Toilet Troubles (and How to Deal with Them)

I’m sure we can all agree on one thing – the modern toilet is one of the greatest inventions of all time. Sure, iPhones might be cool, and television isn’t bad, but where would we be without the humble toilet in our homes? We’d be living in a lot less pleasant, comfortable and hygienic conditions!

All in all, we’d be pretty lost without our lavatories, and that’s why, when they play up, it’s important that we can get them fixed as fast as possible. With that in mind, here are some of the most common toilet troubles and what you can do to deal with them:

The Clog

Clogged toilets are usually noticeable only when the bowl begins to overflow. Usually, these clogs are caused by foreign objects in the bowl, or by someone being a little overzealous with the toilet paper. Luckily, the fix is one you probably won’t need to trouble a plumber with. Basically, you’ll need to use a plunger to get things moving again and remove the blockage.

Nine times out of ten, plunging should do the trick, If it doesn’t, then hiring a local plumber might be a good idea. However, you could also try using a large amount of drain cleaner to dissolve the blockage, it all depends on what’s down there!

Ghostly Flushes

If your toilet is prone to flushing without human aid, probably in the middle of the night when it will scare you most, it’s probably down to your flapper or flapper seat being dirty. Take the time to check that they aren’t damaged, and then give them a good clean. If your flapper has a chain, you might want to check it isn’t getting loose, and tighten that up too.

If fiddling with the flapper doesn’t yield the right results, then check for leaks and cracks and call in a plumber to sort it out.

Can’t Flush, Won’t Flush

If you use the toilet only to find that, after pulling the handle or pressing the button, the bowl does not empty (how embarrassing), take a look at the tank. If there is no water in there, check the toilet’s valve is turned on, and that should solve the problem. It if doesn’t. Either the flapper or tank may be broken, in which case you’ll need to replace the parts that aren’t working.

There’s a Leak

If you’ve noticed that the floor around your toilet is a little wet, first mop up the moisture so that you can see where the flow is coming from. If it appears to be nothing more than condensation, then invest in a toilet tank liner. If it’s a loose bolt, tighten it. If there appears to be a break or a real leak, then you’re probably going to have to call in a plumber to sort it out.

All of these toilet trouble quick fixes, should work in a pinch, but if you aren’t confident in applying them, then it’s almost certainly a good idea to call in a plumber from the off.

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