3 Ways to Manually Flush a Toilet
Your toilet is an indispensable part of your daily routine. However, you may not realize this until it becomes clogged or broken. It can be annoying when you try to flush your toilet and it doesn’t work. When this happens, you may be faced with the task of manually flushing your toilet.
When your toilet fails to flush, it can result in bad odor, unsanitary conditions, and sadness. It’s important to know how to manually flush a toilet so that you can take care of the problem right away.
Here are the main reasons why your toilet won’t flush:
- The lift chain has failed
- Your toilet is clogged
- Low tank water level
- Loose rubber flapper
Are you facing a toilet that won’t flush? You need to call a professional plumbing company like Liberty Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. We are open 24/7 and offer same-day service. If for any reason you can’t have the problem fixed immediately, you’ll need to be able to flush the toilet manually. This is easy to do and takes just a few minutes even if there’s no water supply.
3 Ways To Flush Your Toilet Manually
Even if your toilet isn’t flushing, these three manual flushing methods will work to get rid of waste in the bowl.
Pour a Bucket Of Water Into The Toilet Bowl
If there’s no water in the bowl, you can flush it manually by pouring a bucket of water into the toilet bowl. The amount of water you’ll need to use will depend on the size and age of your toilet. For newer toilets, a gallon or two should be enough. While for older toilets you’ll require three to five gallons of water.
Here’s how to manually flush your toilet:
- Get a bucket and fill it with a gallon or two of water.
- Start by pouring the bucket of water into the toilet bowl. Start slowly and then increase the speed as you go. Pour all the water into the bowl and wait for the waste to start flushing down. If necessary, repeat the process until the bowl is empty.
- This process should push all of the waste into the pipes. If your toilet is still not flushing, there may be a more serious problem that requires a professional plumber.
Pour Water Into The Toilet Tank
In most instances where a toilet won’t flush, the problem lies in the toilet tank. The water level in the tank may be low, or there may be a problem with the lift chain or flapper. If this is the case, you can try to flush your toilet manually by pouring water into the tank. This technique also requires a bucket of water.
Here’s how to do it:
- Locate the toilet tank and remove the lid.
- Pour the water in the bucket into the tank until it reaches the water line or reaches just an inch under the edge. The model of your toilet will determine the amount of water you’ll need to flush your toilet using this method.
- Next, try to flush your toilet. If the toilet flushes, fine. If it doesn’t, then move on to the following step.
Pull The Rubber Flapper In Your Toilet Tank
Your toilet tank’s rubber flapper is very important as it allows water to flow from the tank into the bowl when you flush your toilet. If this flapper is damaged, it can cause your toilet to fail to flush. If that happens, a professional plumber can replace the rubber flapper. Before then, pull it up to try flushing your toilet.
Here’s how to do this:
- Remove the lid from the toilet tank and take a look inside.
- You’ll see a rubber flapper at the bottom of the tank that’s connected to a chain. Pull up on the flapper until it’s fully lifted. Doing this will allow all the water to flow from the tank into the bowl. If the chain is disconnected from the handle arm, you’ll need to reconnect it. Take a loose end of the chain and slip a link onto the hook on the handle arm. Press the flush handle again.
- If that doesn’t solve the problem, check to see if the rubber flapper is seated on the opening at the base of the tank. If it’s not, then reseat it. This should result in water entering the tank.
- If water fails to fill the tank, examine the chain to see if it’s detached from the flapper. If it is, reconnect it.
If your toilet fails to flush after these manual steps, there may be a more serious issue that needs to be addressed by a professional plumber. It could be a problem with the flapper that will need to be replaced.
We Can Help You Resolve Any Flushing Issue
If your toilet isn’t flushing, Liberty Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning can help. Our team of experienced plumbers will quickly diagnose the problem and get your toilet flushing again in no time. Give us a call today at (951) 760-4215 to schedule an appointment.
