What Causes Toilets to Not Flush?
A toilet that won’t flush isn’t very helpful. It’s a nuisance, and it’s frustrating. If you have a toilet with flushing troubles, for the sake of your health and mental wellbeing you need to diagnose and fix the problem quickly. Leaving it in its current condition too long can lead to sewer backups or other serious issues within your home’s plumbing. What’s worse is you will have a bathroom that is largely out of order for as long as it takes to remedy the situation.
What causes toilets not to flush properly, or at all? Every plumber in Las Vegas, NV has been asked this question. Here are a few reasons why your toilet won’t flush, and how to fix them.
Clogs
The most common explanation for a toilet not flushing properly is that it’s clogged. Clogs happen for all sorts of reasons, but flushing non-flushable items is the most common culprit. Never flush anything down your toilet that isn’t toilet paper or human waste. Paper towels, facial tissue, diapers, feminine hygiene products, kitty litter, pieces of plastic—this list could go on. All these items should go in the garbage, not the toilet. Treat your toilet like a trash can and you’ll be battling clogs all the time.
To fix the clog, try using a flange plunger. If that doesn’t unclog it, you might need professional drain cleaning services.
Warped flapper
The toilet flapper sits inside the tank and opens and closes whenever it’s flushed. Pressing down the toilet handle lifts the flapper, which allows the water to run from the tank into the bowl, an action that repeats flush after flush. However, all that water moving over the flapper can eventually bend or warp it.
Open the toilet tank and look for the rubber flapper at the bottom. If the flapper is not covering the flush tube hole completely, it may be warped, broken or damaged. Go to your local hardware store for a new flapper and replace it. Or, you can call the pros at Orchard Plumbing to install a new one for you.
Wrong chain length
One end of the toilet chain hooks onto the flapper, and the other end onto the toilet handle. Depress the handle and the chain jerks the flapper up and the toilet flushes. If your flushing issues are related to the toilet chain, the chain is either too long or too short. A flapper that cannot rise cannot flush, and a chain that’s too short won’t close properly. Try adjusting the chain’s length.
Damaged overflow tube
Another essential part inside your toilet tank is the overflow tube. The job of the overflow tube is to help empty the water directly into the toilet bowl during a flush. Unfortunately, the toilet’s constant pressing can crack or cause other kinds of damage. Cracked tubes will let water run into it instead of past it. Replace tubes that aren’t working.
Looking for a reliable plumber in Las Vegas, NV? Look no further than Orchard Plumbing. We offer complete plumbing services and 24/7 assistance!