Does your toilet keep running? Creepy gurgling noise coming from your toilet bowl? From water leaks to odd noises, toilets can do all sorts of frustrating things.
The good thing is, with a little troubleshooting, there are many toilet issues you can correct yourself. Here, the specialists at Tri County Climate Control LLC will go over some of the most common 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 Does My Toilet Always Run?
If your toilet is constantly running, 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 incorrect with the overflow tube. Found 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 spill over the top of the tank. At times, the issue is that the plastic tube connecting your fill valve to your overflow tube got detached. If that’s the situation, you most likely can just reach into the tank and reattach them. It also could 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 acts as a plug in the bottom of your tank—has malfunctioned 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.
Occasionally 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 accomplishes 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 extra water will flow into your overflow tube and down into your toilet bowl.
2. Why Is My Toilet Bubbling?
A gurgling toilet is usually caused by a partial blockage in your toilet, drain lines, mainline or a blockage 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 loosen the clog. If this doesn’t work, you can examine where your sewage vent exits your home to make sure it is not blocked by debris that would restrict air flow.
If you've confirmed the problem isn't a clog in the toilet or a vent obstruction, it would be a good idea to phone a professional such an expert from Tri County Climate Control LLC to evaluate the problem. As the experienced plumber in Bend, Tri County Climate Control LLC will check to see if the sound is due to a blockage in one of the drain lines carrying toilet water out of your home or the mainline that takes waste water away from your home to the municipal water system.
4. Why Is My Toilet Hard to Flush?
If your toilet is hard to flush, it's probable that the problem is with the chain, flapper or the handle. That’s because there’s a chain inside the toilet tank that is hooked to the back side of the handle. The other end of the chain is attached 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 hard to flush is to lift up 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 allows the water to flow out of your tank and into your toilet bowl.
Sometimes a toilet doesn't flush because the chain is snagged on something inside the tank, which stops the chain from lifting 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, free the caught chain or reach in and change it to the appropriate length.
Sometimes flappers can get stuck as they get older 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 leading to water damage in and around your bathroom. Often, 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 permit water to leak out of the toilet, as can a damaged toilet flange or wax ring at the base of the toilet where it connects to the floor. Often, these issues are best fixed by a professional plumber.
6. Why Is There No Water in My Toilet?
A toilet that won't fill with water in many cases indicates 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 typical cause for your toilet not filling with water is something faulty with the float, which is a device that signals the fill valve to stop allowing water into the tank when the water has risen to the correct level. The fill valve gives the signal to stop when the water level lifts the float to a preset height. It might be that the float/float assembly needs adjustment so that the water rises to the appropriate level. Or, repairing a toilet not filling with water may require adjusting or exchanging the fill valve.