Flush away problems with toilet maintenance

Last week we were working on a home and we had to remove the toilet. While in a conversation with the home owner she said they have been having problems with their toilet. She said the bowl would fill very slowly and spontaneously refill the tank frequently. I told her I was not a plumber however I would look at the toilet while we had it out. I asked her if they were on a well system. She said they were.

After removing the toilet from the home and placing it in the sun light, I noticed under the rim of the bowl a hard brown/whitish crust clogging the water ports under the rim. Retrieving from my truck some CLR (Calcium, lime, rust remover), I sprayed/soaked the clogged water ports with the solution. As expected the hard crusty material dissolved and wiped away. When we reinstalled the toilet we replaced the wax ring/seal. The home owner had a new phantom (Flapper & seat) which we installed. After hooking up the cold water line and turning it on, the toilet tank filled up and flushed properly. I explained the need to keep the water ports under the rim of the bowl clear of debris. I think both homeowners were impressed at how well their toilet worked.

Below are some tips which will help in solving toilet problems:

n Trickling water into the bowl — Periodically you hear your toilet begin to spontaneously refill, as if someone had flushed it. Toilets that cut on and off by itself, most consider it a phantom flush. This is generally caused by a bad flapper or flapper seat.

n Trickling water into the tank – If you hear a hissing sound coming from your toilet, it’s probably water trickling into the tank via the supply line. Check the float, the refill tube and the ballcock or inlet-valve. Check the float to see if it is sticking or needs adjustment. Sometimes the refill tube is inserted too far into the overflow tube. It may need readjustment. If everything seems fine, you may need to call a plumber.

n Bowl empties slowly – This is usually caused by clogged water ports under the rim. See above for a possible solution.

n Toilet is clogged – The best plunger to use is the force-cup plunger. It is far more effective than a standard plunger.  Insert the bulb into the drain, and pump forcefully. Most of the time it will break the clog, if not you may have to call a plumber to sneak the line.

n Leaky seals – The standard toilet had five seals. Most of the time tightening the fitting will solve the problem. The largest seal is the one between the tank and the bowl. A break there will cause a major leak with water shooting out. The tank will have to be removed. It’s best to call a plumber if this happens. Note:  Make sure all of the water is cleaned up promptly and dried thoroughly, if not you will develop fungal (Mold) growth. You may need to call a restoration company to help with this problem.

n Copy written by Edmond E. Madan, certified forensic, fire, flood, mold inspection & remediation/restoration contractor. Ed is president of Northwest Environmental Services, (NWES, Inc.)