What to Do When the Toilet Won’t Flush

It is a basic necessity for Westfield, IN families to have properly working bathroom plumbing. The panic rises when your toilet won’t flush, and you’ve got a lineup of family members needing to use the bathroom.

The key is not to panic because there are a number of very common reasons why your toilet may not flush, and many of them are easily fixable. It’s time to don your DIY plumber hat to take care of this pesky plumbing problem.

Why Won’t My Toilet Flush?

An Issue with Your Toilet Flapper

The most common reason that your toilet won’t flush is that the flapper isn’t working. When you flush your toilet, the flapper opens in order to let water flow into the toilet bowl to flush the waste down the drain.

However, if the flapper is warped or otherwise broken, it won’t block the water intake hole in order to let the toilet bowl refill. Flappers are made of rubber, so they will deteriorate or crack over time.

Lift the lid off of the tank and look inside. How does the flapper look? If it is at all bent or warped, head on over to your local hardware store to get a new one. They aren’t super expensive and may be all you need to get your toilet to flush again. Drain the tank and replace the old flapper with the new one. As far as fixing bathroom plumbing goes, this is an easy one.

Did you know that you can actually flush your toilet by using a bowl of water?

Granted, a single bowl may not be enough, so you may want to empty the garbage can in your bathroom and use that instead.

It generally will take a whole gallon. The force of the flowing water, along with the shape of the toilet bowl will actually create momentum in the toilet and flush all the contents down the drain.

Call a Professional

If you’ve tried both of these solutions and your toilet isn’t cooperating, it is time to call in a professional plumber to see if the problem is a little more serious.

It is entirely possible that your toilet is clogged and will require the help of a plumber and his tools to get working again.

You can avoid this bathroom plumbing problem by being vigilant about what you put down the drain- toilet paper and waste only. For more DIY bathroom plumbing tips, give us a call today!