If you are anything like me, you have random thoughts that slip into your mind from time to time. Some of them make sense, and some of them...not so much. However, one such thought that I often found myself puzzled by is, what really happens when you flush the toilet on a plane? I choose to imagine that it is not just a projectile launched into the sky? But then, where does it go? If you are interested in finding out, then this is the article for you.
What Really Happens When You Flush The Toilet On A Plane
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Most people have a basic understanding of how their toilet's plumbing works in their home. Their toilet is connected to pipes that take their waste down into the sewers. No hassle, right? However, we know that that is not the case when you are in the air. Luckily for all of us down below, more often than not, the plane is also not ejecting people's excrements onto the streets below. So, what does happen when you flush the toilet on a plane?
Well, it all depends on where you are. No, I don't mean it works differently if you are flying over Miami versus England. Instead, it differs whether you are on the ground or in the air. When you are in the air, the pressure inside the cabin differs from the pressure outside the cabin. That is why you hear that large "whoosh" sound when you flush the toilet.
LadBible shared aerospace engineer Bill Crossley's explanation on the matter. He stated, "When you go up to high altitude and you're flying fast, the pressure outside the cabin is a lot lower than it is inside." Then, he continued, "When you flush the toilet, you're basically opening a valve to the outside, and the pressure differential sucks away whatever's in the bowl." It is typically sucked into a holding tank located in the lower part of the aircraft.
What About On The Ground?
While it is less common for people to use the lavatory on the aircraft while on the ground, it does happen. In this case, the pressure is the same, so LadBible shares that "the toilet works using a vacuum pump." They explained that, "This pump extracts the particles from the toilet and remains in place until the atmospheric pressure builds to a point where it can work without the pump, and it is switched off."
So there you have it. That is what happens when you flush the toilet on a plane.
