Most people are afraid to approach household plumbing. And, we don’t blame them. Fixing a plumbing issue can be downright intimidating — no one wants to be responsible for a flooded bathroom. What a mess, right?
However, there are a few simple ways you can troubleshoot toilet issues. As the most used fixture in your home, it’s good to have a few maintenance tricks up your sleeve before calling in the reinforcements. Our team here at BL3 Plumbing has round up the four most common toilet issues you’ll run into and how to fix them.
The toilet barely flushes
If it barely flushes, it could be a few things. Check that the chain between the lever and flapper (that rubber disk) is tight enough. If it’s sagging, you’ll need to shorten the chain a link or two. If your tank isn’t filling up to the water line, try bending the float arm upward to allow better water flow. If your toilet is still acting up after these two things, try cleaning out the fill jets under the bowl rim. If that doesn’t work, you’ll probably need a new fill valve – which you can find at most hardware stores.
The toilet won't flush
First off, try your hardest not to pull the handle multiple times. You’ll be tempted, but it’s most likely it’s a clog. Additional flushing could make the situation worse (and a lot messier). Work a plunger with up and down strokes, then see what happens. If there’s no luck, try to ream the outflow using a closet auger. This tool takes a cable through the inner plumbing of your toilet.
If this fails, the clog could be present in your sewer. Here, we highly recommend a calling a plumber (like your favorite BL3 team) to remove the toilet and work the line with a plumbing snake.
You hear a random flush
First off, that’s creepy. Right? It’s always a strange experience when you hear a toilet flush on its own. Unfortunately, it’s not Casper paying you a friendly visit. It’s an indication that water is leaking into the bowl due to a faulty flapper valve. Pour a small bit of food coloring in the tank and if it appears in the bowl, you’ll need to swap out your value with a new one.
The toilet is running
So, you’d better catch it!
As terrible as that punch line was, our solution is a good one. Check for any tangles in the chain and that the flapper is seated properly. If you notice calcium buildup under the flapper, you can remove it with a cleanser.
Most often, a running toilet is caused by the overfilling of water in the overflow tube. When this happens, adjust the screw or bend the float arm to lower it. If that doesn’t work, the fill valve is fairly easy to replace.
We hope this article helps you troubleshoot some common toilet issues in the future. Do you have any crazy stories? We’d love for you to share them with us in the comments below. If you encounter a toilet issue that can’t be fixed with these tips above, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’ll have it working in no time!
North: (405) 895-6640
South: (405) 237-1414
