Most non-flushing toilets are a five-minute fix. Here’s how to tell which kind you have.
First, if the water is rising toward the rim: take the tank lid off and push the rubber flapper down over the hole in the bottom of the tank. That stops water going into the bowl. Then reach behind the toilet and turn the shutoff valve clockwise until it stops. Now you have time.
A toilet that won’t flush has one of two problems. Either something in the tank isn’t working, so the water never gets to the bowl, or something is stuck in the trap or the drain, so the water can’t leave. The handle tells you which. If the handle goes down with no resistance and nothing happens, it’s the tank. If the handle works and the bowl fills up and drains slowly, or not at all, it’s a clog.
Five fixes, easiest first
1. Reconnect the chain
Lift the tank lid. There’s a chain running from the handle arm down to the rubber flapper at the bottom. If it’s come off either end, hook it back on. If it’s on but the handle does nothing, the chain is too long: move it up a link or two so there’s about half an inch of slack when the flapper is closed. Too short and the flapper won’t seal, which is the running-toilet problem. Too long and the flapper never lifts.
While you’re in there, check that the handle nut on the inside of the tank is snug. Most toilet handle nuts are reverse-threaded, so you tighten them counterclockwise.
2. Plunge it right
Use a flange plunger, the kind with a rubber lip that folds out of the cup. The flat sink plunger doesn’t seal on a toilet. Fit the flange into the drain opening, make sure the cup is under water, and push down gently the first time to get the air out. Then pump firmly, pulling up as hard as you push down. The pull is what moves the clog. Ten or fifteen strokes, then lift and see if it drains.
If it’s close but not quite, squirt some dish soap in the bowl, add a bucket of hot (not boiling) tap water from waist height, and wait 15 minutes. The soap lubricates and the water weight pushes. Then plunge again.
Don’t keep plunging hard against a clog that isn’t moving. You’ll slosh water onto the floor and you can blow out the wax seal under the toilet.
3. Check the water level
If the flush is weak rather than dead, there may not be enough water in the tank. The water should sit about an inch below the top of the overflow tube (the open pipe standing up in the tank). If it’s lower, adjust the float. On newer fill valves it’s a screw or a clip on the float cup; on older ones it’s the arm with the ball, which you bend gently upward. Also make sure the shutoff valve behind the toilet is all the way open.
4. Use a toilet auger
If plunging doesn’t clear it, the clog is packed into the trap, the curved passage inside the toilet itself. A toilet auger (closet auger) is a short cable with a crank, in a rubber-sleeved elbow that protects the porcelain. Feed the end into the bowl drain, crank while pushing gently, and work it around the bend. You’ll either break the clog up or hook it and pull it back out. Wipes come out this way more often than not.
If the auger goes all the way in, about three to six feet, and the toilet still won’t drain, the clog is past the toilet and in the drain line. That’s where DIY stops.
5. Clean the rim jets
If the toilet flushes but slowly and weakly, and the water swirls lazily instead of dropping, the small holes under the rim are clogged with mineral scale. With our hard water it’s common on older toilets. Pour a quart of white vinegar into the overflow tube in the tank and let it sit for a few hours or overnight, then flush and clear the rim holes with a bent wire or an Allen key. The larger jet at the bottom front of the bowl can scale up too; scrub it with a vinegar-soaked brush.
When to stop and call
- Plunging and augering both failed. The clog is in the drain line and needs rodding.
- Flushing the toilet makes water come up in the tub or shower. That’s the main line, not the toilet, and it will get worse.
- More than one toilet in the house is slow. Same thing.
- There’s water on the floor around the base, or the toilet rocks. The wax seal is gone and it’s leaking into the subfloor.
- You see a crack in the tank or bowl. That’s a replacement, not a repair.
Should you repair or replace the toilet?
A flapper, fill valve, or handle costs a few dollars in parts and is worth fixing on any toilet. Beyond that, ask how old it is.
Toilets made before 1994 use 3.5 gallons or more per flush. Early low-flow toilets from the mid-90s used 1.6 gallons but many flushed badly and clogged constantly. Today’s toilets use 1.28 gallons or less and flush better than either. If you have an old water-hog or a bad first-generation low-flow, and you’re paying for a repair or calling about clogs more than once a year, the money goes further toward a new toilet.
Replace it regardless if the porcelain is cracked. A hairline crack in the tank or bowl leaks slowly into the floor and rots the subfloor before you see a drop.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my toilet handle feel loose?
The chain has come off the handle arm or the flapper, or the nut holding the handle inside the tank has loosened. Hook the chain back on and snug the nut. Most handle nuts tighten counterclockwise.
Can flushable wipes really clog a toilet?
Yes. They don’t break down in water the way toilet paper does. They catch in the trap, and farther down they snag on rough spots in old pipe and collect everything that follows. Wipes are the most common thing we pull out of toilets and the second most common thing we rod out of main lines. Throw them away.
What do I do if the bowl is about to overflow?
Take off the tank lid and push the flapper down over the hole to stop water going into the bowl. Then turn the shutoff valve behind the toilet clockwise. Don’t flush again until it’s cleared.
How do I know if the flapper needs replacing?
The toilet runs on its own for a few seconds every so often, or you hear water trickling into the bowl. That’s the flapper not sealing. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank; if color shows up in the bowl without flushing, replace the flapper. It’s a $10 part.
When should I call a plumber instead?
When plunging and an auger don’t clear it, when water backs up into the tub or another fixture during a flush, when the toilet rocks or the floor around it is wet, or when the tank or bowl is cracked.
Toilet repair and replacement on the North Shore
Biagi Plumbing has been fixing and replacing toilets on the North Shore since 1989, in Highland Park, Northbrook, Glenview, Wilmette, Evanston, Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Deerfield, Buffalo Grove, Libertyville, and the surrounding communities.
If you’ve worked through the list and the toilet still won’t flush, or the problem is bigger than the toilet, call Biagi Plumbing at (847) 512-8921. We offer same-day service. We’ll clear the line, reset a leaking toilet, or set a new one, and tell you which of those it actually needs.