Toilet won't flush

[Hookmaster]

Yesterday one of the toilets in the upstairs of my house started not to flush. It's not acting like when my son clogs it up with a healthy one. What I mean is the bowl doesn't fill up with water and just sit there. The water level in the bowl doesn't change very much and the water in the tank drains very slowly with some bubbles coming out of the hole that the flapper covers up. I tried flushing by dumping water in the bowl and it seemed to flush OK. I've never seen this before. Any ideas? Vent clogged? The toilet in the basement that is on the same vent (I believe) flushes OK but that is 2 stories down from the toilet in question.

[Tom7227]

something obstructing the opening from the tank to the bowl?  might need to have a chat with the youngster about putting things where they belong, or don't

[delcecchi]

So the flapper opens all the way, and it doesn't flush but if you pour water from a bucket in to the bowl it does? 

Sounds like a bad flapper thing to me.  What happens if you take the top off the tank and reach in and open the flapper all the way? 

Could something in the tank have gotten sucked into the opening?  one of those toilet cleaner things for example? 

Edited July 14, 2015 by delcecchi

[Surface Tension]

Sounds like scale build up in the holes around the rim or as mentioned something stuck there.
  They do make cleaning products for the scale but I'd just replace it.

[Macgyver55]

Do you use toilet "tablets" for keeping them clean?  I have seen them get sucked down the flapper hole and plug them up.

[Hookmaster]

I used to use the toilet tablets but haven't for a few years. The performance changed overnight, so I am betting a piece of the flapper fell off and went down the hole. I am going to look at it tonight or tomorrow morning.

[Hookmaster]

I finally got to the toilet last weekend. No gurgling from the bathroom sink or bathtub when flushing so I didn't think the vent pipe was clogged. The holes under the rim of the bowl were wide open. I took off the water tank and looked in there. There was some cellophane plastic in the hole that leads to the rim of the bowl. Scratch the head on that one. I removed the plastic, put the water tank back on and it flushes like a champ. The plastic came off the label on the 2-liter bottle I put in the tank to take up space to reduce the amount of water per flush. This toilet is from the '60s so it has about a 5 gallon water tank.

[Tom7227]

Did you give the kid the what for after I suggested that's where the fault was?   If so time to take the kid for some ice cream.