Toilet Talk, Part 2: Signs It’s Time for a New Toilet
Your toilet is your safe space, your luxurious lavatory—your judicious john. You two have spent a lot of time together over the years, comforting each other in the good times, bad times, and unspeakable times. But in the words of the great Geoffrey Chaucer, “All good things must come to an end.” Your withering water closet will eventually lose its power, its mechanical integrity, and its will to flush—and you’ll have no choice but to send your beloved bog to privy purgatory (not all toilets go to heaven).
In this edition of Toilet Talk, we’ll discuss the signs that your toilet needs to be laid to rest, and replaced with a newer, younger model.
Your toilet constantly clogs and overflows.
If your child is constantly curious about which of his toys will actually flush down the toilet, then you’re probably used to clogs, overflows, and bathroom floods on a frequent basis. But if your toilet keeps clogging due to “regular” business instead of funny business, there’s a chance your toilet is doomed. If you’re absolutely sure you know what keeps causing clogs, Honolulu’s emergency plumbers can diagnose and treat your toilet. But if your clogs and overflows seem random and unpredictable, then your best bet is to trade in your toilet.
Your toilet is always running.
Then why don’t you chase after it? If your toilet is constantly running—or more specifically, spitting water and spontaneously refilling—it can be a sign of damage to your flapper or flapper valve. Flappers are very inexpensive, and replacing them is a reasonable DIY project even for the least handy of folks. But if a cracked ball float is the problem, it could be causing your toilet to fill with too much water, run constantly, and ultimately, spike your utility bill. If you don’t deal with “running” problems sooner rather than later, you might as well flush your money straight down the toilet.
A one-time flapper or float problem is nothing to worry about—but if you keep experiencing malfunctions or displacement of these parts, then it might be time to kiss your commode goodbye.
Your toilet flushes poorly (or not at all).
There are approximately 8,675,309 different reasons why your toilet might be flushing poorly—or even worse, not flushing at all. Whatever the case, it’s important to have your system checked in these situations by a plumbing professional—flushing problems can manifest themselves anywhere between your toilet bowl and your subterranean sewer line. But there’s more that can go wrong with a toilet than a sewer line, so if your plumber finds issues with your toilet’s flushing ability, a toilet replacement might be in order.
Your toilet is leaking at the seams.
It’s all fun and games until the floor around your toilet is spongy and soggy. Toilets, just like a ceramic pot or your grandma’s china, can crack, and with cracks comes leaks. This is an emergency plumbing situation; leaks that aren’t taken care of immediately can cause mold, mildew, rotting, and even structural damage to your home.
It’s not just cracks that cause these problems—deteriorating seals within your toilet can allow water to flow where it shouldn’t. These are unmistakable signs of an old, tired toilet. Get a new one before money starts leaking out of your wallet.
Your toilet looks old.
Sometimes, there’s not enough bleach and elbow grease in the world to fully clean your dingy, unnaturally off-white toilet. And in a room where cleanliness is next to godliness, an old, dirty toilet can produce some ungodly sights and smells.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with replacing your toilet because it looks irreparably old and dirty—we replace old couches and chairs all the time for the same reason. Plus, there’s nothing like that new toilet smell (or lack thereof).
The Benefits of a New Toilet
So you’ve finally decided to replace your toilet—but you’re not convinced about the new loo just yet. However, rest assured knowing your new toilet will be much more reliable, will have more flushing power, and will save you money, too. Powerful, water-efficient toilets can reduce your water usage by up to 20 percent compared to a standard toilet of the times. But if your toilet was manufactured before 1994, you could be cutting water usage by nearly 60 percent—or over 4,000 gallons of water, per person in your household, per year. That’s enough water to do over 100 loads of laundry!
Do you really need any more convincing to get a new toilet? We didn’t think so. Now go buy a brand new latrine and flush your toilet problems away!
