Does your toilet refuse to stop running? Creepy gurgling noise coming from your toilet bowl? From water leakages to peculiar noises, toilets can do all sorts of bizarre things.
Fortunately, with a little troubleshooting, there are lots of toilet issues you can solve by yourself. Here, the professionals at Ohler & Holzhauer Inc. will go over some of the most frequent toilet problems, what they mean and whether it’s a situation you can fix yourself—or, if it is better to call in an expert.
1. Why Is My Toilet Running?
If your toilet keeps running all the time, it is an issue you should fix because it's in all probability also costing you money on your water bill.
A frequent culprit that causes a running toilet is something amiss with the overflow tube. Located in the tank in the back of your toilet, an overflow tube removes extra water from the tank into your toilet bowl so the water level in your tank won't get too high and spill over the top of the tank. At times, the problem is that the plastic tube connecting your fill valve to your overflow tube has become detached. If that’s the case, you most likely can just reach into the tank and reattach them. It also could be your toilet is running due to the fact the overflow tube is isn't tall enough 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—has malfunctioned and no longer forms the tight seal needed to hold water in the tank. This causes water to flow out the bottom of your tank into your toilet bowl.
Sometimes a running toilet is caused by something awry with your toilet float, which is a floating device that determines the water level in your tank. It does 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 lets the water level to rise too high, and the excess water will spill 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 obstruction in your toilet, drain lines, mainline or a blockage in your sewage vent. If the cause of the issue is a clog in your toilet, you can attempt to correct this by using a plunger or drain snake to loosen the clog. If this rectify the issue, you can check where your sewage vent exits your home to ensure it is not blocked by debris that would restrict air flow.
If these efforts don’t fix your gurgling toilet, you should phone a professional such an expert from Ohler & Holzhauer Inc. to evaluate the problem. As the go-to plumber in Port Clinton, Ohler & Holzhauer Inc. will find out if the issue was caused by a blockage in one of the drain lines directing toilet water out of your home or the mainline that removes waste water away from your home to the municipal water system.
4. Why Is It Hard to Flush My Toilet?
If your toilet is hard to flush, it's probable that the problem lies the chain, flapper or the handle. That’s because there’s a chain within your toilet tank that is affixed to the back side of the handle. The other end of the chain is linked to the flapper, which functions as a plug in the bottom of your toilet tank.
The easiest way to find out why your toilet is challenging to flush is to take off the lid, peek inside the tank and investigate.
Here’s how the process ought to 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 caught on something within the tank, which stops the chain from yanking up the flapper to let out the water. Or, the chain is too long or gets disconnected from either the handle or the flapper. If this happens, free the caught chain or reach in and shorten it to the appropriate length.
At times flappers can get stuck as they get older or become worn out. Or, there could be something awry with the handle.
5. Why Is My Toilet Leaking?
A dripping toilet can be a costly scenario, potentially causing water damage in and around your bathroom. Many times, a leaky toilet is the result of a cracked supply line or a crack in the toilet tank. If your toilet tank is overflowing, it may be a malfunction 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 weakened toilet flange or wax ring at the base of the toilet where it attaches to the floor. Most of these issues are best fixed by a professional plumber.
6. Why Is My Toilet Not Filling with Water?
A toilet not filling with water often indicates a problem with the fill valve, which is what fills your toilet tank with water. 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 signals the fill valve to stop letting water into the tank when the water has reached the correct level. The fill valve does this when the water level lifts the float to a preset height. It may be that the float/float assembly needs adjustment so that the water rises to the correct level. Or, repairing a toilet not filling with water could require adjusting or changing the fill valve.