Toilet Parts: Understand How Your Toilet Works

Toilet Parts: Understand How Your Toilet Works

Modern toilets are surprisingly simple devices. Toilet parts work together in a simple and logical manner to enable proper function both during and after flushing. In this article we will discuss the major parts of a toilet and how each part functions to make the toilet work properly. Learning this basic plumbing information will help you both troubleshoot toilet problems as well as understand how to best go about fixing these problems. Toilet repair parts are generally inexpensive so once you know how it works, you can save yourself lots of money by making a simple repair yourself.

Main Toilet Parts:

Float Ball: The float ball is what determines when your toilet tank has sufficient water. It will fall when water leaves the tank and rise as water fills the tank after a flush. Once the float reaches a certain height your toilet will stop running and your tank should be full.

Trip Lever: This lever attaches the handle to the flapper and provides the lift on the flapper when the flush handle is pressed down.

Flush Handle: This is the part of the toilet that gets the most use. Whenever you flush the toilet the flush handle is depressed which lifts the flapper and activates the flush.

Tank: The tank holds the water in the back of the toilet. It is where all of the main components of the toilet are housed.

Flapper: When the flush handle is depressed the flapper is raised using a lever and chain that connects it to the handle. This activates the suction from within the bowl and causes the flushing process to begin.

Bowl: Holds waste after use and water after flushing.

Trap: Seals the main sewage line off from the toilet and prevents any unwanted wastewater flow.

Wax Ring: Seals the toilet to the sewage line. If there is a leak from the bottom of the toilet this is often the cause.

Stop Valve: Controls water supply, if turned off the toilet will not fill or receive any water.

Supply Tube: Carries new fresh water into the toilet from the main water line in the wall or floor. The supply tube directly feeds the bowl refill tube.

Bowl Refill Tube: The bowl refill tube accepts water from the main supply line and fills the tank while the float is depressed. Once the float rises to a certain point a mechanism is tripped that will stop the flow of water out from the bowl refill tube.

Overflow Tube: Prevents a runny toilet from overflowing the tank. Excessive water will fall into the overflow tube and this runs into the drain.

Closet Bend: The closet bend is a bend in the sewage line that enables the waste line to receive waste vertically and allows the waste to travel horizontally out of the bathroom. Both fresh water and wastewater lines are usually run horizontally so that they can travel in between floors within a home. Closet bends help ensure that waste lines do not clog and can use gravity to help the process along.

Those are the primary toilet parts found in modern toilets. There are several variations on the setup of individual toilets, but these basics are usually present in any variation. So, whether you are installing toto toilet parts or kohler toilet parts, you are sure to see these main components.