We’re all thankful to have the benefit of indoor toilets rather than the outhouses and chamber pots of our grandparent’s generation. Unfortunately, our modern commodes are not without their problems. It’s no fun when a toilet no longer operates the way it is supposed to. Here are some of the most common toilet repair issues and their potential causes:
- Won’t flush. When your toilet won’t flush at all, the problem is often either in the handle or the interior flushing mechanism in the water tank of the toilet. The handle of your toilet is connected to a mechanism, often a lever and chain, which lifts the ball cock and allows the water to flow out of the tank and into the bowl. If the handle has broken or the chain has become tangled, detached or broken, the ball cock won’t be lifted and the toilet won’t flush. Sometimes this is a simple DIY repair and other times it will require the purchase of new parts to repair the situation.
- Clogged toilet. This is definitely the worst situation to encounter when it comes to toilet repair. Most times when your toilet bowl will not empty when it is flushed or empties very slowly, that is an indication of a clogged toilet. Your handy ‘plumber’s helper’ or toilet plunger is always the first resort and often all that is needed to dislodge the clog and allow the toilet bowl to drain. If this solution does not work, a foreign object may have been flushed down the toilet that is securely lodged. This may require the assistance of a plumber to determine the problem and dislodge the obstruction.
- Water keeps running. This problem can be not only annoying, but costly to your utility bills. Just like the toilet that won’t flush. This problem can come from the handle itself or from a number of issues with the flushing mechanism inside the tank. It may take some investigation to determine the cause and correct the situation.
