How Toilets Work

April 30, 2014 - Benjamin Dowson

Everyone has a toilet. I have a toilet. You (hopefully!) have a toilet. We are all very familiar with them! But how many of us actually know how it works? We flush the handle on the side and the water swirls around in the bowl before getting sucked up, we get that. But then what? Well, keep reading to find out!

The first thing to know is that there are different types of toilets out there, but for now we will talk about the one that the majority of people have in their house. It works off a siphon system (aka. A Venturi system), and has a tank on the back end of it (we’ve all seen it). When you flush your toilet, a little trapdoor in the tank called a “flapper” opens up and allows all of the water in the tank to quickly rush down to small holes around and under the toilet bowl called “jets”. The main jet is located at the bottom, and it is used to push the waste out of a hole at the back of the toilet.

This is where the Venturi system comes into play. The hole starts off big, but gets smaller towards the end. What this does is when water gets pushed through the large hole the water has to go quicker as the hole gets smaller to keep the same amount of volume going through, which creates a suction and starts to pull everything else out too.

In the toilet there is a trap built in around where the water is that comes up and around (you can see this near the bottom of your toilet). What this trap does is it ensures that the water level stays consistent so that no sewer gasses can flow back up outside of the toilet.

Toilets are a very hygienic way of getting our waste quickly and efficiently, so it is important to look after your toilet well. Here at Action Auger, we can solve any toilet plumbing issue you may be having. Can you imagine life in Canada without a toilet, because I sure can’t!