When you flush your toilet, you fully expect a strong surge of water to remove anything that was in the bowl. Unfortunately, if your toilet does not perform how you expected, it could be due to a weak flush.
Weak flushes can have a few different causes, and some are very easy to deal with on your own. Leaving a weak flush in your toilet and not treating the root cause can lead to stains and other unsightly messes in the bowl, as well as clogs building up in the pipes.
Remove Clogs
One of the first things you should check for is a clog. This can be somewhere in the upper tank, or the inlet water valves. Clogs are very easy to deal with and may only need a bit of pressure from a plunger or plumbing snake tool to dislodge.
In addition to upper pipe clogs, be sure to check for clogs lower down. Use a plunger on the bowl to try and dislodge these clogs. In some cases, their presence can reduce the amount of water pressure a toilet uses to flush.
After you attempt to remove the clogs, give the toilet another test flush to see if the issue has been resolved. If it has not, it may be time to call a professional plumber.
Increase the Water Valve
There is a small valve that controls how much water enters the toilet during a flush. This valve is usually located near or at the connecting point where the inlet pipe connects to the base. If you have ever had to do any toilet repairs, you have probably used this valve before.
If you flush your toilet and notice a very weak flow of water, the water valve could be to blame. Try opening the valve in a clockwise rotation to allow more water to move through, and then test your flush again.
Float Adjustment
In the rectangle box at the back of your toilet is a variety of small and odd looking objects. These various objects are responsible for letting water in and out of the refill tank. In some cases, your float may be improperly adjusted. The float is the large rubber bulb that rests on the surface of the water level.
If your float is not adjusted properly, it can lead to too little water passing down into the bowl and not providing a good flush. Try adjusting the float in small increments to either reach a desired location or to put the float back into its normal position. This could help increase the power of your flush.
Under-Rim Mineral Deposits
Mineral deposits under the rim are extremely common. As they build up, small holes can be covered up completely blocking water flow. This can lead to weak flushes. Luckily the simple fix is to use a strong toilet cleaner and scrub brush under the rim to dislodge these deposits before testing the flush again.
If nothing works, get in touch with one of our plumbers in Concord or beyond.
