pipes
If hot water and dishwashing soap didn’t help, you should try unclogging with a plunger. Insert it into the bowl and move upward and backward until the substance goes out of the toilet. Then, flush the toilet once to see if 
Clean the Toilet Ports
Your water may be slowly draining due to clogged toilet ports. Sometimes, it might be threads or hair that is clogged in toilet ports, which prevents the water from flowing properly. Simply clean the ports and the problem will be solved.
Should I Hire a Professional? How Much Would They Charge?
If nothing above works, call a professional. The best thing is, it won’t cost you much – mainly because you don’t have to replace any parts. Depending on what is causing the problem, you can expect to pay between $80 and $120.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Will a Clogged Toilet Unclog by Itself?
Eventually, it will. Most things that cause the toilet to get clogged can dissolve in water over time. When they are dissolved, you will be able to get rid of the clog with a single flush.
Can Solid Waste Clog the Toilet?
Although it might not happen quite often, it is possible for solid waste to clog the toilet. However, it should unclog by itself pretty quickly.
Which Toilet Paper Should I Use if the Toilet Gets Clogged Too Often?
If your toilet gets clogged too often, we recommend you to use Charmin Ultra Soft. It will quickly dissolve into water, solving your problems with toilet clogging.
Bottom Line
Although slowly draining water can cause serious problems in the future, right now, it might not look like a big problem. The best thing is that you can solve this issue quickly and easily with some basic tools or a twenty-dollar kit. Even calling a plumber is not too expensive, so be sure to take care of this problem as soon as possible, before it leads to any bigger issues like flooding.