Toilet Madness: What’s Going On?

Toilets are essential to your daily life for obvious reasons but that doesn’t mean we want to think about them. Unfortunately, sometimes your toilet malfunctions and forces you to pay conscious attention to it.

We’ve put together this guide to the 6 most common toilet problems so you can identify the problem quickly, get it fixed, and go back to not having to think about your toilet.

2. Strong Flush That Stops Early

The outlet valve in your toilet may be waterlogged and dropping too fast, cutting off an otherwise robust flush. It should stay up until about 80 percent or more of the water has drained from the tank. If it drops sooner, get a new outlet valve installed.

3. Ghost Flush

Your toilet may sometimes seem to come alive all on its own, the tank loudly refilling as if you had just flushed. The reason for this is usually the tank slowly being emptied by a leak. The food colouring dye test will confirm this. Add food dye to the tank after all water has stopped running into the tank. After 5 or 10 minutes, look at the bowl water to see if it is coloured. If it is, your toilet is running; the outlet valve is not sealing completely and should be replaced.

4. Bowl Drain

Do you ever flush your toilet and notice that a while later the bowl appears nearly empty? This could be due to damage to the seal separating your toilet from the flange that connects it to the plumbing. Improper venting can also cause water to be ‘sucked’ out of your bowl. There may also be small cracks in the bowl itself. To find out which, you’ll need to call a plumber. They can do a CCTV inspection to check for blockages and will be able to fix any problems or replace your toilet if necessary.

5. Slowly Filling Tank

This problem may be a partially closed valve under the tank. A previous owner or a plumber may have restricted the flow of water into the tank for some reason, so this will need to be opened.

6. The Dreaded Rising Toilet Water

Few things are worse than flushing a toilet and seeing the water rise up towards the edge of the bowl. This is usually caused by a serious blockage in your toilet and you’ll need a plumber to come and fix it. In the meantime, turn the water valve on your toilet off completely so the problem won’t get any worse.

Get in Touch

Do you have problems with your toilet that you can’t seem to fix yourself? We can help! Get in touch with G.F. James Plumbing today on 02 9649 1099 or enquire online.