![\"Gravity](\"https:\/\/scottsbathrooms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gravity-toilet.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen you\u2019re forced to sit in pitch darkness, you suddenly realize how much all of us rely on electricity in every aspect of our lives. While it\u2019s true that unexpected power outages can be extremely inconvenient, there\u2019s a good chance that you\u2019ll still be able to at least flush your toilet during one.<\/p>\n
The answer to the question in the title isn\u2019t exactly crystal clear, though. As long as the water system in your house does not require electricity to run, you should be able to flush your toilet without any issues. However, a lot of toilets are dependant on a power source to run properly. In this article, I\u2019ll be taking a closer look at both situations.<\/p>\n
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These types of toilets are among the oldest and they don\u2019t require any mechanical assistance in order to function properly. As its name suggests, a gravity-flush toilet uses gravity and the weight of water to eliminate the bowl\u2019s contents.<\/p>\n
Once the siphoning action pulls the waste, toilet paper, and toilet water downward, all of these go into the toilet trap. From there, the waste goes into the drain system of your house and finally into the septic tank or the sewer lines.<\/p>\n
When you flush a toilet of this type, the lever that is located inside the tank pulls on the lift chain which, in turn, lifts up a component called the flapper. When lifted, the flapper uncovers a valve that\u2019s situated right below it and allows water to flow from the tank into the bowl.<\/p>\n
All of this results in a large rush of water that effortlessly forces bowl contents into the toilet trap. No electricity is needed for this to happen, which means that you can flush a toilet of this type even when the power is out.<\/p>\n
For more information, read our post about different types of toilet flush systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n Folks who get their water from wells typically don\u2019t experience any immediate flushing issues during a power outage. That\u2019s because households with this kind of water supply typically have large holding tanks.<\/p>\n That being said, your pressure pump and well pump do depend on electricity and will lose power in the case of a blackout. This will result in lower water pressure. However, you should still have enough water in the holding tank to flush your toilet for several days.<\/p>\n And once all of the water is gone, you will still be able to flush your toilet – provided you can get water from elsewhere and that you know how to flush a toilet manually.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a very good chance a blackout won\u2019t prevent you from using your toilet if you live in a municipality. The reason behind this is the fact that a lot of municipalities often store water in large tanks. This prevents blackouts from impacting the access to water or affecting water pressure.<\/p>\n Also known as pressure-assisted toilets, upflush toilets are quite similar to the aforementioned gravity-flush toilets in function and appearance. However, they do differ from them in a couple of different ways.<\/p>\n The most important of these differences is the fact that all waste and water flushed down one of these toilets goes into a pump with a macerator. So, instead of going directly into the plumbing stack, the waste first goes into what is basically garbage disposal, which grinds it up.<\/p>\n In most cases, toilets of this type are more efficient than their traditional, gravity-flush cousins. But, as you can already guess, they cannot function without electricity and are therefore useless during a blackout. The pump with a macerator will stop working the moment the power goes out, preventing you from flushing your toilet.<\/p>\n Photo by SuSanA Secretariat via Flickr<\/a> (CC BY 2.0)<\/p>\n These kinds of pumps are used in situations where the gravity itself is unable to send the waste from the septic system to the treatment system due to this facility being located at a higher elevation.<\/p>\n An effluent pump will not work at all in the case of a blackout. And while this doesn\u2019t mean that you won\u2019t be able to get a couple of flushes in, doing something like that brings the risk of a septic system overflow. The last thing you need is a sewage backup!<\/p>\n During a blackout, those living in apartment buildings can completely lose their access to water. The pump that circulates water throughout the apartment building operates on electricity, and will simply stop working in the case of a power outage.<\/p>\n However, it should be pointed out that a blackout cannot really affect the building\u2019s sewage system. So, as long as you manage to get water from another source, you should still be able to flush your toilet without any major issues.<\/p>\n In the end, the answer to the question of whether you\u2019ll be able to flush the toilet during a blackout depends on several different factors – what\u2019s the source of your water supply, where you live, and what kind of toilet you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n In most cases, however, flushing a toilet during a blackout is entirely possible, although this can depend on the amount of water left in the pipework. Once all of it is gone, one has to take a bucket and manually add water – which was obtained from a different source – to a toilet tank<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you want to avoid all of this, the best course of action would be to install a generator. A standalone power source of this type will allow you to flush your toilet without any problems during a blackout.<\/p>\n…You\u2019re Using Well Water<\/h3>\n
…You Live in a Large Community<\/h3>\n
You Can\u2019t Flush the Toilet When the Power is Out if\u2026<\/h2>\n
…You Have an Upflush Toilet<\/h3>\n
![\"Upflush](\"https:\/\/scottsbathrooms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/upflush-tankless-toilet.jpg\")
<\/p>\n…You Have an Effluent-Pump Septic System<\/h3>\n
![\"Effluent](\"https:\/\/scottsbathrooms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/effluent-pump-septic-system.jpg\")
<\/p>\n…You Live in an Apartment Building<\/h3>\n
Final Words<\/h2>\n