Toilets Being Bad: When to Give an Intervention
Is your toilet smoking? Probably not. Is your toilet running? Well, you better go catch it! Then fix that issue fast. If adulthood has taught us anything it’s that running toilets cost money.
Toilets that have issues can run, clog, leak and stink! We’re going to go over the running, clogging and leaking. You’ll have to deal with the “stinking” on your own. If your toilet is behaving poorly, it might just be time to stage an intervention.
Running toilets can be a variety of issues. When you remove the lid to the tank at the back of the toilet, you will notice a variety of parts that are responsible for malfunctioning and causing a toilet to run. The largest part you might notice is the fill valve which all other parts seem to stem off of. It is responsible for directly releasing water into the tank. It fills the tank. The flush valve is what trips when the toilet is flushed. The handle releases water from the tank, through the flush valve. The tank knows when to stop filling when the float is level with the fill valve. Any one of these parts can fail and cause a running toilet. Even the chain on the handle could be to blame for a running toilet.
To diagnose which part is failing, flush the toilet with the tank lid off. Observe if either the fill valve is stopping when the float raises. Perhaps the flush valve could be stuck in the up position. Does anything appear to be broken? Be sure to check the chain that the tension is correct: not to tight so that it isn’t pulling when it should be releasing and not too loose so that it does engage when the handle is tripped to flush.
Clogged toilets are some of the more unsavory issues a toilet can have. A great way to prevent a clog is to flush intermittently while using the toilet and do not flush anything you are supposed to. This will allow ease in disposal when smaller amounts go down at one time. There should always be a plunger nearby. When a toilet clogs, wait for the water level to drop (10 minutes or so). Insert the plunger and after flushing, perform short quick plunges until the toilet releases what is in the bowl down into the sewer. Do not flush more than once. Flushing more will not release the clog. If plunging doesn’t remedy the issue, call your favorite plumber. There may be a larger issue at hand.
When plungers won’t work, a plumber is needed. They will come and diagnose the issue, starting with the least severe option. Sometimes, especially when there are small children with access to the toilet, there could be objects lodged inside the inner workings of the toilet. We have found numerous toys and even a fork down inside toilets. A plumber will have the right equipment to get to whatever it is with ease. Worst case would be that the main sewer line is backed up by either roots that infiltrated the line, a collapsed line (common with ceramic pipe used in older homes), incorrectly installed pipe or perhaps something that got through and blocked further down. A camera would be used to determine the cause and which repair would be necessary.
Leaking toilets can be some of the more disgusting of the plumbing problems. I’m sure you just got a flash back. Gross! Toilets can overflow from the bowl due to a simple clog. That’s usually the nasty messes. If it is just water, chances are it isn’t coming from the bowl. Try to distinguish where the leak is coming from. If it isn’t coming from the bowl, check behind the toilet. No water coming from higher up on the toilet? It’s probably your wax ring at the base. If there is water leaking at the hose connection, it’s a faulty supply line.
When in doubt, give us a call and we’ll diagnosis and repair the issue for you.