Four Signs You Need A New Toilet
Toilets are pretty durable, but they do not last forever. It's important to be on the lookout for signs that your toilet needs to be replaced. Here are four of the most common ones.
It keeps running after you flush.
After you flush, your toilet should run just long enough to fill the back tank. If it keeps running for a long time, this means water is leaking out of the tank and into the bowl. Sometimes this is just due to a loose or deteriorating flapper. (The flapper is the plastic piece that fits over the pipe that leads from the tank to the bowl.) Try replacing the flapper with a new one from your hardware store. If this does not fix the issue, there's probably a leak in the tank or pipe itself, and since this is hard to fix, your best bet will be to replace the toilet.
It wobbles when you sit.
If your toilet wobbles when you sit down, start by tightening the bolts at the base. If this does not work, then chances are the toilet has come unsealed from the flooring. It won't be long before you have water leaking out and making a mess, so contact your plumber for a replacement soon.
Water is all over the floor.
When there's water dripping onto the floor from your toilet, it's probably due to a crack in the actual toilet bowl or seat. While your plumber could fill in this type of crack, patches of this type don't always last very long — you may end up having to re-patch the crack again in another few months. Since new toilets are not overly expensive, you're probably best off just getting a new one.
It's more than 20 years old.
Today's toilets use so much less water than the ones made in the 1990s and earlier. So if your toilet is more than about 20 years old, it's probably time for a replacement. The reduction in your water bills will probably pay for the cost of the toilet before long. Plus, upgrading to a more water-efficient toilet is good for the environment.
Having a toilet replaced is a rather simple process. Your plumber should be able to complete the job within the span of a few hours. Plus, you'll get to choose a color and design that coordinates with your current bathroom decor.
For more information, contact local professionals like Jim Dhamer Plumbing and Sewer, Inc.