How to Improve a Toilet's Flushing Power

Co-authored by Patrick Johns

Last Updated: January 12, 2023

Is your toilet tired, run down, listless? Does it not poop-out at parties? The answer to all your problems is in this little tutorial. All it takes is a few easy steps to go from cloggy, stinky crapped-out crapper to flush with pride!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Unclogging the Toilet

1
Look for signs of a clog. If the toilet abruptly fails to drain, or drains only very slowly, it is "clogged".
2
Wait for the excess bowl water to seep down. Then try a plunger.

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3
Try a plumber's snake (ideally with curved toilet bend adapter) for stubborn obstructions.
- These can include normal toilet stuff, near-normal stuff like wipes and towels, and trinkets from kids and the adults who blame them.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Increasing Flush Volume

1
Look for signs the flush is too short. If the toilet fails to empty completely, returns some contents to the bowl, or tends to clog after repeated heavy use, it's probably not flushing long enough. The flush should continue for a second or so after the toilet contents disappear, to carry them over the bends and down, down and away.
2
Check the fill valve and float. If it has been adjusted to not allow the tank to fill completely (to within an inch or so of the top of the overflow tube), adjust it up a bit.
3
Remove any objects, such as bricks, bottles, and booze, reducing the volume of the toilet tank. (The former are often added to save water, but not using enough water can require multiple flushes, cleaning, and general disgust and inefficiency - which you don't want to lead to the latter.)
4
Check the float flapper. A toilet flapper with a foam float halfway down is a simple, inexpensive, fairly effective way to make a low-flush toilet: the foam float on the chain, instead of a little cup under the flapper itself, holds the flapper up and open only long enough for the bottom half or so of the tank contents to flush it, with the weight of the top half on it to increase speed and power. But, if the float is too high on the chain, the flush will cut off too soon to do its job. Gently nudge the foam float down the chain a half-inch or so at a time until the flush lasts long enough.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Decalcify an Old Toilet with Acidic Cleaner

1
Try an acidic cleaner. Very old toilets may accumulate hard water deposits that narrow their passages and cause water to drain out only slowly. If your toilet's flush seems more hesitant than your friends', try some muriatic (hydrochloric) acid or other calcium remover, adding a little water at a time to push it into the bend to attack the deposits.
2
Remember that strong acids and their fumes can be dangerous and corrosive. Run the vent, and flush the toilet before using.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I fix a toilet handle that is hard to push down?

Community Answer

Check the inside and try to pull the pull chain up with your fingers. If that pulls easily, try lubricating the handle with WD40 to loosen up the action in the tank where the handle plugs in.

Warnings

If you have a septic tank, use strong chemicals only very sparingly to protect the critical bacteria inside.

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Don't pour hot water in a toilet. Although it can soften many kinds of clogs, uneven heating can break ceramic.

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Don't use caustic "drain opener" on a toilet. They don't generally get the fat and hair based clogs these attack best, and anything poured into a clogged toilet will just sit and form a dangerous mixture with the water in the bowl rather than travel up to a blockage probably in the bends.

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