Do Toilets Really Need Maintenance?

Your toilet is one of your hardest working plumbing fixtures. With each person in your household flushing the toilet about 6 times a day, your toilet is flushed over 2000 times a year per person! It’s not surprising then that a toilet can easily account for a full third or more of your bathroom’s total water usage. Luckily, your toilet handles all this work like a champ. They can easily last for decades, but still require periodic maintenance, so here are some toilet maintenance tips.

Cleaning.

The most common maintenance your toilet will need is something you can do yourself: cleaning! There are a lot of products on the market designed to make keeping your toilet clean extra easy, but unfortunately, many of these products decrease the longevity of your toilet. In particular, “drop in the tank” options are known to damage the rubber flaps and the other mechanisms inside the tank that allow you to flush the toilet.

Instead, you should directly apply a porcelain safe, in-the-bowl solution every couple weeks, or when you see the bowl is dirty. A disinfectant, such as rubbing alcohol, can be used on the seat, handle, and outside of the toilet.

Leaks.

As the flaps and valves in your toilet age, it’s not uncommon for leaks to develop. This sort of leak causes your toilet to constantly run, with water flowing continuously from the tank into the bowl even when it has not been recently flushed. A bad toilet leak can waste as much as 7.5L (2 gallons) of water per minute, driving up your water consumption and water bill considerably.

To check for leaks, we recommend putting a few drops of food colouring into the tank of your toilet. Wait 20-30 minutes and then check whether the colour has leaked into the bowl. If it has, give your friendly, Calgary plumbers at Plumbing Paramedics a call. If there’s no colour in the bowl, your toilet is leak free! Great news, and make sure you run the test again in half a year.

Clogs.

While everyone has to deal with the odd clog using their trusty flange plunger, when the plunger stops getting the job done, you may need the help of a Calgary plumber. Our team members are able to use more sophisticated tools in order to diagnose the cause of the clog and have your plumbing running smoothly again.

Of course, the best option is to prevent clogs in the first place. The only thing that should go down your toilet is human waste and toilet paper. “Flushable” litter, baby wipes, and other products are a civil class action lawsuit waiting to happen and should never be flushed. Similarly, you should never use chemical drain cleaners. These harsh cleaners can irritate your eyes or skin, they harm your plumbing, and if you already have a clog, they could easily overflow from the toilet damaging your flooring or injuring someone.

Need a little help with a toilet leak or a clog you just can’t plunge away? The friendly team at Plumbing Paramedics is here for you! Give us a call today at (403) 452-2911.