6 Reasons Your Toilet Won’t Flush
Is your toilet not flushing correctly? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Many homeowners experience this problem at one time or another. And if you only have one toilet in your home, then you what an emergency it can be. Let’s go over a few reasons why your toilet won’t flush.
Complete Plumbing & Drains can help you get your house back in order and your toilet running as it should. And, while we recommend you let the professionals handle the dirty work, you may find your toilet troubles to be an easy fix.
In this blog, you’ll learn some of the common reasons why toilets won’t flush and the steps you can take if you want to tackle it on your own.
A Clogged Toilet
Though this symptom may be obvious, the cause can often be a mystery. If it’s something as simple as too much toilet paper, a small toy, or feminine care products, your plunger is your best bet.
A toilet that clogs frequently my be happening for a few reasons. Obviously, a clogged toilet can occur when too much toilet paper is trying to be flushed down the toilet. Then there are other reasons like a clog in your sewer line, toilet ventilation, or a clog in the toilet drain.
Is There Too Little Water?
When your toilet has too little water, it could mean the fill tube may be incorrectly positioned, or the tube may be damaged in some place. That is something our plumbers at Complete Plumbing & Drains can take a look at for you.
When this happens, the tube prevents the tanks water from reaching the proper level. When our plumbers come to your house, we will position the fill tube so that the water flows into the overflow tube, which is the open pipe near the center of your toilet tank. Then, if that doesn’t work, we will replace the tube.
When the Flapper is Damaged
If you think your toilet’s flapper is leaking, take off the toilet tank lid and flush the toilet. You will watch the toilet flapper while it flushes. If you have a leaky flapper, it won’t reseal appropriately after the toilet has been flushed, and most likely, the water will drain completely out of the tank. If worn out, broken, or damaged, replacing the flapper can return your toilet to normal function.
The Overflow Tube Has Cracked
Your toilet’s overflow tube is a component of a flush valve. It’s a significant part of the toilet, but we rarely know about it because it is hidden in plain sight. If there is any damage to the overflow tube, it can cause problems.
One of the first signs to knowing if there is a crack in the overflow pipe is water will go into the toilet bowl instead of filling up the tank. When this happens, you will end up with an empty tank, no matter how many times you have tried to flush it to refill.
The Lift Chain Is Loose or Disconnected
The chain lifts and lowers your toilet’s flapper to cover and uncover the intake hole. If it’s broken, disconnected, or has too much slack, it won’t be able to lift the flapper and allow your toilet to flush. If it’s disconnected or has too much slack, you can easily reattach or readjust it. Like the flapper, replacing a broken chain is relatively easy and cheap.
Your Toilet Won’t Flush if Your Toilet Is… Old
Sorry to say, but it may be true; when you have an old toilet, it lacks flushing pressure, and the materials can get left behind. Unfortunately, this can lead to even more clogging problems in the future. The only real fix for an older toilet problem is to purchase a new toilet. The great news is you should not have any of these problems with a new toilet.
Another issue we commonly find with older toilets is calcification and debris. Limescale toilet buildup results from hard water flowing through the pipes and leaving behind deposits of magnesium and calcium that gradually build up leaving stains and scaling. You can spot these stains and scaling almost anywhere the hard water flows: around taps, pipes, and toilet bowls.
Choosing a Quality Toilet
In this part of the article, we will go over the benefits, key points and more about the differences in expensive toilets, middle range toilets, and toilets on the cheaper side. They all have the same purpose, but let’s discover what they all offer.
Cheap vs Middle vs Expensive
Expensive (pressure assist, high quality, high end)- When you think about an expensive toilet, what comes to mind first? Many think about all of the lights, gadgets, pressure-assisted toilets, a bidet, seat warmer, and more.
All of that sounds interesting but an expensive toilet is not the choice you have to make unless you want to add those extra features that are super convenient. Still, your toilet’s main goal is to get human waste down into your pipes properly without clogging or leaks.
Middle (standard styles, quality builds, purpose built)- Middle range toilets are what you are most likely to find in newer homes. They are a little more stylish, you have more options to choose from, and they are built well for their purpose.
Cheap (low quality, outdated design, lower quality control)- With a cheap toilet, you will still get your basic functions, of course. However, you may experience slow draining, more frequent clogs, and parts that break more quickly compared to the mid-grade and high-grade toilets.
An expensive toilet isn’t an option for some households. Then again, you may just have a toddler that likes to put toys in the bowl. And that is something that Complete Plumbing & Drains can take care so you do not have to. We are trained to take care of many plumbing problems including the occasional flushed toy.
Toilet Won’t Flush: Toilet Repair Near You
If you’ve gone through our list but found no answers as to why your toilet won’t flush, the expert plumbers at Complete Plumbing & Drain can help. No matter how big or small the job is, we do everything from cracks, leaks, clogs, and maintenance.