A toilet that doesn’t flush correctly is one of the most frustrating problems any homeowner can deal with. Toilets that take several flushes to work will often be suffering from some sort of problem, but there are things you can do to try on how to increase your toilet flush power.
After all, there are few things more embarrassing than having to use multiple flushes, and having to wait for the cistern to refill can be time-consuming, keeping you stuck in the bathroom for much longer than necessary and wasting your time.
Before you find a local plumber for toilet repairs, however, there are a few things you can try on how to increase toilet flush power which may solve or improve your problem without needing to call for help or having to perform more intensive maintenance.
1. Check the Fill Line
Before you do anything else, the first thing to do is to check the fill line level of your cistern to make sure that the water level is being properly refilled. To do this you’ll need to remove the lid of your toilet tank and look for the fill line which should be quite easy to spot.
If the water level doesn’t reach the line this means you’re flushing with less water than the toilet needs to perform a proper flush, which can reduce the power of your flush and result in needing to use several flushes which is less efficient and time-consuming.
To solve this, try adjusting the water tank float which will be a large plastic ball or float somewhere in your cistern. Adjust this accordingly to increase the water level until it reaches the designated fill line.
2. Check the Toilet Isn’t Blocked
Another important thing to check is if the toilet itself is blocked, as this can interfere with the overall function and water flow of your toilet, and can prevent your flush from working correctly.
Even a small obstruction can have a considerable effect on your flush, so check this by pouring around a gallon of water into your toilet and flushing. If the toilet doesn’t flush with its intended power it’s likely you have a blockage, so it’s time to break out the plunger and clear the toilet blockage.
After plunging for a good amount of time, give the toilet a flush. If the power is good and the water drains quickly then you may have just solved the problem entirely. Otherwise you may need more powerful drain cleaning tools or have a blocked sewer line.
3. Check the Flush Holes
Another potential problem when trying to flush can be blocked flush holes. These are typically located around the rim of the toilet, however, there are many different types of the toilet with various designs, so if you’re not sure where they’re located you can try flushing and just following wherever the water is coming from.
Once you’ve located the holes, give them a thorough clean, to make sure they aren’t blocked. Even a partial blockage can massively reduce the power of your flush and result in your toilet being unable to effectively remove waste in a single flush.
To check these holes you’ll need something fairly thin and strong, and which is unlikely to break. A coat hanger works well or a wire brush could also work, but you essentially need something strong and abrasive which you can easily manipulate into the holes and scrub out any obstructions.
In certain areas with poor water quality limescale can build up in these hard to reach areas making your toilet seem faulty when in reality a little elbow grease can totally solve this problem.
Once you’ve checked every hole give the toilet a flush to see if this has improved the power of the flush at all.
4. Use Bleach to Clean your Toilet
First, you’ll want to turn off your toilet’s water supply, which should be fairly easy to find. A pipe coming from the floor or a wall nearby should have a valve on it which can be turned to disconnect the toilet from the main water supply.
Next, you’ll want to get a strong bleach and pour a gallon of it into the toilet bowl itself. Putting some sort of written warning or note on the toilet lid or cistern is obligatory to prevent others from using the toilet or interfering with the cleaning process.
Bleach is also quite nasty and can harm unsuspecting people, so warning them will prevent anyone from getting burned by the harsh chemicals in bleach.
If you got a Liquid-Plumbr, DON”T use it! Liquid-Plumbr is not used for cleaning or unclogging your toilet.
Allow the bleach to sit undisturbed for a good half an hour, then give the toilet a flush. Bleach is a potent cleaning chemical and it will clean your toilet while also clearing out hidden blockages which could be reducing your toilets flushing power.
After flushing, turn the water valve back on so that the toilet is now connected to the water supply again, and flush the toilet a few more times for a further half an hour.
This may seem wasteful but the goal here is to continue flushing the bleach down the pipes in order to allow it to clear blockages as it works its way down the pipes and can also help clear away any loosened blockages or debris.
5. Use Vinegar to Clean your Toilet
This step is very similar to the step above, however, a vinegar soak can yield slightly different results as it’s a different substance.
Unlike with the bleach, you should pour some white vinegar into the cistern, opening the lid and leaving it set to one side to prevent it from getting damaged.
If your toilet uses a rubber fill hose you should remove this. It will be located above the overflow tube if your toilet uses this system.
Pour a good quantity of white vinegar into the open tube using a funnel to make the task as clean and safe as possible. Use around a quart of the vinegar and then leave it to do its work.
Before leaving the toilet you should consider leaving a warning or note on the toilet as with the above step to prevent damage or interference with the cleaning process.
After a few hours, you can reattach everything and give the toilet a good few flushes to clear loosened debris and check to see if the flow has improved.
We hope you find these “how to increase toilet flush power” tips effective!
