Toilets: How They Work

Chapter 7

How Your Toilet Works
Have a true emergency with your toilet's plumbing? Turn to the comprehensive checklist for troubleshooting toilet problems.

Before if you simply want to get a handle on how this often taken-for-granted necessity of life actually works - read on. The plumbing and drain experts at Master Plumbing and Leak Detection offer the following easy-to-understand explanation of how toilets work. You'll also find some tips on common causes and solutions for toilet troubles.

Toilet Training 101
Here's how your toilet works:

Two assemblies are concealed under the lid of a toilet tank: 1) a ball cock assembly, which regulate the filling of the tank, and 2) a flush valve assembly, which controls the flow of water from the tank to the bowl. When someone presses the flush handle, the trip lever raises the lift wire (or chain) connected to the tank stopper. As the stopper goes up, water rushes through the valve seat into he bowl via the flush passages. The water in the bowl yields to gravity and is siphoned out the trap. Once the tank empties the stopper drops into the flush valve seat. The float ball trips the ball cock assembly to let a new supply of water into the tank through the tank fill tube. As the tank water level rises, the float ball rises until it gets high enough to shut off the flow of water. If the water fails to shut off the overflow tube carries water down into the bowl to preen and overflow.

Toilet Tips
If your toilet is not its usual cooperative "self", the problem can be traced to one of two causes. It's either internal within the toilet itself or the problem is in the main drain. Interior mechanical parts water source may cause your toilet to function improperly or develop a noise problem.

Common causes:

Foreign object Feminine/Paper products Inadequate water flow Water leaking Running or faulty toilet

Recommended Solutions:

Clear with auger cable Remove to inspect Replace interior mechanical parts Replace toilet

As mentioned above, if you need further information, turn to the comprehensive checklist for troubleshooting toilet problems. Or simply make an appointment with Master Plumbing and Leak Detection.