Does your toilet refuse to stop running? Weird gurgling noise arising from your toilet bowl? From water leakage to unusual noises, toilets can do all sorts of frustrating things.
Thankfully, with a little troubleshooting, there are lots of toilet issues you can fix by yourself. Here, the professionals at West Jefferson Plumbing and Heating, Inc. will go over some of the most common toilet problems, what they mean and whether it’s a plumbing issue 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 keeps running all the time, it is an issue you should correct because it's most likely also costing you money on your water bill.
A common reason for 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 leak all over your floor. Occasionally, the problem is that the plastic tube connecting your fill valve to your overflow tube is detached. If that’s the situation, you should be able to reach into the tank and reattach them. It also could be your toilet is running because the overflow tube is is not tall enough to maintain the correct water level and needs to be replaced by one that is the appropriate height.
Another factor causing 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 needed to hold water in the tank. This enables water to seep through or around the damaged flapper and escape out the bottom of your tank into your toilet bowl.
Occasionally a running toilet is caused by something awry with your toilet float, which is a floating device that controls 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 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 obstruction in your toilet, drain lines, mainline or something blocking 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 release the clog. If this does not have any effect, you can check where your sewage vent exits your home to confirm it is not blocked by debris that would block air flow.
If you've confirmed the problem isn't a clog in the toilet or a vent obstruction, you should call a professional such an expert from West Jefferson Plumbing and Heating, Inc. to evaluate the problem. As the trusted plumber in West Jefferson, West Jefferson Plumbing and Heating, Inc. will find out if the issue was caused by a blockage in one of the drain lines transporting toilet water out of your home or the mainline that takes waste water away from your home to the municipal water system.
4. Why Won't My Toilet Flush?
If your toilet is hard to flush, it's likely the problem lies the chain, flapper or the handle. That’s because there’s a chain inside the toilet tank that is affixed to the back side of the handle. The other end of the chain is linked 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 challenging to flush is to lift up the lid, peer inside the tank and investigate.
Here’s how the process ought to work when you flush a toilet: you push down the handle, which pulls up the chain, then the chain pulls the flapper up and that permits the water to flow out of your tank and into your toilet bowl.
Sometimes a toilet won’t flush because the chain is stuck 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 somehow comes unhooked 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. It's also possible there may be something wrong with the handle.
5. Why Is My Toilet Leaking?
A leaking toilet can be a costly problem, potentially leading to 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 could be a failure 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 broken toilet flange or wax ring at the base of the toilet where it sits on the floor. Often, these issues are best fixed by a professional plumber.
6. Why Is My Toilet Not Filling with Water?
A toilet that won't fill with water frequently suggests a problem with the fill valve, which is the valve that lets water into your toilet tank. If the tube is broken 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 wrong with the float, which is a device that triggers the fill valve to stop allowing water into the tank when the water has gotten to the correct level. The fill valve performs this function when the water level lifts the float to a predetermined height. It may be that the float/float assembly needs adjustment so that the water rises to the correct level. Or, correcting a toilet not filling with water could require adjusting or replacing the fill valve.