Tips On Toilet Repair

Toilets are so easy to fix, yet they stay on the list waiting for attention when they are just minor repairs. One of the main keys is to knowing the way that everything works and how it has been designed to work. It is also important to keep in mind that older toilets differ from newer toilets. They all have a "flapper" to hold the water in the tank until it is released and a "float" to know how high to fill the tank. There are usually values behind the toilet that you can turn off if you need to drain the tank. Toilet repair can be extremely simple, as long as you have an idea of what it is that you are doing. Learning what the problem may be is the first place that you need to start.

  • Clean the toilet before you begin your repair. Keep in mind that toilet water is not dirty, as long as your toilet is not dirty.
  • If you experience sweating from your toilet, in which the outside collects tiny drops of water, you should not worry. This is one of the most common toilet repair problems and it does not require a plumber. All that you need to do is buy an insulation kit and install it inside the tank of the toilet. It is something that you can easily do on your own.
  • Another one of the most common toilet repair problems is when your toilet water keeps running. You will continuously hear trickling water. There are various causes for this problem. Some of the most common is that the water level may be too high and that the flapper is not sealing properly. You can buy a new flapper kit to install inside the tank. The water level can be adjusted by moving the ball float closer or farther away along the rod. Running usually means it needs to move in closer so it reaches the top sooner and stops the flow.
  • If your toilet has a crack, you may want to call a plumber to replace the cracked porcelean parts or go shopping and buy a replacement.
  • Another issue might be that the wax seal between the toilet and the floor has broken or is leaking due to it's age or to other structural problems. You can either fix this or call in the pros. Fixing it would require a visit to the store for a new wax ring, then turning off the water to the toilet and draining it. Remove the bolts attaching the toilet to the floor, then with a friend, lift it and set it on some cardboard or plastic you have placed there for that purpose. Use a scrapper to remove the old wax, then examine the floor for sagging, rot, water damage, etc. If you see problems, they must be fixed before going on. If you see no problems, you can now place the new wax seal on the floor around the pipe and then re-seat the toilet onto the wax seal and rebolt it to the floor.

Once you realize how easy most of these repairs are, you will be wondering why this repair stayed on the honey-do list so long.