Realizing that a toilet won't flush when you press the handle can be shocking, but there's no need to panic. Follow these steps to manually flush a toilet.

Your toilet is always there for you. Once you know how to fix the handle, the flush valve, and the fill valve, you'll be able to help in its time of need.

Q: My toilet does not flush correctly. The bowl will fill with water, then slowly drain down, or the waste just doesn’t go down at all. I have tried chemicals, but they haven’t worked. ...