We don’t spend a great deal of time thinking about the integrity of the toilets in our home or business daily. Most of us only start questioning whether or not our toilets are in good condition once it starts exhibiting a sign of problems. However, a toilet can cause quite a bit of property damage depending upon how the toilet breaks. Therefore, it is imperative to pay attention to the warning signs a toilet will give you when it is on the verge of breaking. Patriot Plumbing wanted to provide you with a list of some of the most common signs that your toilet may be about to break. Read our entire list of the most common reasons a toilet needs to be replaced below. Those of you who do not have time to read more information below and would like to schedule a service in the Irvine area, click here to schedule your toilet related service.

How to Tell if it May Be Time to Replace Your Toilet:

  1. How Old Is the Toilet? – We know what you may be thinking. “How can I tell how old my toilet is?” That’s a reasonable question considering we don’t exactly celebrate our toilet’s birthday. A toilet has a tank on the back that holds water. When you take the lid off the top of the toilet tank, you will see a date stamped somewhere near the water line inside the tank. That date is when your toilet was manufactured. Most plumbing companies recommend replacing your toilet every 15 years. If you look inside your toilet and see that the toilet was manufactured before 1994, you should replace your toilet. The Energy Policy Act of 1992 required toilets to use a maximum of 1.6 gallons to flush. The law went into effect in 1994 for residential buildings and 1997 for commercial buildings. Therefore, if your toilet was manufactured before 1994, you will save a lot of money on your water bill by having a new toilet installed. Older toilets use more water and are also more likely to experience some of the other problems mentioned below. If you have an older toilet, you may be eligible for a rebate of up to $100 for replacing your toilet with a water efficient alternative.
  2. Does Your Toilet Have Cracks? – Toilets are most commonly made out of porcelain which is a type of ceramic. Ceramic is an ideal material for toilets because it is non-porous. Meaning it does not allow water, air, or other types of fluids to penetrate the surface. Non-porous surfaces are easy to clean, and mold cannot grow below the surface since it cannot penetrate the material. Porcelain has a large number of qualities that make it an ideal material for a toilet. However, porcelain does have a few weaknesses. The main weakness of porcelain is that it can crack and break. Several things can cause your porcelain toilet to crack. Some of the most common causes of toilet cracks are as follows:
    • Putting the lid on the back of the tank on too hard – The tank on a toilet has the thinnest porcelain. When you’re inspecting the inside of a toilet tank, it can be easy to accidentally set the tank lid back down on the tank too hard.
    • Over tightening the toilet handle bolts – We have responded to a large number of service calls to replace a toilet after someone attempted a DIY repair on a toilet handle. When handle bolts are over-tightened, it can easily cause the tank to crack.
    • Over tightening the bolts that secure the toilet tank to the base – Residential toilets have two pieces of porcelain held together by bolts that pass through each piece. The seal around the bottom of the bolt located in the tank can degrade over time, causing the toilet tank to drop water. Naturally, many people try to tighten the bolt to stop the toilet tank from dripping. When they over tighten the bolts, this can crack the porcelain and can have disastrous results. Replacing a worn or compromised seal is a far better option for stopping the drip than over tightening the bolt.

If there is a crack in your toilet’s porcelain, it is best to replace the toilet, especially if you have a crack in the tank below the waterline.

Does Your Toilet Require Frequent Maintenance?

Patriot Plumbing loves having opportunities to help our customers with their plumbing issues. However, Patriot Plumbing takes the time to correctly identify the primary cause of a problem instead of treating the effect. There are instances when a toilet will cause recurring issues, requiring you to call a plumbing company repeatedly. Simply put, there may be a point when it is more cost-effective to replace a toilet opposed to repairing it over and over again. A trustworthy plumbing company will be able to give you an honest assessment of your toilet’s overall condition to help you make an educated decision on whether or not it is time to replace your toilet.

Does Your Toilet Leak?

There are a wide array of issues that can cause a toilet to start leaking. For example, toilet water supply line’ seals can crack. Another common cause of a toilet leak is an improperly adjusted float. Improperly adjusted floats can also cause a toilet’s tank to overfill. Toilets also have what is called a vent pipe. These vent pipes introduce air into the plumbing pipes allowing water to pass through more easily. When a toilet’s vent pipe becomes clogged, it will not flush properly and may overflow.

Finally, there are instances when it may appear a toilet is leaking, and there is no problem with the toilet at all. One such instance is when there is a slab leak. The term slab leak refers to a leak in a water supply or sewer line that runs beneath a house’s foundation. When a slab leak is underneath a toilet, water or contaminated water may pool on the floor beneath the toilet. Hiring an experienced slab leak detection expert will help you accurately identify the cause and location of a slab leak.

Is Your Toilet Wobbling?

Having a toilet that wobbles is not necessarily a sign your toilet needs to be replaced. However, it is a sign your toilet or the area around it needs to be repaired. Loose anchor bolts are the most common cause of a wobbly toilet. Tightening anchor bolts is a relatively straightforward process. The anchor bolts are usually underneath small plastic caps on both sides of a toilet’s base. A word of caution, over tightening the anchor bolts can cause a toilet’s base to crack. Having a cracked toilet base is a much more serious issue than a wobbly toilet. Therefore, you should err on the side of caution when tightening toilet bolts. Another reason your toilet may be wobbling is due to an uneven floor underneath the toilet. When water is seeping into a floor, it can cause floors to rot or become unstable. If you suspect a leak under your toilet is causing damage to your floor, call a licensed plumbing company.

Call Us

There are a variety of reasons a toilet may need to be replaced. If you are located in Orange County California, and suspect your toilet needs replaced, call Patriot Plumbing. Our experienced plumbers will identify the root cause of your toilet’s issues. Patriot Plumbing’s plumbers will advise you on what we feel is in the best interests of you and your home. Patriot Plumbing is the best company to call in Irvine & Orange County for toilet-related issues.