No matter how big your home is, the plumbing fixtures are among those that are used most often. The thing is, some homeowners may even take these fixtures for granted – until they stop working properly. For instance, when your toilet doesn’t flush, or doesn’t flush all the way, that may be enough to get your household to start panicking, if only a little. No one wants to deal with anything unsanitary coming back out of their toilet, after all.
But what usually causes a toilet to stop flushing properly? When it happens, is it something you can deal with, or do you need the expertise of a blocked drain Sydney emergency specialist? Here are the most common reasons a toilet isn’t flushing, how serious they are, how they can be fixed.
The handle is disconnected.
This is the least serious reason and the easiest to fix. When you press down on the handle but don’t feel any resistance, not to mention not seeing the water in the toilet move even a little, it means the little arm and chain meant to lift the flapper isn’t connected. To fix this problem, all you need to do is reconnect the chain, or tighten a loose nut if that’s what caused the parts to be disconnected in the first place.
The tank doesn’t have enough water.
In order to flush properly, the water tank on your toilet has to contain a certain amount of water. To check if this is what you’re dealing with, lift the cover of the tank and check on the water level. It should be about an inch below the top of the overflow tube.
Like a disconnected handle, this cause isn’t very serious, and usually all you have to do is twist the flush valve to make sure enough water makes its way into the tank. You may also have to adjust the float ball because it’s ‘telling’ your toilet that the tank is full even when it isn’t.
When you try both of these fixes but your toilet still isn’t flushing properly, there may be a bigger underlying cause, be it water pressure problems or a pipe leak. In such cases, it’s best to call a plumber so they can diagnose and fix the problem.
The toilet is clogged.
The toilet’s drain is designed to handle only certain amounts of waste, not to mention certain types. If there’s too much, or the wrong kind of waste product went down the drain, it can cause a clog to form inside the toilet itself. While not inherently serious, a clogged toilet can be a pain to deal with. Fortunately, a plunger or toilet auger is all you need to resolve the issue.
If you find yourself dealing with frequent clogs, however, it’s a different story. The issue could be more than a ‘simple’ clog in the toilet’s drain. If this happens, it’s best to call a professional plumber to pinpoint the underlying cause and do any necessary repairs to keep the drain from clogging as frequently.