The Inner Workings of the Toilet Flush

The toilet is a marvel of engineering and is not as simple as one may think. The toilet flush we have today is the result of countless work by innovators stretching back to Thomas Crapper. Although we honor Thomas Crapper as the inventor of the modern day wash-down toilet with a ball float, the machine in most bathrooms today was someone else’s improvement of Crapper’s more basic design.

Lift the lid of your toilet reservoir to take a peek at the inner workings of the flushing system. Turning the handle lifts the flapper valve, which, once lifted, stays in place until all the water has drained out. As the water level drops, the ball float lowers, which turns on a valve connected to the end of the float arm. The valve lets fresh water come in from the cold water pipes. Upon flushing, the rushing water pulls the bowl contents up and over the sill in the bowl.

Once over the sill, it falls and flows down the sewer pipe to the wastewater treatment plant. Once the reservoir water has emptied, the flapper falls shut and the incoming water refills the tank. As the water level rises, it brings the ball float up as well. When the float is sufficiently high, the float arm shuts the valve, stopping the flow of water and completing the flushing process.

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