Boise Plumbing Tips: Flushing the Toilet When the Water is Off

Let’s face it: we’ve all harbored small, quiet fantasies about living in a simpler and more peaceful time. Perhaps we imagined ourselves as knights in the glorious medieval ages, or as old-time farmers living out calm lives in the cradling hands of rolling green hills, or as adventurers in the years before today’s United States was an idea in anyone’s mind.

​Flushing

​We don’t often have to think about flushing the toilet, and usually that’s a good thing–but when the water is cut off, it’s a different story. Unfortunately, the water supply to a home is occasionally forced to stop–for example, during a plumbing repair or a municipal water problem–and this means that the toilet can’t function properly. This can be a big issue, and with every minute that the water supply remains off, the problem becomes a little bit more complicated. One infamous solution is to drive down to the nearest gas station or convenience store and use the bathroom there, but luckily, our plumbing experts have come up with a few tips and tricks to make sure that “bathroom freeloading” is the last resort.

Tips From Experts

So, how can you get your toilet to flush when the water supply is off? Here are a few tips!

• Last flush. When you flush a toilet under normal conditions, the tank fills right back up again. This means that, even when the water supply is turned off, all of the toilets in your home will have one last flush because the tanks still have water left. Be careful and clever, and you might just be able to get by just with this valuable “last flush.”
• Flushing hack. As it turns out, even plumbing can be hacked! All it takes is a bucket of water poured into the bowl and a pull of the handle, and you’ve got a hacked flush. Now, that sounds easy enough, but the real problem is in finding water to do this with (since the problem is that your water supply is off). Remember that water quality doesn’t matter in this case since you’ll be flushing it down anyway–so don’t be afraid to “borrow” from a river or stream.
• Expert help. Sometimes, even a clever hack can’t fix the problem. If you notice that your toilet is having issues during or after a water cut-off, be sure to call in the experts; this might be a sign of a bigger plumbing problem. Our professional Boise Plumbers can fix issues, answer questions, and provide proactive care tips for your plumbing.

Interested in more plumbing tips? Looking for a Boise Plumber? Contact us today!

By Tim Smith

Published: May 10, 2016