# DO Toilets Flush in a Blackout **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921 "2012-08-28T13:49:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/41 "2012-09-12T17:33:36Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Yes, the school district I work for uses a system like this. The superintendent can make one call, record a message, and every parent or guardian in the district gets called and the recorded message gets played nearly simultaneously. It doesn’t use any of our phone lines, it uses lines that belong to the company that provides the service. Now that you mention it, I’ve had calls from schools like that too. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/42 "2012-09-12T17:44:21Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > How did the city make that announcement without power? Did they actually call people over the phone? Local radio station perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/43 "2012-09-12T19:23:33Z")
Worth mentioning that skyscrapers are often tall enough that water pressure/ gravity alone isn’t enough to get the water to the upper floors, so electric pumps are required to get the water up there. So in a power outage, there may be no water above certain floors. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/44 "2012-09-12T19:42:34Z")
[Many low-flow, power assist](http://www.nextag.com/power-assist-toilet/products-html) toilets have electric motors. In Washington, low-flow toilets are required in new construction and remodels. I’m told, the non-electric low flows are, (no pun intended) crap. So, the electrics are becoming more popular, even though they are more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/45 "2012-09-12T19:54:39Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > The toilet doesn’t flush because he can’t find the handle in the dark. Not that he needed to anyway, because it was dark. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/46 "2012-09-13T17:54:24Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It’s only a problem if you have a well that uses an electric pump. All city/county/town water is kept in water towers, which will work _ **unless gravity is turned off.** _ While they will run dry in a very long blackout, they usually have several days worth of water in them. > > A water main break can also keep toilets from working. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/47 "2012-11-01T17:46:46Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > … > So I’m going to say that they will flush at least once during a blackout. Plumbing generally works on gravity but the water pressure comes from water tanks that are most probably filled via electric pumps. Extended blackouts may draw down enough water from the water towers which will drop the water pressure and may stop the supply. But that wouldn’t happen immediately… This. It happened here during Hurricane Isabel: the county water system lost some of its pumping capacity and there was virtually no water pressure. We had filled a bathtub prior to the storm hitting, so we were able to flush the toilets - just had to fill a bucket and pour it into the toilet tank. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/48 "2012-11-01T18:02:25Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > [Many low-flow, power assist](http://www.nextag.com/power-assist-toilet/products-html) toilets have electric motors. > In Washington, low-flow toilets are required in new construction and remodels. I’m told, the non-electric low flows are, (no pun intended) crap. So, the electrics are becoming more popular, even though they are more expensive. And some sewage systems require an in-line grinder, as **Johnny L.A** mentioned. A sort of garbage disposal motor in your sewage line to puree everything before it enters the main system. A guy I work with was telling me about this requirement for his house due to a new local sewer system. So it is possible that the OP’s friend’s toilet system may not work without power. It may just shut off. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/49 "2012-11-01T21:16:23Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > We had filled a bathtub prior to the storm hitting, so we were able to flush the toilets - just had to fill a bucket and pour it into the toilet tank. FYI, for anyone that has to do this in the future. You don’t have to pour the water on the tank, you can pour it into the bowl. The act of pushing the lever down releases water from the tank to the bowl. When the water in the bowl gets high enough, the bowl empties, regardless of how the water got into the bowl. So leave the cover on the back of the tank, and just dump the water straight into the bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/50 "2012-11-01T21:32:35Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > FYI, for anyone that has to do this in the future. You don’t have to pour the water on the tank, you can pour it into the bowl. The act of pushing the lever down releases water from the tank to the bowl. When the water in the bowl gets high enough, the bowl empties, regardless of how the water got into the bowl. So leave the cover on the back of the tank, and just dump the water straight into the bowl. Yes, but on most toilets flushing from the tank causes the water to swirl in from all around the underside of the rim, which cleans the sides better than just dumping water straight into the bowl. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921/51 "2012-11-01T22:16:55Z")
it all depends on the load and the toilet style. if the toilet has a full or dense load and a siphon jet hole then filling the tank might be the best. if you normally have difficult flushes then this might be best. if the load is light and/or not dense or without a siphon jet hole then a rapid pour into the bowl might be best. you could flush with half the volume needed for a tank flush, your water resource will last longer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-toilets-flush-in-a-blackout/632921.md?page=2)