Chances are if you had company over for the Christmas and/or Hanukkah holidays, all the toilets got more use than usual. Here are some of the typical problems discovered when guest bathrooms are frequently used. They can also apply to the main toilet too. As always, many of these COULD be done by a fairly handy homeowner but don’t be overwhelmed, Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC has your back. Give us a call at 201-343-1414 and let us handle it for you.
Problem #1 -Water on the floor around the base of the toilet
Underneath the toilet is a wax ring that seals the fitting between the flange on the bowl, and when there is a shift in the toilet position over time, the wax ring (also called a Johnny Ring if you want to impress your friends) deteriorates. The result is water on the floor around the base of your toilet. You might find a water leak from under the base of the toilet when you flush. This happens mostly in a guest bathroom, which doesn’t get a lot of use and the wax seal dries up and cracks. Less often, but still a major reason in #BergenCounty.There is the flange on the sewer pipe that breaks and the bolt no longer holds the toilet in place or the porcelain cracks where the bolt holds the tank to the floor. Do not attempt this if you are comfortable turning off the water supply, removing the tank and toilet, and replacing the seal. YouTube has dozens of examples, but they are typically on relatively new tanks. The tanks and toilets are heavy, and a seized water valve handle or a toilet bolt does may not turn easily, so why take a chance? Call Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC and we’ll take care of it promptly. Call us at 201-343-1414.
Problem #2: Dripping in between the tank and bowl.
There is a leak between my tank and bowl. The tank and bowl are held together by bolts (usually two) and there are rubber seals on the bolts and between the tank and bowl. Hard water conditions and blue tablets of bowl cleaners that are put into the toilet tank will deteriorate the rubber seals. If there is no obvious crack in the tank, replacing these rubber seals will repair this problem. Again we recommend taking the parts to a plumbing supply not a home improvement center. You’ll get the RIGHT part and it will last a lot longer. It also requires removing the tank and we want to point out that these are heavy and the bolts are often seized. Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC to the rescue simply by calling 201-343-1414.
Problem #3: The toilet tank is constantly filling with water (aka the toilet is always running)
Say hello to the flapper. It is usually a soft rubber “flap” which over time can deteriorate from hard water conditions, age, or adding bowl-strong cleaners to the tank. Replacing a flapper is a three-step procedure. 1) Shut off the water supply 2) Identify the proper flapper, and remove it. Bring it to a plumbing supply house, and they will match it with the one you removed. 3) Reinstall. I strongly recommend using your smartphone and recording the steps you used to remove the flapper parts to make it easy to reassemble
Problem #4:The water does not shut off after the tank is full.
Replace the fill valve. This is the valve that lets water into your tank from the water supply line. The two most common fill valves are the horizontal floating ball that is attached to an arm which in turn opens or loses the fill valve and the vertical floating ball which rides up and down the fill valve shaft closing or opening the fill valve. In many cases, replacing the seals in the fill valve will repair this problem. However, most people opt to replace the fill valve totally.
We at Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC love to give tips to homeowners and business owners to help the fix simple problems. It is important to consider that water valves to the toilet which may not have moved in 20+ years, could result in an unexpected surprise, so before attempting any of the above SHUT OFF THE MAIN WATER SUPPLY, TO BE SAFE.
Please accept our sincere wishes for a Happy, Safe, and Prosperous New Year. We have these great Muccia Plumbing, Heating & AC Ruled pads which are great for making shopping lists, to-do lists, or any kind of list -and they are FREE. If one of our service techs doesn’t leave one behind for you, remind him you want one.
