In 2018, Bill Gates spoke at a conference in Beijing entitled the Reinvented Toilet Expo. Long a concern of the Gates Foundation, reinventing the toilet for billions of people around the globe who don’t have access to safe, clean sanitation systems will help eliminate diseases associated with poor sanitation. Though not a glamorous subject, working toilets are essential to healthy families and communities no matter where you live.
Reinventing Your Toilet with Ingenious Home-Made Fixes
Here in the US, reinventing your toilet could mean fixing the annoying little problems that are driving you to distraction, such as jiggling the handle to get the toilet to stop filling the tank. The toilet is one of those indispensable household devices that somehow never seems to get the respect it deserves. When your refrigerator breaks down, you call to have it fixed immediately. Same with your air conditioner. However, people develop ingenious ways to temporarily fix their toilets when they malfunction – and then learn to live with the fix for months on end. Here are a few of the most common problems associated with “the porcelain throne” in your bathroom:
Broken Handle Mechanism
When you push down on the handle mechanism on your toilet, it makes the trip lever rise, which in turn pulls the chain inside the tank and lifts the flush ball which releases the water to flush the bowl. Jiggling the handles helps pull the chain and reposition the flapper. Replacing a broken toilet handle can be a fun little Saturday afternoon do-it-yourself project if you enjoy doing handyman work. If not, we’d be happy to replace your handle and check your toilet for any other problems.
Toilet Keeps Running and Won’t Stop Filling With Water
This is one of those annoying problems you notice a few minutes after your trip to the bathroom. You hear the noise and ask yourself, “Shouldn’t the toilet be done filling up by now?” The reason your toilet tank is continuously filling is the flapper is not properly sealing the flush valve opening. This usually means replacing the flapper and if that doesn’t solve the problem, the entire flush valve assembly may need replacement.
Toilet Randomly Runs for 5-6 Seconds, Then Shuts Off Again
This is caused by a slow leak from the tank to the bowl. In other words, when your tank is full, the toilet shuts off. A few minutes later, as water from the tank slowly seeps into the bowl, your tank needs to be refilled again and you hear that aggravating high-pitched noise. This problem is generally caused by crud on the flapper seal, which is easily cleaned.
Toilet Is Leaking
A leaking toilet can do damage to your floor and is not something you should ignore. One of the most common causes for a leaking toilet is a loose or worn out seal at the base. This can be due to years of use and normal wear and tear. There are many other reasons for a leaky toilet. This is not a DIY job, and we recommend you give us a call.
Is It Time to Fix or Replace Your Toilet?
Many of us have co-existed with a semi-functioning (translation: annoying) toilet for months or years. If you’ve had enough of jiggling the handle or reaching into the cold water in the toilet tank to lift the float ball, why not give us a call. Our friendly plumbing experts will solve your toilet woes quickly, and you’ll be glad they did.
