I know I’m not the only one who has wondered why they had water disappearing from toilet bowl. After trying different solutions and doing research, I finally found the root of the problem, and how to fix it. With this guide, I believe you will too!

Why Your Toilet Bowl Water Level Gets Lower After Each Flush
Toilet water disappears from your bowl when there is a leak, paper clog, or structural issue. The way you fix this is to either unclog your drain, patch any cracks, or replace the entire unit if needed. You can also clear any debris from the pipes on the roof.
Before fixing your bowl, you must figure out the exact problem. You do this by checking around the toilet area for potential leaks.
If you find a crack within your porcelain frame, patch it up. Unless you have serious plumbing expertise, it’s best if a professional does the patch job. A leak may not be the issue as it could be the air supply vent.
Natural things such as snow and leaves can clog your air supply vent pipe pretty quickly. This one is harder to fix and requires a bit of mastery and care.
If it is not a leak or a supply vent issue, the wax ring seal may be the issue. Fixing that will require you or a professional to look under the toilet and inspect it.
Conversely, it may be a toilet tank concern that a replacement fixes. Lift the tank lid to see if you need to clear an internal blockage or replace a valve.
The Best Ways To Fix These Problems
I would understand if you don’t have enough money to hire a professional plumber, so here are some quick tips you can use to do it yourself. I will go over the tools you need along with the best methods of fixing water disappearing from toilet bowl.
1. Plunge Out Toilet Paper
Sometimes, clearing the toilet is all you need to do to stop water from disappearing from your toilet bowl. The plunger will remove any toilet paper disrupting the water flow in your bathroom.
Toilet paper affects the water level by soaking up liquid in its fibers, causing the toilet bowl to siphon water over time. Use your plunger or other methods to remove any wads of tissue from the drain to rectify this situation.

2. Fix Any Cracks
A cracked porcelain toilet leaking water will lead to less water in your toilet bowl over time. It is best to find the crack and seal it with epoxy.
Let me give you a rundown of all the tools you’ll need to tackle this job by yourself. Your porcelain crack-fixing kit includes
- Silicone epoxy
- Cloths, towels, and sponges
- A putty knife
- A hair dryer
- A caulking gun
Once you have gathered these items, you will need to turn off the water before completely fixing your toilet. This step is skippable, but you don’t want to leave room for mishaps.
Only try to fix small cracks on your toilet exterior because bigger ones will require you to replace the entire unit. The smaller cracks are easily sealed and concealed with epoxy, while bigger ones may make your toilet too clunky for regular use.
3. Check the Toilet Tank
Checking the toilet tank is one of the more straightforward fixes you will have to do if your toilet bowl is lacking water (see our guide on toilet bowl bubbles here). There are numerous reasons why your toilet tank would leak, including cracks and a faulty fill valve.
If slight cracks are the trouble, you can fix them the way he described in the previous solution. If it is the fill valve, you will have to either adjust or replace the fill valve and flapper mechanism.
Take off the top of the tank and pull up the wire to make water flow into the system. You may need to fix your flapper and fill-valve system if you spot any broken pieces. A quick trip to the hardware store can take that care.
You can do a nifty trick to point to your flapper valve as the culprit with a jar and some food coloring. Place a bottle full of the colored substance inside the tank and use the toilet as usual.
After setting the jar, you will know that it is your flapper valve once colored water fills your toilet bowl. You can replace your valve by unhooking it from the toilet tank apparatus.

4. Clear Any Debris in the Vent Pipes
Many people do not know that toilets use vent pipes to flush (I know I didn’t). Roof vents feed directly to your toilet pipes and are responsible for pushing water through the lines.
Clogged vent pipes can cause your toilet to start gurgling because it is trying its best to breathe in a sense. Your pipes will try their best to draw air from anywhere, taking water from the bowl in the process.
Your vents are located on the roof of your house and can be blocked by
- Snow
- Birds’ nest
- Leaves
- Random wind-blown trash
The best fix is to go up on your roof and clear the debris with a piping tool or by hand. If the weather is not permitting or you do not have the proper tools to complete the job, then call a professional.
A skinny grabber tool can clear air supply vent clogs up by latching on to the blockage. After pulling out the debris, it might be wise to invest in a strategy to prevent future setbacks.
A cover is a great way to stop anything from blocking your vent passageways. A sewer vent cap has a shape that makes anything that lands on top of it run off the sides without getting inside the ventilation shaft.
5. What’s the Deal With Your Seal?
Are you noticing water around the base of your toilet? If so, then it might be a damaged seal that is causing your toilet bowl to seep water. That is where the bowl connects to the opening in the floor (or flange for all you toilet nerds).
Another telltale sign that your wax bowl ring needs a replacement is the toilet shaking on its axis. A loose toilet suggests that it does not have a sturdy base and requires a new flange connection.
Replacing the bowl ring may require a little more plumbing expertise because, in most cases, you will need to unscrew your entire toilet, turn it on its side, and check the wax bowl ring. Of course, it only requires you to unscrew the bolts that fasten the base to the floor, but some people may not be handy with power tools.
After uprooting your toilet and confirming your suspicions, you can either try to mend the seal with an adhesive or replace the seal completely. The average replacement for a wax bowl ring will cost about $100 to $200.
Final Thoughts
There are several reasons why water is disappearing from toilet bowl, but they all have solutions. It can be a simple flapper valve and fill valve problem that you can replace in about 30 minutes after a trip to the hardware store.
On the other hand, you may need to lift your entire toilet off the ground and replace the wax ring beneath it. Let’s just hope you don’t have to go on the roof and unclog the air supply vent.
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