Ever try to flush your toilet only to notice that it just won’t flush? Your toilet may be clogged (even if you can’t see it) or it may not be getting enough water. Any number of working parts could be faulty too. Before the next person in your home needs to go, it’s important to fix that toilet that won’t flush! Here are some reasons why this could be occurring:
- Your Toilet is Clogged: An obvious reason why your toilet won’t flush is because it’s visibly clogged. However, clogs may not be visible if they’re further down the line.
- Never flush anything other than toilet paper and waste down your toilet. Wipes and other items can build up and block your sewer line.
- A partial clog somewhere in the line could mean that your toilet will still flush but not very strong. A way to test for a partial clog is to pour a bucket with a gallon of cold water into the bowl. If your toilet still doesn’t flush properly, you probably have a partial clog.
- Check Your Toilet’s Handle and Chain: If the handle doesn’t do anything when you flush, you may have an easy fix. The handle connects to the flapper (the valve that holds the water in the tank) via a small length of chain. A simple explanation may be that the chain got disconnected at either end.
- It’s also possible that the chain is the wrong length. When you depress the handle, the chain yanks up the flapper to initiate the toilet’s flush. If the toilet chain is too long, it won’t be able to yank up the flapper. If the flapper doesn’t rise, the toilet doesn’t flush. If the chain’s too short, then your toilet flapper won’t seal properly and your toilet will run without ever completely filling with water.
- The Flapper Won’t Close: As mentioned above, the flapper is the rubber valve at the bottom of your toilet’s tank. A toilet’s flapper opens and closes whenever you flush, allowing water to run from the tank into the bowl. When you depress your toilet’s handle, you’re lifting the flapper. Your toilet’s flapper is in constant contact with moving water that, over time, can bend or otherwise warp the flapper.
- Your Overflow Tube Needs Adjustment: Your toilet’s overflow tube is a part of the tank near the refill tube. Overflow tubes help empty water directly into the toilet bowl during a flush. These tubes are not infallible, unfortunately. The toilet’s constant pressure can easily crack or otherwise damage them. If the tube does crack, water will run into it instead of past it.
- Your Toilet Tank isn’t Filling Up All the Way: When you flush your toilet, you release water from the tank into the bowl. Releasing a lot of water into the bowl quickly generates the suction required to flush the toilet. When the tank doesn’t contain enough water, it doesn’t create the necessary pressure for a strong flush. You may notice a weaker flush, or no flush at all.
- Your Toilet Jets Need Cleaning: The toilet jets are the little holes along the underside of the toilet bowl rim. When you flush, the water from the tank above rushes down through these small openings to create the swirling action you see. If they become clogged with lime or corrosion, it will limit the strength of your flush.
Call Liberty Plumbing to Fix Your Toilet that Won’t Flush
Perhaps one of the reasons above are why your toilet won’t flush. Don’t fret! Rely on Liberty Plumbing for toilet maintenance and repair! Liberty Plumbing Inc. can install, repair and perform regular maintenance on toilets in Northern Virginia. Contact us today to learn more.