Does your toilet keep running? Strange gurgling noise emitting 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 dilemmas you can solve on your own. Here, the professionals at Appalachian Heating 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 Is My Toilet Running?
If your toilet won't stop running, it is something you should fix because it's in all likelihood also costing you money on your water bill.
A common cause of a running toilet is something wrong with the overflow tube. Found 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 does not get too high and spill over the top of the tank. At times, the trouble is that the plastic tube connecting your fill valve to your overflow tube has become detached. If that’s the scenario, you should be able to reach into the tank and reattach them. It also may be your toilet is running because the overflow tube is too short for the water level and needs to be replaced by one that is taller height.
Another reason for a toilet to run could be the flapper--which acts 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.
Sometimes a running toilet is caused by something amiss with your toilet float, which is a floating device that determines the water level in your tank. It achieves this by shutting off your fill valve when the water level raises the float to the appropriate height. If your float is set too high, this permits 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 Does My Toilet Keep Gurgling?
A gurgling toilet is usually caused by a partial clog 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 release the clog. If this does not have any effect, you can examine 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 phone a professional such an expert from Appalachian Heating to evaluate the problem. As the trusted plumber in Beckley, Appalachian Heating 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 it's difficult to flush your toilet, it's probable that the problem is with the chain, flapper or the handle. That’s because there’s a chain inside your toilet tank that is hooked to the back side of the handle. The other end of the chain is linked to the flapper, which acts 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 lift up the lid, look 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 permits the water to drain out of your tank and into your toilet bowl.
Sometimes a toilet won’t flush because the chain is caught on something inside the tank, which prevents the chain from pulling 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. There also could be something wrong with the handle.
5. What Is Causing My Toilet To Leak?
A leaking toilet can be a costly situation, potentially producing 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 is often because there is 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 damaged 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 certified plumber.
6. Why Won't My Toilet Fill With Water?
A toilet that won't fill with water in many cases traces back to a problem with the fill valve, which is the valve that lets water into your toilet tank. If the tube is damaged or is clogged by rust, sediment or mineral buildup, it may 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 letting 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 proper level. Or, correcting a toilet not filling with water could require adjusting or replacing the fill valve.
