My toilet won’t flush – the lever won’t operate the mechanism?
Please can you help guys?
I’d rather not waste money on a plumber if I can fix this my self.
When pulling the handle down, no water is let out into the bowl.
The flush handle is loose, so I first though a new lever would resolve it. But when I opened the tank and tried to pull the chain manually, still nothing happens.
It doesn’t have a flapper valve, but a syphon diaphragm instead. I assume this needs swapping, but have never done anything like it before. I’ll get the parts from B&Q and try it, if you say I could do it…
Will this be a difficult job?
Would I need to remove the tank from the toilet bowl?
What tools will I need?
How much would the parts / tools cost?
And finally, How much would it cost a plumber to do instead?
Thanks for any help you can give.
It’s not a blockage, the bowl is clear thank goodness! – Ew!.
It’s the bits and bobs in the tank at fault, for sure.
In response to Krackenup:
Thanks for the pointers. The flapper is not clearly visible, I think it may be replaced by the syphon diaphragm
( check this link out: http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/siphon.jpg)
See the hook? I was pulling that manually, but the mechanism just gurgled. A little tiny bit of water was released and replaced by the tap (the tap is fine). Eventually, and apparently for no reason, it will flush on times, about 25% of the time.
Call a plumber and have him help you.
hope you live in a apartment cuz da plumber is free!
I have to be the voice of reason here. Is there any chance that you simply have a clog, or are you absolutely certain that it’s a mechanical problem. Check to be sure.
you have to reconnect the little thingy to the flipsy clip.
hi…use this site for all your DIY probs, it’s brill, look under the projects section…do a search for your prob there.
have been fixing my own at different locations all my life (64 years old) and never failed to fix it. unless you have have something i have never seen or heard of, i would go to ace or somewhere they hire retired people who know a little something and take a simple drawing of your situation. probably just need to take out the old worn out mechanism and replace it with a kit that has a flapper. never saw one without a flapper. if you have no flapper, water would never stop running. i don’t think you are describing the problem accurately. should be a big hole at bottom of tank with a flapper. hope that helps.
It’s an easy job…and no the toilet is not plugged. The chain has separated from the valve in the tank or has broken off the handle itself. Take off the tank lid and have a look. See what the problem is. Then fix it. A pair or needle nose pliers should be the only tool you need unless there are broken parts. These parts are cheep and can be purcashed at Home Depot or any store that carries plumbing parts, including Walmart. You can do it!!!
Yeah, it sounds like the siphon diaphragm could have a small hole or tear in it. It is possible to replace this diaphragm if your local plumber’s merchant stocks the parts for your particular make of toilet. If not, you could just replace the siphon unit as a whole. It’s not too hard a procedure, but you will have to drain and remove the cistern from the back of the pan. Isolate the supply and bail out the water from the cistern, using a sponge/rag to soak up the last of the water. Next, disconnect the supply pipe to your cistern. There are two bolts and wing nuts on the underside of the cistern which you unscrew to remove the cistern and depending on make, there may be also two screws at the back of the cistern holding it to the wall. Take off the rubber donut washer (May want to replace this at the same time, as it degrades over time) and then unscrew the nut holding the siphon in place. Then it’s just a matter of replacing the siphon, making sure you put the washers in place to stop the water leaking out of the bottom of the cistern. Then just reverse the steps that got you to that point. Hope that helps. Shouldn’t be a hugely expensive job for a plumber to do though.