More than 200 years ago when English inventor Alexander Cumming was patented with the design of flush toilet, little did he knew that this was going to be one of the greatest discoveries of all time. Though in 1596 Sir John Harington was the first one to describe the design of a modern toilet. The useful content of this blog is sponsored by Plumber Toronto
Working of Flush Toilets
The whole of the toilet can be divided into four parts. The handle, Tank, Lid and toilet bowl. While inside the tank is a float ball, float rod, siphon, inlet valve, inlet tube and a piston.
Now the inlet valve controls the flow of water through the inlet tube, as one presses the handle. When we push the handle, a liver inside the tank pulls the piston up, allowing some water inside the siphon, as the level of water drops the float ball gradually falls, the pressure on the inlet valve by the siphon rod is reduced, and thus water flows through the inlet valve, which refills the tank.
Now one often wonders why certain amount of water is left behind after we flush. This left out water is due to the shape of the flush toilet which is S, U, J or P shaped, this let out water acts as seal to the sewer gases.
Common problems and solutions
Slow flush - Even after repeated flushing, the flow of water is very slow. The probable reason behind it is deposit in the inside rim of the bowl, due to prolonged use and exposure to hard water. Partial blockage of toilet may also lead to this problem. Hook like substance could be used to clear it out, a hanger for instance. But one should not overdo it, as it may cause disfigurement or permanent damage.
Delay of flush during consecutive flushing - During every flush, as explained in the beginning the tank gets emptied, and the inbuilt mechanism helps it to restore the lost water through the inlet tube, but if the inlet tube is partially clogged ,requisite amount of water could not get in thus it requires lots of time to replenish the lost water. Finding the source of blockage and removing it will restore it to normal functioning.
Vibrations and sounds while flushing - Every time you flush your toilet, it seems that even the person out in the hall can be sure that finally you did your job. The source of these sounds could range from reasons like ,as you flush a vacuum is created which is equalized by rapid flow of water, but if the vent is blocked due to twigs and leaves or some other reason, you listen to these vibrating sounds, which is actually air passing to normalize the vacuum. Clearing the blockage will remove those uninvited sounds.
Leaking flush tank - With prolonged use, the seals start to corrode, these leads to leaking of water. Now these aerosols are capable of high infections as they are perfect source of very harmful disease causing bacteria and viruses. The source of the leak should be figured out and fixed with proper sealant.
Thus the problems we face with these flush toilets, does not mean one has to replace the whole thing, thus a hole in the pocket. A little bit of fixing, and a talk with your local plumber Toronto will do your job.