Knowing the Basic Toilet Tank Parts

Ever wonder what toilet tank parts exist in that standard facility in nearly every home in the United States? The toilet is a necessity for health and sanitation, and everyone can identify it. Knowing what the parts are that make your toilet work for you is a good idea in case something goes wrong you are able to easily find the problem and resolve it by a quick visit to your local home store. Regardless of which standard toilet you have in your home, the tank parts are all basically the same.

Toilet

The toilet comes in a few types. There is the industrial model you will find in a public restroom. These have no tank at all and the flushing mechanisms are all internal to the bowl and the pipes that connect to it. More commonly found in the home are either the single unit, which has the bowl and the tank as a single piece molded together out of ceramic, and the two-piece unit, which consists of a tank and a bowl that are separate and then installed together once in the home. There are even "low flow" toilets that use less water to complete the flushing task.

External Tank Parts

The toilet tank consists of several easily replaceable parts. On the outside you will see a lever that you push to initiate the flushing process. It is attached to the inner workings through a hole in the tank and a couple of large nuts. There is a simple lid, made of ceramic, that can be lifted off to display the inner workings of your toilet flushing mechanisms. When you remove the top you will immediately notice the water in the tank. This is the catalyst for flushing. When the water is released into the bowl of the toilet it causes an inequality in the bowl water pressure causing gravity to pull on the excess water and expel it into your pipes and out of your home.

Internal Tank Parts

Inside the toilet tank are moving parts. There is the internal part of the flushing lever, attached to a chain. Following the chain down to the base of the toilet tank you will find a sizable black stopper called the flapper. This device holds the water in the toilet tank until the flush lever is pushed. Simple leverage is used to lift the bar inside the toilet to lift the flapper using the chain, releasing water into the bowl. The large ball float enables the water system to stop filling the tank with new water. The float helps to control the amount of water that is in the toilet tank. Once the water reaches the ball float it turns off the water flow into the tank. The pipe you see in the tank is the water fill pipe. This enables water to refill into the tank after a flush. If you have a two-piece toilet, you will also see bolts and a large gasket that keep the tank on the toilet bowl and keep the tank from leaking. Each part of the toilet tank is used to keep your home clean and healthy.