Are your toilets taking two or more flushes to clear the bowl? Do contents back up and overflow the rim? Do you need to vigorously plunge for every flush? If your previously dependable toilet seems unable to finish the job lately, there are a few likely culprits behind this inferior performance.
While DIY-inclined homeowners may watch a YouTube tutorial and try hurriedly fixing frustrating failing flushes on their own, most toilet repair situations prove more complex than expected. Solving the problem and avoiding flooded bathrooms requires calling a professional. Here are three of the most common offenders causing your toilets to not flush properly:
- Partial Clogs. Mineral deposits, sediment, and waste accumulate, restricting pipes, the bowl drain opening, jets under the rim, or the exit toward the sewer main. Partial obstructions prevent adequate flush power from fully evacuating contents. Repeated plunges risk splashback and often merely temporarily mask rather than resolve blockages. At Wake Forest Plumbing Company, our skilled plumbers have high-powered augers that can cleanly remove the most stubborn obstructions.
- Broken Flapper Valve. The small flapper acts as a seal, preserving water in the tank between flushes. Over years of opening and closing, flapper materials wear out or loosen from the lift chain, losing a tight seal. Water then continuously leaks down, reducing available volume to flush fully when you need it. Our plumbers can replace faulty or old flapper valves quickly with new high efficiency models preventing leaks.
- Weak Flush Mechanism. From the flapper to the lift chain to the handle arm and the tank lever assembly, multiple small, interconnected parts coordinate orchestrating each flush. Too much slack, loose joints, deterioration, or mineral buildup on any components reduces the mechanical force transferred to whoosh contents down. Professionally adjusting, tightening, or swapping out worn toilet tank hardware restores robust flushing.
While poor flushing frustrates everyone in the household, resist repairing the toilets yourself. Call us instead to accurately diagnose which common culprit is sabotaging your flushes. We will fix the issue for good. Why risk backaches from endless plunging or a much bigger plumbing disaster? Reach out for help today.