When you hear the word “plumbing,” what comes to mind first? For some, it may be faucets, which are obviously used each and every day. For some, it may be the water heater, which undoubtedly serves an important role in your plumbing system’s daily operations. For some, it could certainly be the toilet, which tends to be synonymous with plumbing. As you can imagine, your plumbing system is composed of several different pieces. With that being the case, it’s not hard to see how we have no shortage of topics to discuss here on our plumbing blog!
For those of you who are visiting our blog for the first time, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing. As a plumbing business providing residential, commercial and new construction services, we tackle a wide range of plumbing projects throughout the year. In the opening paragraph, we talked about just a few of the plumbing fixtures that are used on a daily basis. Keep in mind that is by no means a comprehensive list either! Nonetheless, given that our plumbing blog typically covers advice on how to best manage your plumbing system, this week’s blog post will be no different. Over the course of this week’s blog post, we’ll discuss common toilet issues that homeowners and facility managers have to deal with, as well as break down how you can fix them and hopefully prevent the same issue from arising again in the future. Let’s dive right in and discuss toilet repair 101!
Running Toilet
Have you ever dealt with a running toilet at your home or commercial facility? If so, you’re definitely not alone! The running toilet is one of the most common toilet-related problems and surprisingly, it isn’t all that difficult to repair (which is always a plus!). When it comes to smaller plumbing problems around the house, would you agree that it is easy to procrastinate on making the repairs? After all, how much damage can a slow drain, dripping faucet or running toilet actually cause? While these situations likely wouldn’t be classified as a plumbing emergency, they aren’t repairs that you want to put off for extended periods of time. They’re not going to resolve themselves on their own!
Why wouldn’t you want to let a running toilet sit unfixed for weeks on end? Well, that can be answered a few different ways. First off, why procrastinate on a toilet repair that won’t cost a ton of time or money? While it does require a little knowledge of the toilet tank’s anatomy and knowing what’s what, any professional plumber should be able to resolve a running toilet relatively quickly. The second reason why you don’t want to procrastinate on this toilet repair is because a running toilet is costing you money and who wants to pay a higher water bill when you can simply fix the issue causing the leak. A third reason to fix a running toilet is the fact that a running toilet can be annoying. It’s as simple as that! Having to constantly jiggle the handle or even hearing ghost flushing can quickly become an annoyance in any setting!
With that all being said, how do you resolve the issue of the running toilet and complete this toilet repair? As we mentioned above, solving toilet problems can require a little knowledge about the toilet tank and the different components in there. What is the most common cause of a running toilet? It’s actually just a faulty flapper, which is responsible for acting as a seal between the tank and bowl.
Loose Toilet
After that opening section about the running toilet, you can likely realize that toilet problems don’t generally go undetected for a long period of time. While they may go unrepaired for a little bit, you’ll know pretty quickly when there is something wrong with this plumbing fixture! The next toilet repair that we’ll highlight will probably require a quicker response (than the running toilet), but can sometimes be fixed pretty easily too and that happens to be the loose toilet. Whether it be just slightly unstable or more significantly loose, this is likely an issue that you’ll want to get fixed sooner rather than later. With that being the case, what is generally the culprit behind the loose toilet?
Unsurprisingly, a toilet that seems a little loose is actually fairly easy to diagnose. It could simply require a new wax ring, which is in-between the toilet itself and the drain piping below. The flange bolts could also be to blame for this as well. Not to mention, it may not even be a plumbing issue at all, as there could be something wrong with the flooring causing the problem. Regardless, we always recommend getting this toilet repair project completed in a timely manner, as it can lead to more serious issues!
Cracked Toilet
While a toilet repair can get you up and running in many situations, that’s not to say a repair is always going to suffice. Even though they are very durable plumbing fixtures, you will eventually need to replace your toilet after years of wear and tear. One situation where we always recommend opting for a toilet replacement is whenever you notice a crack in the tank or bowl. It’s not difficult to see why this would be a wise move! While we’re on the topic of toilet replacements, another scenario where you may want to consider a toilet replacement is if the existing toilet is just not all that efficient! Here on our plumbing blog, we’ve talked about before how the plumbing industry has repeatedly placed an emphasis on improving the efficiency level of fixtures. After all, this will save you on your monthly water bill! Toilets are a plumbing fixture that have seen drastic improvements over the years in terms of the amount of water used per flush, so if you’re looking for an efficiency boost, you may think about upgrading any older toilets! As we conclude this blog post about toilet repair, it’s worth noting that every plumbing situation can be unique in its own way, including those regarding the toilet. With that being said, it’s always a good idea to lean on the expertise of your local plumbing professional. They should be able to diagnose the issue, and provide you with the pros and cons of deciding between a toilet repair and replacement!
Call the Toilet Repair and Installation Pros at Stine-Nichols Plumbing!
In the end, toilet repair and installation are services that all professional plumbers should be adept at. Simply put, the toilet is just one of those plumbing fixtures that always needs to be operational, both on the residential and commercial side of things. And in the instances where an issue arises, you don’t want to wait very long to get it back up and running. Throughout this week’s blog post, we’ve discussed a few of the common toilet troubles (and the repairs necessary) that homeowners/facility managers are faced with. Fortunately, most of the toilet repairs outlined above can also be completed fairly easily by an experienced plumbing professional. As you can imagine, plumbing problems come in all shapes and sizes, but luckily there are some that won’t take long to get properly resolved.
For those who live in or near the Kansas City area and need a go-to plumber for all plumbing-related matters (including those with your toilet), we would be happy to help out whenever needed! To speak with a member of our team, feel free to give us a call at (816) 348-3481.