Top 3 Toilet Problems Encountered During Bathroom Remodeling Projects

Remodeling the bathroom is not an easy task. There are many obstacles that can be encountered while making arrangements in the bathroom. One of the most common areas that have trouble in this room of the home is the toilet. Here, you will be introduced to the top 3 toilet problems encountered during bathroom remodeling projects. You will receive information on what generally causes these problems, and what you can do to resolve these issues. This is a great resource to keep handy if you are about to start remodeling your bathroom. You never know when something will come up!

The toilet may seem like a complicated machine, but it is actually relatively simple as far as the overall mechanics are concerned. Basically, you have a few seals, some levers, and some floats that create the entire mechanical makeup of the toilet. If you can understand the basic mechanics behind the toilet, you can easily perform maintenance on this machine. If you are planning on remodeling your bathroom, it is important that you take the time to learn how this machine works, and what all the components do. By doing so, you are equipping yourself with the knowledge that it takes in order to resolve any toilet problems that may be encountered.

The first thing that must be understood is that there are two essential elements to this machine. The first is the tank, and the second part is the bowl. Naturally, the toilet bowl sits on the floor. The tank is normally on top of the tank, to the back. It is the part that holds most of the working components to the tank. The water that is contained within this tank allows an individual to flush, and the toilet to work appropriately. When a person flushes, gravity pushes and pulls through the components to ensure that it does so appropriately. We will now look at some of the toilet problems encountered during bathroom remodeling projects.

Leaky Bowls

When remodeling the bathroom, you may begin to notice that there is water along the floor near the toilet. There are many different reasons that may this obstacle may be encountered. Naturally, the first thing that you will want to do is to check the entire area of the toilet bowl to ensure that there are no cracks. This is actually a rare occurrence, but it can. If you have been working in the bathroom, and accidentally hit the bowl, it may have developed a leak that you are not aware of. Chances are, though, if this situation happened, you would have known it.

The next reason that this situation may occur is because of the fact that the wax ring underneath the toilet has loosened up just a little. This normally occurs when the actual toilet is loose, and over time, as it is used, it becomes looser. While this may seem as if it is a difficult task to take on and resolve, it is quite possible to do so. This task can normally be resolved within an hour if all goes well. However, you should give yourself at least an hour in order to ensure that you have plenty of time to complete all the tasks that are required.

You will need to start by turning off the water supply to the toilet. Once it is off, you should then attempt to flush the toilet. When you do this, you will notice that it empties out the bowl, as well as the tank. Many may find that they do not know the steps involved in turning the water supply off. If you are one of these individual, this job is relatively simple. You will want to look along the wall behind the toilet for some pipes that are connecting to the system. Normally, you will see a little knob. You will simply want to turn this to the “off” position. Now, your water should be off.

Once the water has been eliminated from the toilet bowl, as well as the tank, you will want to look around the machine to determine what all is hooked up to it. You should look in the area where you turned off the water supply. Most connections will be right around this area. You may need a few tools in order to ensure that all the attachments are successfully removed from this area. Once the attachments have been removed, you are ready to move on to the next step. You should look on the sides of the toilet bowl and locate the bolts that are holding the toilet down.

Once you locate these bolts, you will need to gather up the tools that are required in order to loosen these bolts. It is important that you are very careful when loosening these bolts. If you crack them they may break down inside the toilet frame. These can be exceptionally difficult to remove – especially if they are rusty. Once you remove the bolts, you should get the assistance of another individual to assist you with the next step. This step involves lifting the toilet from its current position so that you may gain access to the wax seal.

Once you lift and remove the toilet, you will notice that the little black seal remains left behind. You should wear protective gloves, and pick up this seal and discard of it safely. It is important to ensure that you have a brand new wax seal, and brand new bolts for the toilet base. It is always best to replace the bolts on the toilet base to ensure that there are no future problems with these items. All you have to do from here, is place the new wax seal in the proper position, and replace the toilet. It is important to ensure that you place the bolts in the toilet base as straight as possible and that the toilet is even once you have it bolted down. This is essential to ensuring resolution to a leaky bowl.

Toilet that Constantly Runs

Many homeowners will notice that when they are doing various bathroom remodeling jobs that their toilet runs constantly. This can be a very detrimental issue in many ways. One, it will keep the water pump running which could quickly burn it out. Next, it can wreck havoc on the utility bills. Third, it can indicate that there is a problem within the toilet that needs to be addressed prior to moving on with your bathroom remodeling project. Keep in mind, however, that this is a relatively common issue and it can be dealt with easily.

There are two main reasons why you may notice that the toilet constantly runs. The first thing is that the floater device that monitors the actual level of water that is contained within the toilet tank may be off balance of broke. The second reason that this may occur is that the valve at the bottom of the tank that holds in the water may be faulty. If you find that your toilet is running, you should take the lid from the toilet tank and carefully observe what happens between these two components upon flushing. Chances are, you will find that one of the two are acting up in some way or another.

If you look closely at the valve that is contained within the toilet tank, you will find that it is normally composed of a rubber-like substance. It is made of this type of material so that it can “seal” off the water that generally remains in the tank. As time progresses, you will start to notice that this piece can experience some level of deterioration, and it can also warp to an extent. Even if there is a mild issue in the seal, and just a little water is allowed to escape, you will need to find a replacement valve.

To replace this component of the toilet tank, all you have to do is to simply slide it from the chain or the plastic levy that is holding it in place, and slide in a new one that you have purchased from the local home improvement store. This is a relatively minor expense, as the best of these supplies generally cost well under $20.00. When replacing the valve in the toilet tank during bathroom remodeling projects, it is important to ensure that you shut off the water supply. If you fail to do this prior to replacing the part, you will find that you have quite a mess on your hands!

Faulty Toilet Handle

The last of the three most common problems that you will face with your toilet while remodeling your bathroom is a faulty toilet handle. These handles are generally not as sturdy as they appear to be. They are normally attached with a small, flimsy chain that attaches itself to the valve previously mentioned that is located within the toilet tank. To replace this, you should immediately cut off the water supply to the toilet and flush until the level of water is extremely low in the toilet tank. You will simply remove the old handle by sliding it off, and sliding on the new handle. You can then replace the lid and turn on the water supply to test it out.

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