If you say you have “toilet problems” people can get the wrong idea. They could confuse the phrase with the notion that you can’t control your bladder as opposed to the fact that you have problems with the toilet itself.
Facing toilet trouble can be a real headache. There are smells, and worse, to be contended with but you have to sort it out. At least once it you have solved the problem you can look yourself in the bathroom mirror and be proud.
Here is some advice on how to tackle those little lavatory dilemmas.
Botheration with blockages
There is nothing worse when you are relaxing in your roll top bath with a nice glass of something and suddenly an unnerving smell comes from the loo. It can really ruin the moment and you know that something will have to be done.
In some ways the toilet and basin are similar in that the way you clear a blocked sink is similar to the way you sort out your blocked WC. However, to get rid of the offending blockage in your loo you will have to arm yourself with a large plunger.
What you need to is to force whatever may be causing the obstruction through the U-bend. This may need a bit of elbow grease and is probably not the sort of exercise you would like to be doing but one good push may just do the trick.
However, if despite all your best efforts you still have a problem then you will have to get out your wallet and call in the professionals. It may be that the soil pipe or the trap needs to be cleared with a flexible metal rod.
Leaking overflow pipe
Leakage is one of the most common problems that people face with the toilet. In an old loo a brass piston with a rubber washer controls the water inlet pipe. If this washer is damaged the water will carry on to enter the cistern and then drip out of the overflow pipe.
You will need pliers and a screwdriver to do this job and you may need a small knife. The secret of good DIY is to make sure that you have all your tools ready before you start the job. This means that you will be able to repair your toilet quickly and efficiently.
The first thing to do is to turn off the water supply. You may want to do this by simply turning off the main stopcock or if other parts of the house still want water while you are doing the job you can turn off the valve fitted to the inlet pipe.
Next job is to remove the float arm. With your pliers you should be able to straighten and remove the split pin that holds the float arm to the valve. You should then be able to get rid of the arm.
Now unscrew the brass end of the valve with the pliers and then use your screwdriver to lever out the piston. You can then remove the washer by undoing the piston using your screwdriver and pliers. If the valve does not come apart you may need a small knife to prise out the washer.
Re-assemble everything and turn the water back on. You will now be the only thing that needs to take a leak.
