How Many Times Can You Flush a Toilet Without Power?

Toilets function by filling a tank at the back of the toilet with water. When the float inside the tank reaches the designated fill line, the water stops rushing into the tank.

After using the toilet, a quick press of the flush lever or flush button will cause the rubber flap located at the base of the tank to open. When this occurs, the water in the tank rushes into the toilet bowl, forcing the contents of the bowl down into the drain, while refilling the toilet bowl with clean water.

However, if there's a power outage, the toilet may not function properly, depending on the geographic location, plumbing system configuration, and type of toilet. So how many times can you flush a toilet without power?

Why Does a Power Outage Affect the Plumbing?

Generally, water flows into the home through the city water main, providing an ongoing supply of water without an immediate need for electricity. In fact, when the power goes out, most homes that are connected to city water will still be able to use water throughout the home without much issue.

However, there is a limit to the amount of water that will be available. This is because even in a large city, the plumbing infrastructure depends on pumps that run on electricity. The water is pumped into water towers that are typically located in high-elevations, allowing the collected water to be distributed to homes and businesses using a gravity-fed system.

What this means is that during a short power outage, the water supply won't be affected for city residents, but during an extended power outage, there is a chance that the water towers will run dry, leaving your home without access to water. Similarly, if you live in a multi-story apartment building, then your water supply may be cut off when there is no longer electricity running to the water pumping system in the basement.

Well systems are also commonly operated with an electric pump, so when the power goes out, homes on a well system will be able to use the remaining water in the reservoir, which is usually about 10 to 50 gallons. After this water has been used, the home will be without water until the power is restored.

Do Toilets Work Without Power?

There are many water-using appliances that do not work properly when the power goes out including sump pumps, tankless water heaters, and pump-assisted sewer systems. Whether the toilet will work or not depends on the type of toilet. Pump-assisted toilets rely on a pump to create a sufficiently strong flush, so when the power goes out the toilet cannot function properly. You may still be able to flush the toilet several times, but eventually the toilet tank won't fill up anymore until the power is restored.

Sinks will operated normally without power as long as the home is still receiving water from the city water service or the well reservoir. Similarly, tank-style water heaters remain full of heated water, allowing them to continue providing hot water for a short period of time, but these appliances can no longer heat incoming water.

Standard toilets use a combination of gravity and water pressure to flush the contents of the toilet. This means that there is no electrical component that is necessary to the continued operation of the toilet. As long as there is water in the tank, the toilet can flush. In fact, you can even flush the toilet by pouring a bucket of water into the toilet bowl. So, if you have a standard toilet and the home still has access to water from the city water service or the well reservoir, then you can flush the toilet without power.

How Many Times Can You Flush Without Power?

The number of times a toilet can be flushed without power depends on a few factors, including the geographic location, type of plumbing system, the type of toilet, and existing water supply. Individuals that live in areas with abundant access to water, like those close to large fresh water lakes, will typically be able to continue flushing the toilet normally during a power outage as long as they are connected to the municipal water supply and have a standard, gravity-flush toilet.

However, if you live in an area that experiences frequent droughts, then the water supply may run out quickly or may simply be reserved for more pressing matters than waste disposal. It's recommended to have a few drums or barrels of water stored for emergency situations.

Homeowners with a standard, gravity-flush toilet will be able to continue flushing the toilet as long as there is water available through the city water service or the well reservoir, but if you have a pump-assisted toilet, then you will only be able to flush the toilet about three to five times without manually filling the tank or bowl with reserved water.

Well systems with storage reservoirs will generally store about 10 to 50 gallons of clean water. Assuming the home has a low-flow toilet that only uses 1.28 gallons per flush, this means that you would be able to flush the toilet seven to 39 times, depending on the size of the reservoir and other water usage throughout the home.

If the home operates on a well system, but does not have a backup reservoir for water storage, then the toilet will only be able to be flushed once after the power goes out. However, if you take proper precautions and plan ahead, then you can fill the toilet tank with the water that you have kept in reserve, allowing you to flush the toilet again.

Read Next: How to Stop a Toilet That Keeps Running

Read the original article on The Spruce.