Plumbers are often thought of as people who install and work on pipes. A lot of their work does, indeed, fall under this umbrella. However, plumbers also work on the various appliances and components that deliver and use water inside of your home. This includes toilets. So, what are some toilet problems that you should call a plumber to fix? Take a look.
Incomplete Flushing
When you push down the flush lever on your toilet, the bowl should drain completely. If the toilet bowl only partially empties, or if some contents seem to rinse back up into the bowl after you flush, that is known as an incomplete flush. This is often caused by an issue with the chain in the back of your toilet. It may be stretched out or too long, which means it is not fully lifting the flapper off the toilet's fill pipe. A plumber can remove and replace the chain with a properly sized one.
Phantom Flushes
A phantom flush is when your toilet randomly starts filling with water, even though nobody in your home flushed it. Rest assured that this does not mean you have a ghost. It means you have a leak that is allowing water to escape from your toilet tank into the bowl. The tank then registers as "low" and starts to refill itself. A plumber can find the leak and repair it. Usually, the leak is in a part called the flapper, which is made from rubber and sits over the main fill pipe. The flapper only costs a few dollars and takes a few minutes for a plumber to replace.
Slow Filling
After you flush a toilet, it should fill with water relatively quickly. If you feel like you're waiting and waiting for it to fill, and like the water is only trickling in, then there's a problem. Most likely, you're dealing with some blocked fill jets. They can become clogged with mineral deposits – especially if you have hard water. A plumber can often flush the toilet with a scale remover that will free these deposits and get your toilet filling faster again. But if your toilet is on the older side, replacing it may be your better choice.
If your toilet is filling slowly, phantom flushing, or flushing incompletely, you do not have to go on living with these struggles.
Contact a plumber near you to learn more about full-service plumbing services.
A few years ago, I could tell that we were having serious furnace problems. In addition to dealing with a house that was constantly too cold or too warm, we were also plagued by a noisy, smelly furnace that seemed to have trouble on a daily basis. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough about furnaces at the time to spot the problems quickly. One day, the entire system died, and it was beyond repair. After having that experience, I learned a lot about HVAC systems, so that I could troubleshoot future systems. This website is all about teaching you what you need to know so that you don't end up in the same situation.