My Toilet Won’t Flush And Its Not Clogged- What To Do?
If you’re googling “my toilet won’t flush and its not clogged” right now, there might be an obscenity in the toilet bowl you don’t want the plumber to see. Don’t worry; we’ll help you fix it on your own.
It’s always a good idea to ensure there’s not even a partial clog behind the S-bend. Just take a plunger and give it a couple of whacks. But since there can be many other possible reasons the toilet isn’t flushing, let’s go through those too.
My Toilet Won’t Flush and its not Clogged: Problems And How to Fix
Even in a purely mechanical contraption like a flush, a million things could go wrong. Sure, a plumber can guess why your toilet won’t flush poop with one look, but so can you. Let’s look at a chart of the usual causes of a failure to flush and easy fixes to make things simpler.
Problem | Solution |
Low water level | Turn on the water valve |
Damaged flapper | Replace the flapper |
Slack lift chain | Shorten the chain |
Disconnected or broken chain | Reattach it |
Blocked toilet jets | Clean the jets with bleach or vinegar |
Faulty overflow tube | Replace the tube |
Inadequately filled tank | Adjust the float |
Low Water Level
Ideally, there should be a one-inch gap between your tank’s lid and the water level. The water valve maintains this equilibrium. Your toilet won’t flush water level low, for the most part.
Solution: Check if the water valve is on. If it’s off, turn it on and try flushing again. It should be working again; if not, we move on.
Damaged Flapper
The flapper is the plastic/rubber flap at the bottom of the tank that lets water pass when you tell it to. If it’s broken, bent, or warped, it may be releasing water all the time, leaving little in the tank.
Solution: It’s a simple fix. Just buy a new flapper and install it. You can find one in any nearest hardware store for very little money. Drain the water and put it in the old one’s place.
Oh, if you have the Toto toilet flapper can check the complete step-by-step guide on how to replace Toto flapper.
How do you fix a toilet that won’t flush but isn’t clogged?
Well, maybe the problem isn’t a clog at all. Maybe the lift chain is just too big. When you pull the flush lever, this chain lifts the flapper, but a loose one won’t work effectively.
Solution: You need to shorten the link to an appropriate length. It should be flushing perfectly now. Be careful here, it should not be too short, though. A short chain will make the flush leak water constantly.
Disconnected or Broken Chain
If your brand new toilet won’t flush, it probably came with a broken chain. A broken link can’t connect the flush handle to the flapper, making it useless.
Solution: If your chain is broken from the end, reconnect it with pliers. If it’s broken from the middle, replace it. This is a pretty cheap fix.
Blocked Toilet Jets
If your toilet water won’t go down not clogged, maybe the jets are congested. Jets are the small holes around the toilet bowl that swirl the water around inside. Over time, they accumulate lime and other gunk.
Solution: You’ll need some elbow grease for this one. Take some wire or a toothbrush and clean the jets with a bleach or vinegar solution. Bleach works better than vinegar, but it also requires more caution.
Faulty Overflow Tube
The overflow tube only comes to work when you press the flush handle. The water from the tank goes into the tube and then into the bowl. But this tube can crack under constant water pressure and turbulence.
Solution: There’s no easy fix for this one. You need to go out and buy a new tube to install. The installation is tricky too. So, if you’re not sure how to do it, you might want to call a plumber.
Inadequately filled tank
The float inside a flush tank acts as the stopper. When it reaches the fill line, it stops the water from filling the tank anymore. But, if the float does this before time, you’re left with too little water to flush properly.
Solution: Open the lid and flush to check if the float reaches the fill line next time. If it does, maybe the problem is something else. But if it doesn’t, you need to readjust the float.
This Video Will Help You Too!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a water jet?
Water jets are the small openings on all sides of the toilet bowl that release water into the bowl when you flush.
How does a flapper bend?
Flappers are made of rubber or plastic and can bend under pressure or impact, when we push the toilet handle.
Do I need to keep the lid on when I flush?
The tank’s lid has nothing to do with the internal mechanism of the flush itself. That is unless you have a flush with a modern up-top button. As a rule of thumb, if the button is not on top, you can flush with the lid open.
Conclusion
It’s scary when you’re panicking about “my toilet won’t flush and its not clogged.” But fixing it can be a piece of cake if you know what you’re doing. Most of the solutions we discussed are one-person jobs. And you can do it yourself.
There are only a handful of components inside that tank, so not a lot can go wrong. We’ve made this guide to help you through whatever does anyway. Now go fix that darned thing!
You Can Also Read:
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- [Experts Answer] Where To Install Check Valve On Water Pump?