There could be a bunch of reasons why your toilet bowl will not flush but there are three things you should check first before assuming that the toilet bowl is completely broken and needs expensive repairs. Simple things like not having any water supply to the toilet, a clogged or broken toilet fill valve, or even a flapper and chain problem can prevent your toilet bowl from not flushing. These common toilet problems can generally be repaired in only a few minutes and then your will have your toilet bowl flushing once again.
One of the most common reason why the toilet bowl will not flush is because there is either not enough water in the toilet tank or none at all. Sometimes the water to the toilet bowl will be turned off when the house has been winterized or because the toilet bowl is out of order and needs repair. The toilet supply valve is found on the left side of the toilet bowl around 6″ – 8″ inches from the floor. You can turn the toilet supply on by turning the valve to the left which is counter clockwise. That will allow the water supply to flow to the toilet valve. You will want to listen to the water filling the toilet tank and when it stops you will be ready to flush. If you wanted to be extra careful, you could even remove the toilet tank lid to make sure that the tank is full before you flush the toilet bowl. If you do not have enough water inside the toilet tank the bowl will not flush correctly.
The Toilet fill valve is what allows the water to enter the toilet tank from the water supply valve. If the toilet supply valve has gone bad, your toilet will fill very slowly or not fill at all. You can replace the toilet fill valve for usually around $9.99 to $15.99 depending on what type of toilet you have and what brand of fill valve you buy. The reason the fill valve will go bad is because most of the time they get loaded with debris from the water. Some fill valves like the Fluidmaster will have a removable top cap that you can clean out to allow your toilet fill valve to work properly again.
Another few common reasons why the toilet bowl will not flush is because the flapper is stuck open not allowing the toilet tank to fill or the toilet bowl chain has detached from the flapper. When the toilet chain has disconnected from the toilet flapper pushing on the toilet handle will now not allow the toilet bowl to flush. You will want to remove the lid of the toilet bowl and look inside to see if the chain has been disconnected. If it has been you can reconnect the toilet chain by clipping a link onto the eyelet of the toilet flapper. If for some reason your toilet flapper is getting stuck in the open position you may want to check the adjustment of the toilet chain. If the chain is adjusted to tight the toilet flapper will not be able to be closed all of the way and then water will never fill the toilet tank.