Plumbing Questions & Answers

We’ve all had our fair share of toilet problems but that doesn’t mean we should start calling the neighborhood plumber who by the way, charges a lot. Sure, there are things that only he can fix but then again, the four most common problems are actually those that we can fix and won’t really require his services.

The first of these is the forever running toilet. Yes, it can be irritating and can also cause our water bills to rise. Let’s not forget that it’s bad for mother earth as well to be wasting water like that. So, the solution is very simple and quite easy to do. Just open the tank lid and see if the flapper is seated properly on the fill hole to bowl. In case you’re not sure what the flapper is, it’s usually the black or blue rubber gasket that covers the fill hole to bowl. If it is not seated on the fill hole to bowl, simply adjust the chain which is connected to the flush handle by either letting a link out or tightening it. Either way, just make sure that the flapper is properly covering the fill hole to bowl. In some instances that the flapper may be broken, shut the water off and buy a replacement for the flapper. It will only cost about $2.

Related to the previous problem is the flush valve. The flush valve is the cylinder-shaped thing with a large ball that allows the water to stop flowing when the tank is full. Simply trun the water off and drain the tank and after that, you take out the supply line with a vise grip or slip joints. Unscrew the large plastic nut located just below the tank and remove the flush valve. Do the opposite when putting the new flush valve. This will set you back around $20.

For those who have problems with a clogged or overflowing toilet, just have a handy plunger in hand. This will cost you about $3 to $5. In case it doesn’t work, there are other remedies on the internet that uses natural ingredients that are not harmful to the environment.

The last of the usual suspects is the crazy loose toilet seat. Yes, it can be quite uncomfortable but that is not a reason to call the plumber. Remember, there are only two bolts hidden under the lid which can either be made from metal or plastic. If the lid is loose, you can try tightening the bolts with either a flat or a phillips screwdriver, whichever is applicable. In some instances, the toilet seat may already be damaged or worn out. The bolts may also have loose treads. In this case, you can just run down to a local store and buy yourself a toilet set which will probably cost you around $19.

As you can see, these are the common problems that we face at home that don’t require the plumber to come over. It’s also good to try fixing things for us to learn Who knows, maybe next time, the neighbors will be calling you.