Toilets. They’re the workhorse in your home. The butt of many jokes, toilets get taken for granted - until they stop doing their job. Then nobody is laughing.
Toilets have many components that have to work together for the toilet to function properly. - There’s the fill valve, the flapper, the handle, the weep holes around the toilet rim, the gasket on the bottom, the gasket between the bowl and the tank. Instead of just making a quick fix on one item, we always look at all of the components to see how they are interacting.
A toilet can nickel and dime you if you aren’t careful. Replacing the whole toilet is often the most cost-efficient solution.
Top Reasons To Replace Your Toilet
#1. The toilet leaks at the base and/or it’s loose to the floor.
If the toilet is wobbly and rocks from front to back or you hear a squishing sound when you sit on it, your toilet is giving you a heads up that the wax seal/flange that attaches the toilet to the floor has failed. Once this seal has been compromised, water will slowly leak around the floor and may even cause rotting. You need to get the problem fixed immediately. It can potentially cause major damage to your home if you don’t get it resolved.
#2. The toilet sounds like it’s running constantly.
If you hear running water or your toilet sounds like it’s flushing when you haven’t used it, there could be water leaking out of the tank into the bowl or the fill valve may be faulty. A toilet that continues to run water into the bowl wastes gallons and gallons of water over a 24 hour period and is detrimental to your septic system and water bill. Either way, we should have a look at it before it becomes a costly problem.
#3. The toilet doesn’t flush properly.
Normally this happens in an older toilet that isn’t a high-performance flushing model. We can take care of the problem by just replacing the whole toilet with a newer, better one.
A toilet’s flushing power is measured by how many grams of bean paste can be flushed at once. A top tier toilet can flush 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds) of bean paste with a single push of the handle.
At a bare minimum, we recommend a toilet that can flush 600 to 800 grams. Toilets that can only flush 250 grams may have an appealing price tag but be prepared to keep a plunger handy.
New Style, New Technology
Low Consumption Toilets
It’s estimated that toilets are responsible for upwards of 30 percent of household water consumption. Prior to 1992, most toilets on the market used at least 3.5 gallons or about 20 gallons of water per person per day. A change to high-efficiency toilets alone reduces toilet water use by over 50% and indoor water use by an average of 16%. This translates into a savings of 15,000 to 20,000 gallons per year for a family of four. https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/hi-eff_toilet.pdf
Comfort Height
Toilet height is measured from the floor to the top of the seat. Heights vary enough to be noticeable. Standard toilets are under 17 inches. Comfort Height® toilets, measure 17 - 19 inches. The ideal toilet height will depend on how tall you are and your physical needs. Shorter people may prefer a standard toilet (less than 17 inches high) while, in general, tall people prefer a toilet that is 17-19 inches high. The Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines state that for the most part, toilets that are 17-19 inches in height are best for adults with disabilities.
soft close toilet seats. Slamming toilet seats are hard on the nerves and can damage the toilet. As the name implies, soft close toilet seats contain a hinge that applies gentle resistance, resulting in a greatly reduced force on the lid.
easy clean toilet seat. Toilets tend to get grungy and nasty around the crevices and back of the toilet seat. We have deluxe toilets available that are equipped with an easy clean feature. With the twist of two knobs, the whole toilet seat comes off. All areas of the toilet are immediately accessible and cleaned with minimal effort. Within 30 seconds, the toilet seat can be securely fastened back on.
Bowl Shape
Finally, there are two different shapes of toilet bowls to choose from: round or elongated. Elongated bowls tend to be about 2 1/2″ longer than a round bowl.
Toilet problems never go away on their own. If you have a problem you want us to look at, or if you are ready to upgrade from the one you have, fill out and send us the form below or give us a call at (540) 483-9382.