It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about home maintenance but having a toilet that works properly and effectively is essential. If you have found yourself in a stinky situation and your toilet is having problems, or if you just want to avoid toilet issues, keep reading for some top toilet plumbing tips.
Whether it’s a clogged toilet, installing a toilet seat or you just want to know if you can flush something down the toilet, the answers to your toilet plumbing questions are here.
Why Does my Toilet Keep Clogging?
There a few reasons why your toilet may become clogged and blocked. The most common reason is people flushing things down that should not be flushed. Toilet paper is the only non natural thing that you should flush down the toilet. If you are flushing anything else, this may be the reason your toilet keeps clogging.
Common household items such as food, kitchen roll and floss should not be flushed. A lot of “flushable” wipes can also cause issues despite what it may say on the packet.
Flapper Issues
The flapper is another reason why your flushing may be failing! This is the part of the toilet which lets water from the toilet tank into the bowl when you flush. If this becomes loose, then it will not open properly. When this happens, you get a less powerful flush due to less water being released.
You can attempt to fix this yourself by adjusting the chain connecting the flush handle to the flapper. Tightening this can help open the flapper fully when the handle is pushed. This chain can also be the cause of a running toilet, for example if there is a kink in the chain which doesn’t allow the flapper to close properly.
Objects
An object stuck in the trap may also be the culprit. The trap is the S-shaped tube between the toilet and the sewage line. If an object is stuck here, the problem can become worse each time you flush as debris gets caught on the object making the blockage worse. This is harder to fix as the toilet may need to be removed to retrieve the object, which would also require turning off the water supply to the toilet using the shut off valve, so if you are not comfortable doing this yourself it’s best to call Haggart Plumbers, your local Edinburgh and East Lothian Plumbers.
Can You Flush Food Down the Toilet?
As mentioned before, it is not a good idea to flush food down the toilet. The pipes of your toilet are not designed to be food recycling units. Food scraps do not break down as quickly or easily as human waste and toilet paper and are the most common reason for toilet blockages.
Some of the worst culprits for blocking toilets are starchy foods like rice and mashed potatoes which become gooey and sticky in water. Fats and oils are also a very bad idea to flush, as they build up and congeal in the pipes and can slow down or completely block the flow.
Hard food waste such as bones, apple cores, and hard bread should not be flushed. These items are more likely to get caught in the trap and cause build up and ultimately a blockage.
It is better to just bin leftover food, or for smelly food you could put it in a plastic bag and freeze it until you take the rubbish out, to avoid stinking the kitchen out.
Ways to Unclog a Toilet that Won’t Drain
There are a few different ways to unblock a toilet, depending on what tools you have at the ready. It is important however, that you don’t feel tempted to keep trying to keep flushing the toilet before you have removed the blockage, as this could cause flooding.
Tools
If you have a plunger, this can be a very effective way of unblocking a toilet that won’t drain. Use the plunger firmly to dislodge the blockage, and then you can try to remove the object from the toilet using gloves or a plastic bag. If you don’t have a plunger, a wire coat hanger can also be quite useful here. Unwind the wire so you have a long tool you can use to gently try and push / wiggle the blockage free.
Depending on what is causing the blockage, you can also try to dissolve it using hot water or you can try chemical drain cleaners. 1 cup baking soda and 2 cups vinegar can also work as a dissolving solution. You can read more about our Recommended Plumbing Tools for the Home.
How to Install a Toilet Seat
To install a new toilet seat, you have to remove the old seat and have a new replacement seat available with the correct measurements. Very important! There are many online stores where you can purchase reasonably priced toilet seats. Just make sure that you have double checked your measurements.
Removing
To remove the old toilet seat, open up the bolt caps, which can be done using a screwdriver. Once you have done this, on the underside of the toilet where the bolts stick out, they will be held by two nuts. Hold these in place while you unscrew the bolts. You should be able to lift the old toilet seat off when you’ve unscrewed the bolts.
Installing
Now you can begin installing the new seat. Assemble the fittings provided with the new seat according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the new seat on the toilet and line up the fittings at the back of the toilet, making sure the seat is sitting correctly on the bowl. When everything is lined up, tighten the nuts on the bolts to secure it in place. Pliers may help here to fully tighten them. You can watch an online video of this here.
Conclusion
Hopefully these top toilet plumbing tips can help you to avoid and fix any toilet plumbing problems in your home. Remember, if it is not toilet paper, it is not fit to flush! Never flush starchy foods, hard foods or oil and fat. If your toilet does become blocked, try our recommendations and hopefully you can solve the issue. If not, please feel free to Contact Us and we will be delighted to help.