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4 Toilet Tips You Probably Didn’t Know

toilet in bathroomYour toilet probably isn’t an appliance in your home you give a whole lot of thought to, even though it gets consistent daily use. Only when something goes wrong and the need for a plumber in Ogden, UT arises, do many people even think about this vital plumbing component.

We’d like to share some tips with you that could potentially help you avoid issues with your toilet. Whether you’d like to look into having a low flow system installed or you think there’s something wrong with your existing toilet that needs repair, our team is ready to help.

Tip #1: Leave Toilet Installation to the Pros

Sure, you can look up a video online to find out how to do the most basic of plumbing tasks. But when it comes to toilets, this is definitely something that should be left to the professionals. There are a number of reasons for this, but perhaps the most important is that you want to make sure your toilet is appropriately sized.

There’s a measurement called the “rough-in,” which is the distance between the wall behind the toilet and the center of the drainpipe—or the bolts that hold the toilet to the ground. The standard rough-in size in older homes is 10 inches. But newer homes are allowing for 12”–14” rough-ins. Therefore, it’s fairly easy to purchase the wrong sized toilet, and trying to install it will prove impossible.

Tip #2: Don’t Neglect a Running Toilet

There are a number of reasons this might be happening. For instance, there’s a component called the float ball, which registers the level of water in the toilet tank, and shuts off the running water. This float ball might be broken, or its chain could be caught on something.

Another potential cause should be a leaky flush valve. Even though you can jiggle the handle to fix this, you still need a permanent solution—the valve will need replacing. One final potential cause is that a leak occurred between the gasket that connects the tank and the bowl, which means water is continuously moving out of the tank and forcing the toilet to keep filling the tank.

Tip #3: Have a Low-Flush Toilet Installed

There are a number of benefits to this, the biggest one being how much water you will conserve, and subsequently how much money you will save. How much you’ll save depends on your water usage, the amount of toilets throughout your home, and the local costs per gallon.

But a low-flow toilet uses 1.7 gallons per flush while a standard one uses 7. Therefore, your water usage will decrease significantly, no matter what.

Tip #4: Avoid Putting Trash Down the Toilet

This tip goes for any toilet, but especially the low-flow models. The reason for this is because they can become easily clogged. People often use their toilets to flush paper products like napkins and paper towels: this is bad for the plumbing and can create stubborn clogs. Even wipes marketed as “flushable” don’t completely break down and can cause issues.

Contact your HVAC and plumbing experts at Rentmeister Total Home Service today!

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