Making Your Toilet’s Flush Stronger
The flush of a toilet should bring you relief and reassurance. But if your toilet’s flush is slow or weak in coming, then it will spike your blood pressure like nothing else. In order to make your flush stronger you need to understand how a modern toilet works and how to troubleshoot it.
How Does a Toilet Work?
The western-style toilet is a surprisingly simple mechanism. The tank of the toilet is meant to fill up and store a certain amount of water, which is then released into the bowl. The release of water then pushes the contents of the bowl past the p-bend so that it can go down into your sewer line or septic tank. Water then replenishes in the bowl and tank as the system resets.
If your toilet is constantly running or backing up, then there is either a mechanical issue in the tank or a clog in your plumbing. A lack of water can be blamed on your supply valve or another mechanism, too.
Strengthen Toilet Flushes
Assuming the basic function of your toilet flush is not the issue, there are still some obvious steps to try to increase flush potency.
- Partial Clogs – Even if everything in the bowl is eventually going down, there still may be a partial clog down the pipes slowing the flush. If it is a clog at the sewer line level, then you might want professional help right away.
- Blocked Jets – The jets under the rim of the toilet bowl sometimes get clogged which decreases the force of the flush. This can be fixed by using a handheld mirror and a poking implement to see and poke out the holes.
- Loose Flapper – The flapper that’s meant to seal and release in order to stop or start the flow of water from tank to bowl may have eroded over time. To fix this, the flapper needs to be replaced.
- Low Tank Water Level – Lift up the lid of the tank to make sure it’s filled to the waterline before each flush, and if it’s not you should troubleshoot the handle arm, chain, and float to make sure it does get enough water.
Do not pour bleach or vinegar into the bowl. While some may suggest letting it soak before flushing, this is not a very effective suggestion. Instead, it can be dangerous, especially when using bleach — be careful to not inhale the fumes or soak for more than twenty minutes.
If none of these tricks seem to be working, then you need a pro. That’s why EPS Hawaii is here. call us at (808) 691-9309 Oahu, (808) 400-8811 Hawaii Island.
