20 April

5 Reasons Why Your Toilet Won’t Flush

Have you ever experienced small nuisances with big repercussions? Like a toilet not flushing fully at the most inconvenient moments possible?

That feeling of imminent catastrophe you feel when you attempt to flush yet the toilet eater refuses to go down? Well, we’ve seen that happen a few times before, and the good news is that it’s a very common issue that can be fixed in no time. All you have to do is identify the source of the problem first or call a plumber, because D.I.Y. isn’t always O.K.A.Y.

Now, before you start panicking, let’s get to the bottom of things and get that toilet repaired ASAP! Here are the top five reasons a toilet won’t flush.

    1. Clogged Toilet

In some instances, a clog could be the culprit. Toilet pipes are engineered to handle waste up to a certain degree. They can easily get backed up with non-flushables like wet wipes, wrappers, and other types of sanitary products. Sometimes, even a hefty amount of toilet paper can clog your toilet.

Tiny clogs can be eliminated with the help of your trusty plunger, but more sizable clogs need to be battled with the services of a plumber.

    2. Disconnected Toilet Handle

This problem is pretty easy to spot. Does the handle move down when you try to flush yet nothing happens? Well, that’s likely because it’s just disconnected. Luckily, this is one of the easiest plumbing problems to repair; it doesn’t even need professional solutions.

Simply open the toilet tank to check if the arm and chain are still linked to the toilet handle. If not, all you have to do is reconnect the parts. If the chain appears to be broken, you’ll need to purchase a new one and reconnect it from there.

    3. Low Water Level

Sometimes, your toilet won’t flush because of the inadequate water level in the tank.
If this is the case, you may notice minimal suction or no suction at all during a flush.

Remove the tank cover to check if the water rises to the indicated level (most toilets have a mark to show this). If the water isn’t hitting the mark, you will need to adjust it manually.

Ball-and-Arm Float

If you see a structure that looks like a ball with a metal arm inside your tank, that’s a ball-and-arm float. To increase the water levels, you will need to tighten the screw that attaches the arm to the fill valve.

Cylinder Float

If your toilet is equipped with a cylinder float instead, find the adjustment stem, which is a long, thin tube connected to the float and fill valve. Usually, it will have a clip that you can pinch and move higher up on the stem to increase water levels.

    4. Drain Line Problem

A drain line problem is a more severe type of plumbing issue that only a qualified plumber can fix safely.

Drain lines move waste to the sewer or septic tank. So if they malfunction, it could hinder your toilet from flushing. On top of that, you may notice that a faulty drain line also impacts the other drains across your households, such as the ones in the sinks, showers, and bathtubs.

The solution would be to hire a plumber who would clean the drain line clog with a long auger. In the event that it isn’t a simple clog, they may check for tree roots that made their way into the pipes.

    5. Fill-Valve Defect

The biggest tell-tale sign of a fill-valve defect is the constant running of water after you’ve flushed. Aside from making it difficult for a future flush, lots of water gets wasted in the process, which is bad for your bills and the environment.

This is commonly triggered by a deformed or cracked flapper seal. The easy fix here is a replacement, and it’s all good to go!

Flush Out Those Plumbing Problems

When it comes down to it, there are a myriad of possible reasons as to why your toilet won’t flush. Some are easy to fix and for others, it would be easier to call a licensed plumber.

Protect and maintain your home plumbing system by having PlumbWize step in to save the day.

As the leading plumber in Hamilton and Burlington, you can rest assured that your plumbing system is attended to by highly-qualified professionals providing long-lasting, reliable solutions. Your friendly neighbourhood plumber offers comprehensive plumbing services, convenient same-day services, and even emergency plumbing.

Call us to request a quote. Let’s flush out those plumbing problems!

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