Do you ever get frustrated when you have to flush the toilet but see the handle broken? Here’s how you can flush a toilet without a handle:
If your toilet has no handle, you can still flush it manually by pouring a full bucket of water into the toilet bowl. Make sure to keep throwing the water until the waste washes away into the drains. In this way, gravity then transports the bowl’s contents down into the waste lines.
However, it’s not the very best solution to manually flush a toilet, especially when you have to use the toilet regularly until you get a new toilet tank. Don’t worry, there’s always a way to use a broken toilet until you use it in a normal way.
In this article, I’ll explain three foolproof methods of flushing a toilet without the handle, what to do when the toilet chain breaks, and more.
Read on to find out!
3 Ways to Manually Flush a Toilet That Has No Handle
Although your toilet handle is broken, you can still use your toilet for the time being until the water tank is fixed. Luckily, you don’t have to be a plumbing master for that.
All you need to do is follow one of the following ways to flush your toilet to complete your daily hygiene. Here’s the first method:
#1 Lift the Rubber Flapper
To flush a toilet with a broken handle, remove the lid from the toilet water tank (the water reservoir where the handle is housed). Next, look for the flapper. A chain would be stretching from the flapper to the handle lever on the inside of the tank. By pulling the chain upwards, you may raise the flapper and flush the toilet.
The water tank would be right at the top of the toilet bowl and will be square-ish in shape. Once you open the tank lid, you’ll find the flapper inside.
If you don’t know what a flapper is, the flapper is a rubberized stopper (typically red in color) at the bottom of the tank which seals the toilet tank to keep the water inside (acting as a flush valve).
Here’s a step-by-step process of flushing a toilet by lifting up the flapper:
- Locate the water tank of the toilet.
- Open the toilet tank lid.
- Find the flapper (It should be at the tank’s bottom).
- Pull up the chain attached to the flapper.
- If the chain is broken, lift the flapper with your hand.
- Wait for the water to flush the toilet bowl.
- Close the water tank cover.
In this process, you’ll have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands wet. Don’t worry — Tank water isn’t dirty and is the same as tap water. However, the toilet tank might contain algae and germs, so it’s best to wear gloves while flushing manually.
The amount of water used in the process will be the same as regular flushing.
It’s worth noting that your toilet tank’s water level should be at least an inch lower than the tank’s top. If it’s not, this method won’t work.
If that’s the case, use one of the methods below.
#2 Pour a Bucket of Water Into the Toilet Bowl
To flush a toilet manually without a handle, fill a bucket with at least two gallons of water. Start throwing water slowly at the sides of the toilet bowl and gradually speed up the pouring until the waste washes away down the drain. Throw multiple buckets of water if the waste remains after the first bucket.
The idea is to create enough pressure to force the contents to flush down into the drains without splashing. Pouring water over the course of 8-10 seconds can fulfill the purpose of flushing.
However, this method of flushing is not hygienic and requires some precautionary steps before throwing buckets:
- Make sure a two-gallon bucket is accessible before using the toilet.
- Put on the gloves before pouring buckets.
- Cover your face properly.
- Do not splash the water.
The sort of toilet and the quantity of human waste in your bowl will affect how much water is required for a manual flush.
Stop pouring the water immediately if you feel there’s a clog.
If you don’t plan to replace your toilet any time soon, that’s okay — This method can help you as long as you want. You can also use this flushing method if there is no running water supply.
#3 Pour a Bucket of Water Into the Toilet Tank
You can also pour water into your toilet tank, just like you can do with the toilet bowl. Pull the chain upwards to lift the flapper or do it manually once the tank is full to flush out the waste down the drains.
Once you fill up the toilet tank with a few gallons of water, you can follow the steps of method number one.
This method is vital to flushing the toilet evenly as the water will pass through the designated spaces, helping the waste to push down with gravity.
Some toilet flushes work on a push-button mechanism (flush buttons). And they will need different fixes.
Your toilet tank will be filled with just a single gallon of water.
What to Do If Your Toilet Chain is Broken?
Broken toilet chains make the flush handle completely useless. To flush out a toilet with a broken chain, follow these steps:
- Remove the toilet tank lid.
- Roll up your sleeves so they don’t get wet.
- Find the flapper inside the water tank.
- Pull the flapper’s tight seal up to flush the toilet bowl.
In some cases, the toilet chain isn’t broken. It’s just detached from the flapper which makes the toilet handle unusable. You can also reattach the chain with the flapper if it’s not torn apart.
Before you try fixing the chain, empty the tank completely as it’s convenient to fix a dry toilet tank.
Final Words
We often take toilets for granted and when the problem arises, it sparks panic and discomfort. In this situation, you have several options to flush toilets manually without the need for calling a plumber.
Amos Christen graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Drexel University — Philadelphia, PA. Since 2003, Amos has worked with top interior design professionals in this area, including architects and interior/graphic/lighting designers. As a skilled interior designer, Amos Christen is highly versed in fine arts and crafts and uses that to supplement his main area of expertise. He often publishes articles related to home décor on several websites, including Sprucetoilets.com, Sprucebathroom.com, and Mybesuitedhome.com. He also contributes to leading interior design magazines.