Before we get started… Two quick things:

1. The goal is to help you NOT have to call the plumber, but if you do, remember you’ll get $50 off your first service call, just for being a subscriber!

2.  April is Sump Pump Month! We have a special promotion that you can get a new sump pump with battery backup system for only $400 - keep reading to learn how!

   In April we’re offering $250 off the installation of a new sump pump and battery backup system. Since we always like to be upfront about pricing here is it. Our standard installation cost of a new sump pump with battery backup system is $2,400. After our $250 discount, it brings it down to $2,150! But wait, there’s more! After claiming the $1,750 rebate through the easy to apply for, City of Toronto’s Basement Flooding Subsidy, your out of pocket cost would only be $400! Seems like a good deal to me. Click this link to find out if you’re eligible!

With that out of the way, let’s get into it!

Toilets… They’re like a best friend - always there when you need them, but only truly appreciated when things are wrong. And let’s be real, things seem to go wrong quite often!

Today we’re going to go through the most common toilet issues, what the symptoms look like, and what the solutions are - many of which you can take on yourself!

First, let’s talk about why toilet issues occur. Typically, they can be broken down into 2 main categories: Parts Failure and Toilet “Misuse”.

Parts Failure

Did you know that on a standard toilet, there are around 14 different parts that can fail? If just one of those parts stops working properly, it can render the whole toilet useless.

Typically, the parts that make up the inner workings of a toilet have a lifespan of anywhere between 3 to 20 years. See below, just to name a few:

• Flapper: 3-5 years, depending on water quality

• Fill Valve: 5-10 years, depending on water quality

• Wax Ring: 10-20 years, unless the toilet rocks or flange is high/low

• Trip Lever/Push Buttons: 5-10 years, depending on frequency of use

• Toilet Supply Line: 7-10 years, depending on material quality

Toilet “Misuse”

It’s likely not intentional, but using a toilet outside of how it is “supposed” to be used happens all the time. Are you a subscriber to the “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” camp? Do you flush “flushable” wipes? Do you have kids that treat the toilet like a trash can? These are just some of a few common areas where toilets are not used in the way they should be - all of which lead to early failure!

The Most Common Toilet Issues and How to Resolve Them

Flapper Issues

One of the most common sources of issue with a toilet is a problem with the toilet’s flapper. If you don’t know, the flapper is the thing that keeps the water inside the tank, until it’s time to flush. When you press down on the handle to flush the toilet, that lifts the flapper, allowing the water that was once in the tank to rush into the bowl below, sending any waste down the drain!

Flappers commonly become deformed to the point that they are no longer able to do their job of holding that water in the tank. When this happens, you may hear a slight trickle of water, or the toilet will “ghost flush” - seemingly filling itself back up for no reason.

You can test the functionality of your flapper by using just a bit of food colouring. Take the lid off the tank a put a few drops of that food colouring into the tank - then wait. If you see the food colouring has escaped the toilet tank and made its way into the bowl below, you know you have a flapper issue. If all is working properly, you should be able to come back hours later and still have the entirety of the newly coloured water remain in the tank.

Fill Valve Follies

The Fill Valve is the part that (as you may suspect) fills the toilet tank back up with water after each flush. Here’s the problem - sediment, calcium, high water pressure, water hammer, or just plain old age can and do cause them to fail quite often.

When a Fill Valve fails, there are few ways it will show itself:

1. The toilet tank takes a long time to fill up after flushing

2. The toilet tank just doesn’t fill at all, unless you fiddle with the fill valve

3. A high-pitched, squealing noise after flushing

When faced with a Fill Valve issue, your best bet is usually just to replace it altogether rather than try to repair the existing one. Repairs may hold for a short period of time, but you’ll find yourself having a tougher time finding the parts than just spending the $15 on a brand new one from Home Depot!

Uratic Salt Buildup

Are you or your family a believer in the “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” mantra? Perhaps you have children that like to use the toilet, but forget to flush? If so, you’ve probably experienced some serious slow downs in your toilet’s flushing power.

Uratic salts are minerals derived from the uric acid found in urine (that was a tongue twister!). When the urine is left in the toilet, these minerals stick to the inside of the toilet bowl, not only causing discolouration, but also blocking what is called the “siphon jet” from pushing the waste down the drain when you flush. If you often have to flush two or three times for the toilet to do it’s job, it’s likely due to a uratic salt buildup.

So, what can be done? Well, we’ll need to remove that uratic salt - it may not be fun, but it’ll get your toilet flushing again and it’s something you can do without having to call the plumber!

First, get some waterproof gloves on.

Second, I suggest using a mid sized flat head screwdriver to “manually” remove as much of that buildup as possible (careful not to scratch the toilet bowl itself). You’ll want to remove the buildup specifically from the siphon jet, which is the small hole in the bottom of the toilet bowl, closer to the front of the toilet (you may not even realize there’s a hole there!). Manually chip away as much of that gunk as you can - flush the toilet a few times as more and more is removed. You should start to see improvement right away.

Third, get a bottle of CLR, remove as much water as you can from the toilet bowl, and pour it in. Leave the CLR to sit for at least 24 hours if possible. This will interact with the uratic salt and remove much (if not all) of the remaining buildup from inside the toilet.

Flush the toilet a few more times to clear out the extra debris - and voila! You’ve got a working toilet again.

In Conclusion…

Toilet issues can be a pain, but are often simple fixes that you can take on yourself. Through resources like reading this newsletter or a simple YouTube video, you’ll often be able to save yourself the hundreds of dollars you’d spend on a call to the plumber. Next time you have a toilet issue, give it a shot and see what you can do!

If you’re a Toronto homeowner and STILL have a plumbing issue after reading this, we’re here to help! You can reach us by email at [email protected], by phone at 416-587-4302, or on the web at www.watermarkplumbing.ca!

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