Toilet Repair Information FAQs Everything you ever wanted to know about toilets and maybe some stuff you didntToilet Repair Information FAQs. Toilets save lives. It might sound crazy, but its true. Proper sanitation in the form of functioning toilets and well maintained sewage systems helps prevent potentially life threatening diseases from attacking you and your family. In the United States we are incredibly lucky that the majority of us never have to worry about catching such illnesses, but it is still important to keep our toilets clean and in good operating condition to avoid the potential for illness to our families in addition to saving ourselves the general hassle and high cost of toilet problems left unattended for too long. Fortunately, most toilet troubles are fairly easy to fix yourself, and your friends at Plumbing. Supply. com are here to help arm you with the information and tools you need to handle almost any toilet crisis quickly and easily. I want to learn more about I need help with General Toilet Information FAQs. Finding the Right Parts for Your Toilet. Toilet repair tends to freak most people out a little, which is completely understandable. Nobody wants to accidentally break something that could flood their bathroom with raw sewage. However, the majority of toilet repairs are simple and straightforward tasks such as replacing a worn flapper that most people can do themselves in about 5 minutes. The most common question we run into regarding toilet repair is how to find the right parts for your toilet. Sometimes this is easy, and sometimes its not. Mostly its easy though. The first step in finding the right toilet parts is figuring out your toilet model number so weve created this handy toilet identification cross reference to help you out. Alternatively, if you already know which manufacturer made your toilet, you can look through our toilet index pages linked below to find your parts. If you cant find any model information i. If youd like to learn more about how your toilet works and how you can find will fit parts, view the video below. General Toilet Parts FAQs. Q. What is the difference between OEM and will fit parts And what do these terms mean anywayA. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. This means anything from the original manufacturer that is sold to a second company to use in production of that second companys product. Copper Water Supply and Drain Piping Inspecting, Installing, Repairing, Diagnosing Copper Pipe Problems Copper water supply drain piping inspection, diagnosis. In other words, many toilet manufacturers outsource for the internal working parts of the toilet, such as the fill valves, flush valves, or flappers. When this happens, they have the opportunity to use an existing part, or to spec something for the specific toilet. When the toilet manufacturer chooses to use an existing part, the manufacturer of the part can still sell that piece under their own name these are considered will fit parts. If the toilet manufacturer chooses to spec something for the specific toilet, the part manufacturer can then only provide that part to the toilet manufacturer. What this means for you is that you can sometimes get the exact same partby the original manufacturer of the OEM part, but under another name and at a better cost So when your toilets internal working parts need to be replaced, you may have the option to use either the OEM part number or use the will fit part number to order what you need. Please note that only some will fit items are manufactured by the OEM manufacturer. If this is essential to your repair, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to check for you. For further information regarding OEM and will fit, click here. Q. What are the most commonly replaced toilet partsA. This depends on several factors each time you use your toilet the trip lever, flapper, and fill valve are operated. You will find, however, that the flapper and fill valve are the parts most exposed to water and will be the first ones to wear out in most cases. Q. How long should the parts inside of my toilet lastA. That depends on a number of variables and which parts. Water quality is one of the major factors. If your water source is heavily chlorinated then many parts wont last long. Or if you have a lot of sand or grit or have a low p. H or aggressive water source then parts simply wont last as long as the average length of time. Also the quality of the parts matters. The replaceable parts such as flappers and washersseals generally will last at least 4 to 5 years on average. If you use a chemical bowl cleaner some flappers wont even last one year. However, some toilet bowl cleaners isolate cleanser from the internal workings of the toilet therefore, maximizing the life of your toilet parts. Depending on the material make up, flappers will either deteriorate leave residue on your skin when touched or some will tend to harden or stiffen up and lose their original shape and flexibility. If this is the case, then its best to change it. Q. Why does my toilet continue to run after flushingA. If, after flushing, you find that the toilet continues to run, and you have discovered that by jiggling the handle it will stop then the problem may be that the chain controlling the flapper is too long. When installing your flapper, you want the flapper chains S hook in the hole closest to the handle with very little slack in the chain itself. By doing so, when the toilet is flushed, the chain will fall behind the flapper where it wont snag and cause problems such as keeping the flapper from closing properly. Check to make sure that the flapper has enough clearance to close, i. You also want to check to see that the toilets flush handle aka tank lever is installed securely so it cant rotate too high, hitting the tanks lid or other parts and sticking. Q. I have a lot of scale, stains and mineral buildup inside my toilet bowl. Is there anything that you recommend to get rid of that To make my toilet bowl look good as newA. If you have rust spots, using phosphoric acid generally will help remove them. If you would like to try the gentlest approach maybe try using some Coke on the rust first. No, we arent kidding, Coca Cola contains a trace amount of phosphoric acid. To try this, drain the toilet bowl to below where the rust marks are. Then pour on some Coke. Wipe with a soft cloth and then more Coke, over and over, etc. If that doesnt do the trick then use Naval Jelly which contains a lot more phosphoric acid be sure to read the directions and safety warnings first. Naval Jelly is what we here at Plumbing. Supply. com use to get rid of rust stains and its readily available at most hardware stores. If your problem is more related to scale and mineral build up, its important to be aware that most scale and mineral build up in toilet bowls is caused by hard water. Hard water generally leaves lime and calcium buildup which can become quite unsightly. While phosphoric acid and other cleaning methods will certainly help, we strongly suggest you look into installing a water softener to help with your hard water. In the meantime, however, we suggest you first try using non harsh and non abrasive white vinegar and lemon juice with baking soda. Simply pour a cup of baking soda into your toilet bowl, add some white vinegar and lemon juice, and let the mixture sit for a while. If that doesnt work, you can try a non abrasive toilet bowl cleaner. Many of these cleaners contain concentrated levels of hydrocloric acid, which can be very harmful if it comes in contact with skin, eyes, or lungs. Please make sure to take the appropriate precautions if using one of these products. Please note that we NEVER recommend using any type of abrasive cleaning method, including pumice stones, scouring powders or pads, etc. These types of cleaners will scratch the porcelain, which not only damages the glossy finish, but creates a breeding ground for bacteria that basic cleaning sometimes cant reach. Once you use an abrasive cleaner on your porcelain, you have to keep using an abrasive cleaner to really get into those scratches you created the last time you cleaned. Toilet Fill Valves. For the win, Alex, what is a toilet fill valve The Final Jeopardy answer, you ask The device that regulates water flow in your toilet. If you look behind your toilet, youll see a supply line that runs from the outlet in the wall to the bottom of the toilet fill valve. This is how water gets into your toilet. After you flush the toilet, the fill valve opens to refill the water in the tank and the toilet bowl, readying the system for the next flush.
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