Toilets! How Do They Work?

Toilets! How do they work? What are some common issues? What should, and more importantly, what shouldn't you flush? In this video, we answer all those questions. We also talk about how to fix them and why you sometimes need to jiggle the handle to make them work.

At the most basic level, toilets are big p traps you can sit on. The water in the bowl keeps the sewer gases trapped, and gravity forces water in the tank down to the bowl when you flush. Once the water gets high enough in the bowl, gravity keeps pushing it down the drain with everything else.

For that simple system to work, a lot of things need to be in place. If the water isn’t high enough in the tank, it won’t push through the trap. If the flapper wears out, water will seep out until the toilet flushes on its own. And if the holes letting water into the bowl get clogged, it won’t flush right.