Does your toilet refuse to stop running? Weird gurgling noise arising from your toilet bowl? From water leakage to peculiar noises, toilets can do all sorts of strange things.
The good thing is, with a little troubleshooting, there are numerous toilet dilemmas you can fix on your own. Here, the specialists at Retro HVAC Service & Installation will go over some of the most common toilet problems, what they mean and whether it’s something you can fix yourself—or, if it is better to call in an expert.
1. Why Won't My Toilet Stop Running?
If your toilet won't stop running, it is a situation you should fix because it's most likely also costing you money on your water bill.
A typical reason for a running toilet is something incorrect with the overflow tube. Located in the tank in the back of your toilet, an overflow tube allows extra water to drain from the tank into your toilet bowl so the water level in your tank won't get too high and leak all over your floor. At times, the problem is that the plastic tube connecting your fill valve to your overflow tube got detached. If that’s the scenario, you can reach into the tank and reattach them. It also might be your toilet is running simply because the overflow tube is too short for the water level and needs to be replaced by one that is the correct height.
Another thing that could cause a toilet to run could be the flapper--which serves as a plug in the bottom of your tank—is malfunctioning and no longer forms the tight seal necessary to hold water in the tank. This enables water to seep through or around the damaged flapper and leak out the bottom of your tank into your toilet bowl.
Sometimes a running toilet is caused by something wrong with your toilet float, which is a floating device that controls the water level in your tank. It achieves this by shutting off your fill valve when the water level raises the float to a predetermined height. If your float is set too high, this will allow the water level to rise too high, and the unwanted water will flow into your overflow tube and down into your toilet bowl.
2. Why Is My Toilet Bubbling?
A gurgling toilet is often caused by a partial blockage in your toilet, drain lines, mainline or an obstruction in your sewage vent. If the reason for the noise is a clog in your toilet, you can try to fix this by using a plunger or drain snake to release the clog. If this rectify the issue, you can look at where your sewage vent exits your home to confirm it is not blocked by debris that would restrict air flow.
If these efforts don’t fix your gurgling toilet, it would be a good idea to phone a professional such an expert from Retro HVAC Service & Installation to evaluate the problem. As the experienced plumber in Philadelphia, Retro HVAC Service & Installation will check to see if the sound is due to a blockage in one of the drain lines transporting toilet water out of your home or the mainline that carries waste water away from your home to the municipal water system.
4. Why Is It Hard to Flush My Toilet?
If it's difficult to flush your toilet, it's probable that the problem is with the chain, flapper or the handle. That’s because there’s a chain inside your toilet tank that is attached to the back side of the handle. The other end of the chain is connected to the flapper, which serves as a plug in the bottom of your toilet tank.
The best way to find out why your toilet is difficult to flush is to remove the lid, peek inside the tank and investigate.
Here’s how the process should work anytime you flush a toilet: you push down the handle, which pulls up the chain, then the chain pulls the flapper up and that enables the water to drain out of your tank and into your toilet bowl.
Sometimes a toilet will never flush because the chain is snagged on something within the tank, which prevents the chain from yanking up the flapper to let out the water. Or, the chain is too long or becomes detached from either the handle or the flapper. If this happens, release the caught chain or reach in and shorten it to the appropriate length.
At times flappers can get stuck when they get old or become worn out. Or, there might be something amiss with the handle.
5. What Is Causing My Toilet To Leak?
A leaky toilet can be a costly situation, potentially producing water damage in and around your bathroom. Usually, a leaky toilet is caused by a cracked supply line or a crack in the toilet tank. If your toilet tank is overflowing, it could be a failure in the toilet float.
Cracked gaskets around the connections on the underside of the tank also can allow water to leak out of the toilet, as can a damaged toilet flange or wax ring at the base of the toilet where it sits on the floor. Often, these issues are best fixed by an expert plumber.
6. Why Won't My Toilet Fill With Water?
A toilet that won't fill with water often traces back to a problem with the fill valve, which is the valve that lets water into your toilet tank. If the tube has failed or is plugged by rust, sediment or mineral buildup, it potentially could not be allowing water into the tank.
Another common cause for your toilet not filling with water is something amiss with the float, which is a device that prompts the fill valve to stop bringing water into the tank when the water has reached the correct level. The fill valve gives the signal to stop when the water level lifts the float to a set height. It might be that the float/float assembly needs adjustment so that the water can attain the proper level. Or, repairing a toilet not filling with water may require adjusting or exchanging the fill valve.