The Most Common Reasons Your Toilet Won’t Flush

A toilet that won’t flush is a common, yet distressing situation. If your toilet won’t flush, there can be a lot of causes with simple solutions. Toilets not flushing is one of the homeowners’ most common plumbing issues.

Please continue reading to learn why your toilet won’t flush and how to fix it with home remedies. 

Your Toilet Is Clogged

The number one reason why toilets won’t flush is that they are clogged with material. Even if you’re the only person who uses your toilet, it still gets a lot of use, and it will eventually clog. It would help if you always kept a plunger in your bathroom so that you can solve this problem every time it arises immediately.

Fortunately, you can solve most of your toilet clogging problems by using a plunger to dislodge the material until you can flush it. Try not to flush the toilet until you’re positive you’ve dislodged the blockage; otherwise, you can flood your bathroom. However, more serious clogs that are deeper in your plumbing system could require professional intervention instead of a home remedy.

There’s Something Wrong with Your Toilet’s Lift Chain

Another reason your toilet won’t flush could be because something is wrong with the lift chain inside the tank. Toilets flush by pushing down on the handle, which engages the rubber float valve to rise inside the tank. The chain pulls the valve up, and this causes water to flush out the waste in your bowl. If your chain is broken, flushing won’t work. The immediate solution to this problem is to open up your toilet tank and lift the chain manually. This will flush your toilet until you permanently fix the chain.  

If you notice your lift chain is broken inside the tank, you can buy a replacement online or at a hardware shop. Older toilets could experience lift chain breakage after several uses. 

Your Toilet Tank Doesn’t Have Enough Water.

You need enough water in your toilet tank if you want to flush it properly. If insufficient water in your toilet tank floods your bowl when you flush, your toilet won’t do its job properly. The immediate solution is to manually add enough water to your tank so that you can flush right away until you’ve solved the problem permanently.

If your toilet tank doesn’t get enough water, you may have a cracked toilet bowl, your sewer line vent might be blocked, or your fill valve could be damaged. Check all these areas within your toilet tank to see which issue is causing your problem and fix whatever is damaged.

Your Toilet’s Drainpipes Aren’t Optimal.

Unfortunately, you can’t fix all toilet issues at home on your own.  For example, if your toilet drainpipes aren’t optimal for your drainage needs, you’ll frequently experience plumbing backups, or your toilet won’t flush. Also, if your toilet stream pipes aren’t formed right, you’ll have to call a plumber to diagnose and resolve this problem. 

Attempting to rearrange your toilet drainpipes on your own could cause severe plumbing damage that could cost you tons of money. Damaging your pipes could also void a home warranty if yours covers plumbing. 

Your Toilet’s Rim Holes are Clogged

Your toilet won’t flush if the rim holes are clogged with debris or calcium. If your house uses hard water, you might have a calcium buildup where your ramjets are placed. Fortunately, it’s easy to dissolve calcium in your toilet bowl with everyday home cleaning supplies.

You first need to ensure no bleach cleaner is in your toilet bowl because it will negatively interact with other chemicals and cause dangerous gas. Then, you can put distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the bottom of the realm of your toilet where your jets are with the vinegar. White vinegar is a natural dissolvent for calcium buildup. 

After you let the vinegar sit on The Jets for at least 20 minutes, you can use your toilet as you normally would. If calcium buildup is the problem, this method should resolve the issue. . 

Call a Trustworthy Plumber

If you try all these methods and your toilet still won’t flush, there might be something more severe wrong with your plumbing system. Contact us at (520) 214-2149 today, and we’ll look at your clogged toilet and help you fix the problem so you can get back to  regular life. Clogged toilets are unpleasant, so let us handle the mess. 

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