How To Drain A Toilet

When repairing or replacing your toilet, the first step is always to drain all of the water out of the bowl and tank.

Many homeowners struggle with doing this, especially if they have never done it before. It can seem complicated, with the worry of getting water everywhere making the task even harder.

People may be surprised with just how many working parts go into making a toilet work, so the chance of water spilling out over your bathroom floor can be quite high when doing this task.

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When emptying a toilet bowl, it’s critical to get all of the water out of the trap, which is a cavity just behind the hole in the bottom of the bowl that is filled with water at all times.

Although the trap can usually be emptied through the toilet bowl, there may be some water left in the base.

The best way to completely drain the tank and bowl depends on whether or not the toilet is clogged. You may need to use a combination of methods to completely drain the toilet.

With that in mind here is one simple way to drain a toilet. This method is suitable for beginners, and should only take you around half an hour to do.

Be aware that this method may lead you to turn off your water for a while though, so make sure you get all of your water needs out of the way before starting this job.

While this method contains many steps, the only one you have to strictly follow is step one.

Once you have removed the majority of the water with this step, you can try the various methods in the other steps to remove the rest of the water.

Draining A Toilet

You will need

Rubber gloves
Plunger
Sponge
cup/small bowl
Hose
Bucket

Method

1. Turn off the water then flush the toilet

This first step will remove the majority of the water in the tank and bowl, making the rest of the process easier.

This should only be done if the toilet is not clogged though, as flushing a clogged toilet could make it overflow. If your toilet is clogged, then start on the plunging stage of this lift.

To turn off your water, locate the shut-off valve for the water supply. This is usually a small valve with a football-shaped handle, but it depends on your house.

This valve can usually be found under the toilet, where the water supply pipe comes out of the floor. This is then usually connected to a supply tube that runs down the left side of the toilet’s tank.

Once you have found it, turn the handle of the shutdown valve clockwise until it stops.

After the water has been shut off, flush the toilet. To try and get the toilet as empty as possible, flush the toilet a few times.

If you have an older toilet or the shut-off valve has been danged in some way, then you may need to completely shut off your home’s water prevent the toilet from refiling a bit after every flush.

2. Start plunging

Plunging helps remove water from the toilet bowl whether the drain is clogged or not. The plunging motion pushes the water out of the bowl, down the trap, and down the drain (provided the clog is in the toilet, not the drain).

This may be the best alternative if the toilet drain is clogged and you can’t flush the water from the tank without causing the bowl to overflow.

After turning off the water supply valve, insert a toilet plunger into the drain hole in the bottom of the toilet bowl.

Plunge up and down to clear the bowl of the majority of the water. This will also push any blockage out of the toilet and down the drain.

Flush the toilet to empty the tank. The water should flow freely through the bowl and down the drain if the blockage is gone, leaving only a small amount of water in the bowl.

If you carry on plunging, you will be able to force even more of the eater out of the bowl.

3. Bail out the remaining water

A cup or very small bowl can be used to remove water from a toilet bowl or tank. If you have it to hand, you can even use a cap from hairspray or spray paint to reach low enough to scoop out the majority of the water.

To remove the water from the toilet’s trap, you’ll have to reach all the way down to the bottom of the bowl.

This method may take a while, but it’s pretty easy to do. Keep a bucket by to empty the water if the sink is too far away.

4. Sponge away the water

No matter what methods you try, there will always be a tiny bit of water left in the bottom of the bowl or toilet tank. The easiest way to remove this is with a very absorbent sponge.

Simply place the sponge on the water puddle and give it time to soak it all away. Repeat a few times if necessary.

5. Siphon the water

If you have tried all other methods and you can’t remove the water, then give this way a try. Before you try this method, make sure that there are no blockages in the bowl or drain.

Turn off the water supply to the bowl and flush as you would with the other methods to empty the tank.

Then fill the hose entirely with water from a sink or tub. Use your thumbs to close the openings on both ends to keep any water from escaping.

Place one end of the hose in the toilet bowl and the other in a bucket. Make sure that the bucket end is below the bowl’s water level (a low flat bucket is best used here).

With your thumbs, pull the hose’s two ends apart. The water will continue to drain as long as the bowl end of the hose is submerged in water and the bucket end is lower than the bowl.

If your flush is broken on the toilet, then you can also use this method to completely empty the toilet’s tank.

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