Diagnosing and Fixing a Faulty Toilet

It’s something we all take for granted, until a problem arises. We use a toilet over and over—studies show that the average person flushes his or her toilet five times every day—but we don’t give it much thought until it doesn’t do what we expect to do. Then we can be at a loss as to what’s wrong and how to fix it. Here are some common things that go wrong with a toilet, along with ways you might be able to fix the problem.

Rule # 1—It’s Most Likely Something in the Tank

Your commode has two main components—the bowl and the tank. W hen it won’t properly flush, it’s almost always a problem in the tank. The tank holds water that pushes the waste out of the bowl and into your home drain and sewer lines. The tank, in turn, has two major parts—the flush valve, which triggers the removal of water from the tank, and the fill valve, which controls the flow of water back into the tank. The flush valve opens the flapper at the bottom of the tank, allowing the water to escape through gravity. The fill valve has a “float,” that turns off the flow of water into the tank at a certain water level.

Here are some common problems you’ll experience:

• Water keeps running into the tank—If your toilet won’t stop running, it’s generally because of one of two issues. Either the flapper at the bottom of the tank isn’t sealing properly and water is getting through, or the water level in your tank is too high, causing it to run over the top of the overflow tube. As a general rule, these are easy problems to fix. The refill valve should have a mechanism that allows you to adjust the water level in the tank—make certain it’s below the top of the overflow tube. With respect to the flapper, check to see if the chain to the toilet handle is twisted. Otherwise, you may have to install a new flapper.
• You have to hold the handle down for a long time to flush—This is typically caused by having the chain between the toilet handle and the flush valve too long. When you push the handle, it should quickly open the flush valve wide open. If the chain is too long, it won’t open the valve far enough and the rush of water down can pull the flapper back into place. The remedy is easy—shorten the chain (but not too short, or the flapper won’t seal).

Public Service Plumbers
5610 Dyer Street
Dallas, Texas 75206
(214) 753-4633

We offer plumbing installation and repair services to individuals and businesses throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow, Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Coppell, Garland, Mesquite, Addison, Kessler Park, Farmers Branch, Grapevine, Southlake, Flower Mound and Lewisville.

We bring more than five decades of experience to our client. No job is too big or too small. Every member of our team has been in the plumbing trades for at least 10 years. In addition, our support staff offers more than 100 years of combined experience in the plumbing business.