At first glance, a toilet may seem like a simple device. However, this essential bathroom fixture actually consists of many parts working together to transport waste and clean the bowl through a quick flush.
The main parts of a toilet are the toilet tank and the bowl. When you lift up the tank lid and peer inside, you’ll find a range of components that control the filling and emptying of the toilet bowl on a repeat cycle.
The toilet tank contains a number of integral parts, including the flush valve, fill valve, flapper, float, overflow tube, and trip lever. These pieces coordinate the storage and release of water into the bowl at high pressure to create a siphon and evacuation of contents.
The toilet bowl comprises the rim, siphon jet, trapway (P-trap), and drain. Understanding how these various anatomical parts function helps inform repairs or replacements when problems occur. And that’s what I am to do in the following sections.
The main parts of a toilet
Although the design, parts, and sizes of toilets may differ from one model and brand to the next, the main ones include the following:
1. Bowl
The toilet bowl is the curved, open structure that collects water and waste. It’s designed to prevent splashing and is usually made of ceramic or porcelain for easy cleaning.
2. Seat
The toilet seat is the hinged cover that provides comfortable sitting. It can be raised or lowered and is made of plastic or wood. It can also come in different designs.
3. Lid
The lid is the part of the toilet seat which covers the seat. It conceals the bowl when the toilet isn’t in use and provides a sitting surface when the seat is closed.
4. Tank
The toilet tank is the upper part of the toilet, which holds the water for flushing. It contains the flush mechanism and is usually connected to the toilet bowl.
5. Flush handle or button
This lever or button on the outside of the toilet tank controls the flushing process. Different variations of this button or lever exist. You either have to push it down or pull it up as I’ve seen in some cases.
6. Flush valve
The flush valve is a mechanism inside the toilet tank that regulates the release of water from the tank to the bile during a flush. It’s connected to the flush button/handle and opens when you flush the toilet.
7. Fill valve
The fill valve refills the toilet tank after flushing. Also called a ballcock, the fill valve is connected to the water supply line. The ballcock, or toilet float, floats on the water to determine how much water goes into the tank. Modern toilets, however, use the refill valve, which closes the inlet to the toilet tank when the water attains the set level.
8. Flapper or flush ball
The flapper allows the water to leave the tank and enter the toilet bowl when you flush the toilet. It’s a plastic or rubber seal at the toilet tank’s bottom. When you flush the toilet, it lifts up, allowing the water to leave the tank.
If the toilet doesn’t wash away the waste in a single flush, you may need to increase the toilet’s flush power to allow this. At times, the toilet may just be clogged.
9. Overflow tube
This vertical tube inside the toilet tank prevents the tank from overflowing when refilling after a flush. Any excess water will flow from this tube to the toilet bowl.
10. Trapway (P-trap)
The trapway is either an S- or P-shaped channel under the bowl, which carries waste down the drain. Its shape allows it to retain a small amount of water, which traps and prevents sewer gasses from entering the bathroom.
11. Wax ring
Usually invisible from the bathroom, the wax ring is a ring made of wax or silicone that creates an airtight seal between the base of the bowl and the floor drain flange. It prevents leaks and sewer gasses from escaping.
12. Floor flange
The toilet floor flange is a circular fitting connecting the toilet bowl to the waste pipe hidden in the floor. It also secures the toilet to the floor.
13. Nuts and bolts
Toilet nuts and bolts anchor the toilet to the floor at the toilet flange.
14. Supply line
The water supply line connects the toilet’s fill valve to the water supply in the bathroom. It delivers water to the tank for flushing.
15. Tank lid fasteners
These are screws or clips that secure the tank lid in place. Some toilet tanks don’t have them and, instead, have simple covers for the toilet tanks. For example, the toilets in my house have ceramic tanks with ceramic covers that are heavy enough to stay in place.
Toilet clogs occur in the P-trap of the toilet bowl. You can avoid them by avoiding large and obstructive items, although you can use makeup wipes in the toilet.
How does a toilet work?
Your toilet works with a very simple mechanism to flush the waste away. Some aspects of this process, however, are not very obvious. Most toilets in our homes work in the following steps:
1. Press the flush handle or button
You activate the flushing mechanism when you press the flush handle or button of the toilet.
2. The flush valve opens
When the flush button or handle is pressed, the mechanism opens up the flush valve in the toilet tank. As it lifts, it opens up, allowing water to run from the tank into the toilet bowl.
3. Water rushes into the toilet bowl
The water in the toilet tank will rush into the toilet bowl under pressure created by gravity once the flush valve opens.
4. The water creates a siphon effect
The S- or P-shape of the lower end of the toilet bowl is designed to create a siphon effect once the water rushes down from the toilet tank. This effect pulls the water and waste from the bowl into the sewer system.
5. Waste is removed
The rushing water and the siphoning effect create enough force to flush down the waste into the drainpipe.
6. The tank refills
Once the toilet tank has been emptied of water, the flush valve closes, and the fill valve opens to allow new water from the supply line to enter the tank. The water will fill the tank up to a set level as determined by the floater.
Any excess water flows into the overflow tube and into the toilet bowl. However, the toilet float will determine the amount of water that goes into the tank and shut the inlet when the level is attained.
7. The bowl is resealed
Once the tank is refilled, excess water flows into the toilet bowl to fill up the trapway to keep sewer gasses away from the bathroom.
Although gravity-flush toilets’ main design and function are the same, the design and flushing technology may differ. Some have dual flush options, others have pressure-assisted flushing systems, and others have electronic flush mechanisms.
In my experience, the more complex the toilet flushing system, the higher the chances of failing. Simple gravity-flush toilets won’t require a professional to fix them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the basic anatomy of a toilet?
The main parts of a toilet are the toilet tank and the toilet bowl. The tank has the flush mechanism, fill valve, overflow tube, and flapper, while the bowl has the P-trap, wax ring, and floor flange.
What are the three parts of a toilet supposed to do?
The main parts of a toilet are:
- Toilet tank: the tank at the top of the toilet holds water and the flushing mechanism and releases it when the flush handle or button is pressed.
- Toilet bowl: the bowl is located below the tank, holds water and waste, and directs them towards the sewer when flushed.
- Toilet seat: the seat is hinged to the toilet bowl and is where you sit when using the toilet.
What is the bottom part of the toilet called?
The bottom part of the toilet is called the toilet bowl, and it comes in either round or oval shapes.