Is Your Toilet A Problem?

Common problems that cause your toilet to flush improperly.

Now here is a topic people don't often talk about in public. Imagine yourself the next time you greet a friend, " Hi Sam, Good to see you. How is your toilet working today?" None-the-less people to have problems with their toilets.

• Slow or incomplete flushing
• Frequent clogs
• Leaking
• Continuous recharging

Slow or incomplete flushing and frequent clogs.

This may be caused by several different things each requiring different solutions.

• Improper Venting: Improperly installed venting through the roof of your home or improperly installed plumbing lines may interfere with the flow of drain water in your home. If you notice the issue with multiple fixtures or drains, this may be your culprit.
• Plugged Drain Lines: Partial or fully plugged drain lines leading from your home may cause slow flushing, clogging resulting in toilet overflowing or slow flushing. How many and which fixtures involved may help determine where the blockage is located.
• Mineral Deposits: Mineral deposits within the water access points that discharge under the rim of the toilet bowl. You may attempt to scrape these clean or use special agents designed to dissolve mineral deposits, however the best solution may simply be to replace the fixture.

Leaking fixtures.

There are several locations on most toilet fixtures that may experience leaks.

• Water Line: The water line will exit the wall behind the toilet and connect below the tank. Check to see if this the connections have loosened or a small hole has developed in the piping.
• Tank Seal: Check to see if the source of the water is coming from the area where water tank and toilet bowl connect. The seal may have gone bad.
• Wax Ring: If the leak appears to be coming from the base of the toilet, it may be that the wax ring used to seal the fixture to the drain line is failing.
• Sweating: It is also possible that the cold water in the storage tank is causing condensation from excessively humid air. In this case the solution is to better control the quality of air in your home.

Continuous recharging.

Nothing is more irritating than the continuous hissing of a tank that does not fully recharge. It is worth noting that the amount of water that runs through your toilet fixture in a situation like this can have a significan impact on your water bill.

• Defective Internal Workings: It may simply be that the internal workings of the toilet fixture have simply worn out, hard water deposits can cause many problems. Replacing the internal components located in the water storage tank may solve your problem.
• Improper Chain Length: A very common cause of this issue is the length of the chain that connects the handle to the internal workings of your toilet. If it is too long it may get caught below the ball preventing a proper seal against the piping that feeds water to the toilet bowl. If the chain is too short, it may not allow the ball to completely seat itself holding it partially open.
• Defective Ball: Another cause may be a ball that fails to seat properly due to a bent hinge or improper shape.

Call AEM Mechanical Services, Inc.,  at 320-587-0991 for help diagnosing and solving your slow flushing toilet issues.