When a toilet doesn’t work the way it is designed to, this can make it difficult to relieve yourself.
You won’t want standing water in the toilet that refuses to flush.
A problem that can arise is when a toilet doesn’t flush and just fills with water.
If a toilet doesn’t flush and just fills with water, the most common reason is it’s clogged or the flapper is broken. To fix the issue, check to see if the tank refills when flushed. If it does, use a plunger or drain snake to unclog the toilet. If it does not, replace the flapper.
You have to start with the toilet tank as that will highlight the root cause of your problem. Don’t assume it’s a clogged toilet as that is not always the case.
This article will explain what to look for and how to fix a toilet that doesn’t flush and just fills with water.
Table of Contents
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How To Fix Toilet That Doesn’t Flush & Just Fills With Water
1. Check Tank To See If It Refills
To fix a toilet that won’t flush, it’s important to get to the root of the problem before attempting anything.
The most common reaction is to assume the toilet is clogged. Yes, this can be the reason but don’t assume it to be the case.
So, how do you know for sure?
You have to take off the toilet tank’s lid, flush the toilet, and see if the tank refills.
If it does, this means the toilet is clogged.
If it does not, this means the flapper inside the tank is damaged. You will notice it’s not going to work the way it is supposed to causing the water to not refill.
This will be the best way to inspect the toilet that refuses to flush.
2. Use Plunger To Loosen Clog
If a toilet flushes and fills with water, you have to figure out how to unclog it safely.
There are a few options that are readily available to you in a situation such as this. One option will be to use a plunger that is going to loosen the clog.
Your goal here is to unclog the toilet and make sure everything loosens allowing the water to flow into the drain.
How will you do this?
You have two options.
You will want to use a plunger and see if that works. If not, you can use a more robust drain snake to dig deeper into the drain to unclog the toilet.
3. Use Drain Snake For Harsher Clog
A drain snake is often reserved for a harsher toilet clog.
In a situation such as this, you will want to ensure water is going all the way through the drain and not coming back up.
This can lead to a situation where water trickles up and leaves a mess.
Be careful and make sure you are using a drain snake for the task at hand.
4. Change the Flapper If Tank Doesn’t Refill
Let’s assume you checked the toilet tank and the water didn’t refill.
What are you going to do now?
You will want to start inspecting the flapper to see what’s going on. In most cases, you will notice the flapper won’t move and it might be structurally damaged.
You can attempt to reset the toilet’s flapper but that is rarely going to work.
The only option is to change the flapper, especially with an aging toilet. This will ensure the flapper does work the way you want it to.
When you have swapped the flapper out with a similar alternative, test to see if the toilet flushes normally. If it does, this means the flapper was the issue and you are good to go.
If it is not, the next step will be to call a plumber to see if there’s something stuck deeper inside the drain causing water to back up.
This can happen from time to time including when you drop a razor into the toilet or something of a similar nature.
Final Thoughts
This is why your toilet doesn’t flush and just fills with water.
If a toilet doesn’t flush and fills with water, this means it is clogged or the flapper is broken. To fix the issue, check to see if the toilet tank refills. If it does, this means the toilet is clogged. Use a drain snake or plunger to unclog it. If it doesn’t, this means the flapper is damaged and has to be replaced.
Don’t delay the replacement process.
Your toilet is not going to function properly until you swap out the flapper.
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