A broken toilet definitely is one of the worst problems that can affect your home. And if that breakdown is serious, it can do a lot of damage. Therefore, it’s essential to fix any minor issue that you encounter as keeping your toilet in top shape will reduce the risk of those big problems significantly. The best thing is that in the majority of cases, you can perform those minor repairs on your own and have your toilet back to running smoothly in under an hour.
But before you start doing any repairs, you need to remember a few simple rules.
- Never tighten the bolts too tightly as it might crack the toilet.
- Handle connections and fasteners with extreme care.
You’d be surprised how easy they are to damage, and even a minor flaw will result in a leak. You should even consider taping the jaws of your pliers to make them less damaging. - Prepare a place where you can put the tank lid beforehand to reduce the risk of dropping and cracking it.
Remember that this thing is heavy and often slippery, so be prepared when taking hold of it. - Double-check if the parts you’ve bought fit your exact type of toilet. Do this before you start with the repairs.
- Determine which of the most common toilet problems you have.
Is it leaking? Is the flush too weak? Does it take too much time to fill? You can use this toilet troubleshooting guide to help you understand what the problem is exactly so you can start fixing it. - If you struggle with understanding exactly which part of the toilet you need to deal with, consider studying a visual guide for fixing a toilet. It will help you to not only speed up the repairs, but also to avoid mistakes that might result in a destroyed toilet, water damage, and waste going the wrong way.
- Seal off the water and flush the toilet to drain it before you start disassembling it.
Simple How-To Guides for Fixing Common Toilet Problems
Toilet is running non-stop
- Check if the flapper does its job right. If it does and your toilet is running still, with the water level dropping, replace the flush valve assembly completely.
- If the water doesn’t actually leak into the toilet but the tank starts to overflow, you have problems with the fill valve. Clean it following the manufacturer’s instructions and replace the part if this doesn’t help.
Toilet is leaking
- First, check the tank for cracks or condensation. The cracked tank will need to be replaced immediately. If the problem is caused by condensation on the tank, improve the ventilation in your bathroom.
- If the leak occurs at one of the connections, you’ll need to tighten the bolts first. If this doesn’t help, you might need to replace them as well as the gasket.
The good rule of thumb to remember here is that you should replace the supply line and bolts every five years.
Toilet doesn’t flush properly
- The first thing to look for is whether your toilet is clogged. You’ll be able to determine this by seeing how it doesn’t flush eve with the supply valve shut off. If this is your problem, use different methods to unclog the toilet fast. In case you don’t have the equipment, call in a plumber.
- If the toilet literally doesn’t flush, as in you press the flush button or pull the lever and nothing happens, check them specifically. Try to replace this part if tightening and tinkering don’t help. Check the lift chain as well, it might be broken.
- In case your toilet flushes but not completely, be sure to check the lift chain. Most likely, it has too much slack to it.
Toilet takes too long to fill
- First of all, check the water supply valve. Is it completely open? Do you have water pressure problems in the rest of the house? Does the valve itself function properly?
- Clean your fill valve assembly for good measure, it might be clogged.
Replace the entire thing if you have no water problems and cleaning doesn’t produce any effect.
Ghost flushing
- Make sure there are no leaks in your toilet itself and that the refill tube is in its rightful place.
- Double-check the flapper seals (it’s something you should always do when the toilet has any issues).
- Replace the flush valve assembly in its entirety. Yours is obviously haunted.
Read Also: 5 Tips to Save Money on your Bathroom Remodel
As you can see, toilet repairs are something that you should be able to do on your own in the majority of cases. Considering that the average cost of calling in a professional to do this for you is about $220, you definitely should give it a try first. Just be careful and follow instructions. If the procedures you are capable of completing yourself don’t seem to help, carefully put everything back how it used to be and call that plumber.
