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Toilet Problems: Troubleshooting
Noisy Toilet
Check for:
- Restricted water flow.
- Defective ball cock assembly.
Possible remedies:
- Adjust the shutoff valve first.
- Oil the trip lever or replace the ball cock washers.
- Replace the entire ball cock assembly.
CAUTION: First turn off the water at the fixture shutoff valve. Then
flush the toilet to empty the tank and sponge out any remaining water.
Running Toilet
Check for:
- Float arm not rising high enough.
- Water-filled float ball.
- Tank stopper not seating properly.
- Corroded flush valve seal.
- Cracked overflow tube.
- Ball cock valve doesn't shut off.
Possible remedies:
- Bend float arm down or away from tank wall.
- Replace ball.
- Adjust stopper guide rod and lift wires or chain.
- Replace defective stopper.
- Scour valve seat or replace.
- Replace tube or install new flush valve assembly.
- Oil trip lever, replace faulty washers, or install new ball cock assembly.
Clogged Toilet
Check for:
Possible remedies:
- Remove blockage with plunger or closet auger.
Inadequate Flush
Check for:
- Faulty linkage between handle and trip lever.
- Tank stopper closes before tank empties.
- Leak between tank and bowl.
- Clogged flush passages.
- Low water level in tank.
Possible remedies:
- Tighten setscrew on handle linkage or replace handle.
- Adjust stopper guide rod and lift wires or chain.
- Tighten tank bolts or couplings or replace gasket.
- Clear obstructions from passages with wire.
- Adjust to proper level (indicated inside of tank).
Leaking Toilet
- To stop a leak between the tank and bowl of a bowl-mounted toilet
tank, carefully tighten the bolts in the tank equally, or remove them
and replace with new bolts and rubber washers.
- To seal the connections on a wall-mounted tank, tighten the couplings
on the pipe connecting the tank and bowl, or unscrew the couplings,
remove the pipe and replace the washers.
- If the bowl leaks around its base, you'll have to lift the bowl up
and reseal it along the base.
Sweating Tank
This problem occurs most often in the summer when cold water in the tank
cools the porcelain, and warm, moist air encourages mildew, loosens floor
tiles and rots sub-flooring. An easy solution is to insulate the inside
of the tank by draining it and then gluing a liner made of foam rubber
pads or ¼" Styrofoam to the inside walls. A more costly remedy, and one
that's usually a job for a professional, is to install a tempering valve
that mixes hot water with the cold water entering the tank.
Check for:
Possible remedies:
- Install tank insulation or a tempering valve.
Professional Tips
- When loosening connections, douse stubborn connections with penetrating
oil to help avoid slipping with a wrench and cracking the fixture.
- When trying to detect a tank leak, add food coloring to the tank water
if you can't tell whether your toilet is leaking around the tank bolts
or just sweating. Wait an hour; then touch the bolt tips and nuts under
the tank with white tissue. If the tissue shows coloring, you have a
leak; otherwise, it's condensation.
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