Plumbing Problems That Might Put Your Toilet Out of Action

A toilet is probably the most important part of a bathroom. And when your toilet has served you well for years, taking it for granted is an easy thing to do. But what happens when what looked like a minor plumbing issue suddenly renders your toilet unusable?

No matter how minor a toilet plumbing issue looks, take it seriously, or at least do a little research. The following plumbing problems can suddenly worsen, and leave you unable to use your toilet.

1. Continuously running toilet

Normally, a toilet will run. This happens because the cistern, the tank that holds the water behind a toilet, refills after each flush. The cistern usually refills within a few minutes. But if your cistern takes longer than that, or has continued to run for hours or days, you have a serious issue.

Although a continuously running toilet isn't a flooding worry, you could waste 100 litres of water per day! That could add a considerable amount to your water bill.

2. Slow draining toilet and shower

Sometimes, your shower drain might clog with hair or gunk. That's a simple issue to resolve. But if you find that your shower and your toilet are draining slowly at the same time, you have a more serious plumbing issue to contend with.

When a toilet and shower both drain slowly, the cause is likely down to a partial obstruction somewhere in the main sewer line. Tissue and hair could be to blame. Or tree roots might have invaded your pipes. Until you hire a plumber to examine your pipes, you have no way to tell.

If your toilet and shower are draining slowly, don't ignore the issue. The worse the blockage becomes, as more toilet paper and hair build up, the more likely your toilet will become unusable.

3. Overflowing toilet

Does your toilet's water level rise to the edge of the bowl or even over the bowl when you flush the toilet? Then your plumbing issue is likely a clogged toilet. This kind of blockage will not affect your bath or shower drains. Although the water level will often return to normal if you leave your toilet alone for a while, this doesn't mean that the problem has gone.

The likely cause of the problem is a blockage within the curved pipe that runs from the toilet bowl down to the sewer line. The blockage could be due to a large chunk of toilet paper, or a more solid object, such as a child's toy. Whatever the blockage is, you should avoid flushing anything else down the toilet until you have removed the blockage.

4. Externally leaking toilet

If you have noticed water on and around your toilet, then there might be a crack in the cistern or the bowl itself. This is not only messy and smelly, but if your bathroom floor becomes saturated in dirty toilet water, you could also have a contamination issue on your hands — and feet!

You need to first rule out condensation. Sometimes, condensation forms on the porcelain cistern when cold water enters it in a warm environment. If, after examining your cistern thoroughly, you find no evidence of cracks, then condensation is probably to blame. But if you find a moderate to large crack in either the cistern or the bowl, consider replacing your toilet immediately.

If you leave the crack, it could gradually worsen. As a result, one day in the future, the bowl or cistern could break open completely and flood your bathroom. A plumbing service can examine your toilet for you in this case, and install a new toilet if necessary. 



Is your toilet playing up recently? Then call S.P.K Plumbing today, and we'll diagnose your plumbing issue and fix it as quickly and efficiently as possible.