Learn all about the anatomy of a toilet in Apartment Therapy’s recent article, Learn the Parts of a Toilet, and You’ll Save So Much on Easy Repairs, in which Master Plumber Nate Hudelson contributed his expertise, and view an easy-to-understand diagram. Or read on for a few simple tips:
Toilets consist of two major components: the upper part, called the tank, and the lower part, where deposits are made, called the bowl.
With the tank, there are many versions, but the most common and simple items inside are as follows:
- The Fill valve: This is the part typically on the left that lets water enter the tank and should shut the water off when the tank is full.
- The Handle: This is the part you operate to pull the flapper mentioned below.
- The Flush Valve: This is the big thing in the center of the tank that lets the water out in a measured fashion and typically has a flapper to do so.
- Flapper: The part on top of the flush valve attached to the handle with a chain.
- Refill Tube: This small tube goes from the fill valve to the top of the flush valve and refills the trap after a complete siphon by using just a bit of the tank fill water.
So, in essence, you push the handle, and the flapper lifts, allowing a measured amount of water through the bottom of the flush valve into the bowl to flush the toilet. Simultaneously, the fill valve begins to refill the tank to the measured level.
Now, onto the bowl. The bowl doesn’t have any moving parts to adjust. Remember how we said, “measured amount” of water above? The bowl is engineered to flush and completely siphon the trap when a measured amount of water is dumped into it. Most bowls are labeled to tell you the measured amount, and tanks are built to dispense that amount for each flush.
The replacement frequency of toilet parts varies greatly with water quality and the quality of the installed parts. In the harshest environments, parts may only last a year, whereas, with proper water care and maintenance, we have seen parts last for more than 10 years.