How Do You Know When to Replace Toilets Rather Then Repair Them?

People usually don't sit around and think about toilets, but it's a sure bet the toilet will be on your mind if it's not working properly. A large amount of toilet problems can be solved by repairs. Some are easy enough to be done yourself, or you can always call in a licensed professional. Other problems, however, are beyond repair and require a new toilet.

If a toilet is cracked, it's time to replace it. Cracks can occur on the toilet tank, the bowl area or any other part of the porcelain toilet. All can lead to disaster if ignored. Even if a crack is not leaking at the moment, it's best to get a new toilet in as soon as possible. The pressure built up from holding all that water can make the cracks burst at any moment, most likely when you're not home. This will lead to a massive flood and damage that could have been avoided.

Impenetrable clogs are another reason to replace a toilet. The toilet's passage could be jammed with a number of items that cannot be removed. Some include a comb, brush, dog toy or any other number of objects that lodge themselves deep into the passage and cannot be removed either by fishing them out or taking apart the toilet to remove them. Clogs could also come from scale building up in the pipes, another reason to get a new toilet. Scale is a buildup that occurs in toilets that often regularly use well water or other water rife with calcium, rust and other impurities. Once scale lodges itself into the passageway, there's often no getting it off. It can also continue to build up, blocking the passage entirely.

Toilets that keep running and running in a perpetual flush after the lever is depressed can easily be repaired. The problem is usually the mechanisms in the toilet tank. Remove the top of the tank and make sure the rubber stopper is going down to the bottom of the tank after each flush. The stopper seals off the tank so water can fill it. The water will perpetually run if the tank does not fill because of a faulty stopper or stopper chain. Stoppers, chains and other toilet bowl workings are available at hardware and home stores.

Clogs that are caused by too much toilet paper or other waste can often be fixed. A plunger will often come to the rescue, either pulling up the clogged item or helping to get it to break up so it can fit through the pipes. A bucket of steaming hot water poured into a bowl, provided the bowl is not overflowing, is another way to try and break up the clog. Using a snake, which is a long, wiry device sold at hardware and home stores, can also help to dislodge clogs. Of course, if the temporary clog becomes permanent, you may need to invest in a brand new toilet.

The most common problems in toilets often have to do with mechanisms in the water tank, many of which can be cheaply and easily repaired. Tightening the flusher handle, getting a new chain or replacing a valve in the tank does the trick for a vast number of toilet problems. If something is beyond your scope, calling in a plumber may be a good idea. Never flush any drain unclogging liquids down a toilet and never troubleshoot blindly.