How to Drain a Toilet

Draining a Toilet Tank

Turn off the water supply to the toilet. Somewhere near the toilet, there should be a shut-off valve. It's generally a small knob found on the wall or floor near the toilet. This shuts off the water supply when turned clockwise, allowing the toilet to drain. Be careful not to break the valve or the pipe. Hold the base of the valve with one hand and turn it with the other.

Remove the top of the tank. Carefully take the top off of the toilet tank and set it aside on a soft surface, like a towel, so it doesn’t break. This way, you can see the water as it drains to make sure it's draining completely.

Flush the toilet. Press down on the flush valve. Flushing the toilet should cause the water in the tank to start to drain. If the water doesn't appear to be draining, double check the shut off valve. Make sure you twisted it as far as you can to switch off the water supply. If the toilet knob will not shut off properly, try temporarily shutting off the water supply to your house.

Hold down the valve until all the water has drained. Keep pressing down on the flush valve. Hold it down until all the water drains from the tank of your toilet.

Draining a Toilet Bowl

Drain the tank first. The bowl will not drain properly if you attempt to drain it before draining the tank. When draining a toilet, always start with the tank.

Account for some mess. No matter how careful you are, the process can be a little messy. It's a good idea to lay down a tarp or some old towels near the base of the toilet. This will soak up any water that spills out during the process.

Fill a large bucket with about 3 gallons (11 L) of water. Take a bucket that holds around 5 gallons (19 L). Fill it with 2 gallons (7.6 L) to 3 gallons (11 L) of water from your tub or sink.

Pour the water into the bowl. It may seem counterproductive, but pouring the water into the bowl actually causes the toilet bowl to drain. Lift the lid of the toilet and slowly pour the water into the bowl, lifting the bucket as you pour. This will draw the water out of the bowl. If pouring slowly doesn’t do the trick, quickly dump the remaining water in the bucket into the bowl, as sudden action can help the water drain.

Sponge out any remaining water. While pouring water into the bowl should draw out most of the water, there will still be some water pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Grab a wad of paper towels or a sponge. Press this on the bottom of the bowl to soak up any remaining water. EXPERT TIP James Schuelke James Schuelke Professional Plumber James Schuelke, along with his twin brother David, is the co-owner of the Twin Home Experts, a licensed plumbing, leak detection, and mold inspection company based in Los Angeles, California. James has over 32 years of home service and business plumbing experience and has expanded the Twin Home Experts to Phoenix, Arizona and the Pacific Northwest. James Schuelke James Schuelke Professional Plumber Try using a wet vac instead. To drain a toilet tank, shut off the angle stop, or the valve that comes out of the wall below the toilet tank. Once that's shut off, flush the toilet to get the residual water out of the tank, then take a wet shop vac and extract anything that's left.