How to Know When Your Toilet Needs Maintenance

How to Know When Your Toilet Needs Maintenance

Ahh, modern conveniences. Don’t they make our lives so much easier? From the kitchen to the bathroom we sure couldn’t live without them. Think of your toilet, for example. Of all of these the toilet is by far we wouldn’t want to go without.

But normal wear and tear and sometimes misuse there comes a time when every toilet needs maintenance. The average lifespan of a household toilet is about 50 years. So it’s easy to understand how routine maintenance can go unchecked. However, toilet plumbing issues that go unresolved are some of the most preventable costly expenses to homeowners.

How will you know when your household toilet needs maintenance?

The toilet doesn’t flush completely.
Is most of your bathroom business taking more than one flush to get the job done? This usually means that the toilet hardware that handles the flushing is worn out or corroded.

It clogs excessively.
It’s normal for toilets to clog occasionally. If you find yourself with a plunger in hand many times a month, this is a plumbing red flag. Excessive clogging can mean the parts that manage the flushing are damaged or worn out.

The toilet often overflows.
If your toilet overflows often even with unclogging there is a deeper plumbing issue at hand. Many times the parts are worn out. Lime buildup can also be the culprit. Both cause the parts that handle flushing and refilling to work inefficiently or not at all.

Water trickles into the toilet bowl.
Water trickling into the toilet bowl can go on for months or years. It is also a very costly problem and can add up to thousands of dollars and water wasted. You’ll hear the water trickling then the toilet refilling. This will happen often after use. The cause of this problem is usually when flappers and valves need repairing or replacing.

Is your toilet running? Better go catch it!
While that may be 1970s humor the principle still holds true. In the rush of daily life the norm is to do our business, flush and go on to the next thing. The sounds of a running toilet therefore can go unnoticed. But a toilet that runs long after flushing and refilling is a sure sign it needs maintenance.

You see water around the toilet base.
Standing water around the base of a toilet means the system needs maintenance. Standing water indicates a leak in the seal. Leaks like this can be extremely wasteful of water and money. Address those leaks right away to save both.

Noticing cracks in the porcelain material.
Cracks in your toilet’s porcelain need to be repaired. This is often overlooked. A good time to check for these common cracks is while cleaning in and around your toilet.

Many homeowners opt to DIY toilet repairs. While this may save money in the short term, hiring a plumbing professional to do it correctly the first time can save your money and time up front.

If your plumbing needs to be repaired, contact ASAP Plumbing today at 228-865-2727 or visit www.plumbinggulfportms.com and request a free estimate! We can handle all your plumbing needs including installation, repair, and full water heater replacement.