For questions specifically regarding sanitation fixtures designed for removal of human waste, generally referred to as toilets but also including urinals and bidets. Topics include designs, installation, repair, plumbing supply and drainage, and sanitary concerns including cleaning.
12
votes
5answers
2k views
Why does the shower get cold when I flush, and how can I prevent it?
When the shower is running and someone flushes a toilet, why does the shower get cold (or sometimes hot) in some houses, but not others?
More importantly, would fixing that require replacing the ...
2
votes
3answers
779 views
How do I determine which wax ring to use under my toilet?
Other questions almost answer this question.
What is the purpose of the flange on the wax ring? I can purchase a ring with or without the flange.
How do I know whether to get the standard ring or ...
1
vote
2answers
55 views
What is causing toilet supply water leaks above the coupling nut?
In my toilet, when the shut off water valve is open:
Water leaks above the coupling nut:
If I close the supply water valve and the tank is full, there is no leakage. What could be causing the ...
2
votes
2answers
979 views
What could cause a toilet to keep running?
I have an American Standard toiled my wife bought last year & I installed. I don't know much about plumbing but I was at least able to install this toilet & it seems to function OK, except ...
3
votes
2answers
424 views
How to fix broken toilet flange from over tightened bolt?
I broke my PVC toilet flange when I over-tightened the bolt used to secure the toilet to the flange. How do I fix this without replacing the entire the PVC fitting? This PVC flange is glued to the ...
3
votes
3answers
6k views
Toilet not always flushing fully, what could be wrong?
I have a toilet that about half of the time doesn't flush fully, but will always flush fine on the second attempt. It does this regardless of the "contents" in the bowl.
I first took a plunger to it, ...
5
votes
4answers
145 views
How do I get these toilet shut off valve out?
As title says I am trying to figure out how to remove the old shut off valve from the pipe. I've been watching lot of videos, reading up on articles and all seem to deal with compression fit type but ...
4
votes
4answers
10k views
Why is it bad to flush baby wipes?
I've always heard that you shouldn't flush baby wipes because
They don't dissolve in your septic system
They can clog old pipes.
I currently live in a modern, multi-story apartment building. There ...
2
votes
1answer
160 views
How do I diagnose and fix a toilet blockage
I have a toilet that makes a gurgling noise IF it flushes down. However, at times it will fill up when I flush the toilet and I will see something come up from the bathroom drain. I have tried putting ...
3
votes
3answers
138 views
Is it a problem that my toilet flange is 3/8" below the surrounding tile?
My tile setter had to elevate the tiles around the toilet hole in order to make up for some unevennesses. As a result, the toilet flange is approx. 3/8" below the surrounding tile. Can that be ...
1
vote
0answers
80 views
How can I repair my leaky toilet?
Apparently my original toilet valves were cheap because they both had problems and I replaced both with fluidmaster valves some years ago.
Two problems were apparent immediately which I solved:
...
1
vote
1answer
58 views
How do I measure for a toilet rough-in?
Is my thinking correct - If I measure from the wall to the bolt cap of my current toilet, which is 12", that means I have a 12" rough-in.
1
vote
1answer
152 views
Do I need to add a vent when moving a toilet drain across the bathroom?
In working on finishing our basement, I've come to the bathroom. It was originally plumbed with the plan of having the fixtures share a common wall (vanity, toilet, then tub). so there is already a ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Why is the water in my toilets orange?
My wife and I just moved in to a brand new house and have started to notice that the water in the toilets is an orange color, and is starting to leave stains in the bowl. After looking online briefly, ...
2
votes
2answers
146 views
How can I prevent the hose in the toilet tank from popping out of the tubing?
Unfortunately, I do not know the appropriate terminology but, there is a small hose that fits into a tube within a cylindrical container in the toilet tank. When this occurs, I can see initially hear ...
1
vote
1answer
177 views
What could cause bubbling in the downstairs toilet of an urban condo?
About 2 weeks ago, I noticed that the toilet would bubble and, eventually, the water would back up into the shower in the basement of my duplex down condo. What started out as about 12-15 minutes of ...
0
votes
1answer
252 views
Why won't my toilet flush right? Did our plumbers not put something back right?
We've had issues in the past about having the sewage line get backed up. We just had the plumber here almost a week ago to replace the water line. Now our toilet won't flush right. It flushes all ...
1
vote
1answer
58 views
Will the water be able to drain out of a blocked toilet?
Our toilet is backed up and water is filled to the brim but there is nothing else in the bowl. I turned off the water supply for the toilet with the little knob connected to the wall, but will the ...
2
votes
1answer
169 views
What can I do about a toilet drain pipe that is too high above the floor?
My toilet drain pipe protrudes about 1/3" above the floor, and makes the toilet wobbly. What can I do to fix this?
13
votes
4answers
625 views
Is plunging a toilet without a plunger a good tip or a horrible idea?
Read this elsewhere and personally, I thought it was a bad bad bad idea, but I wanted to put this out there to see if I might be mistaken:
I learned a quick tip from a handyman on how to create a ...
2
votes
1answer
237 views
How can I remove this toilet shutoff valve?
This valve has a slow leak, and I am trying to replace it. Problem is I can't get the thing off. I am trying to twist the compression nut (the bronze one closest to the white pipe) clockwise while ...
3
votes
1answer
110 views
Is it possible that no water running to one toilet could be from frozen pipes?
We've been in a cold snap for about a week with daily highs below -20C. The water is not running to one toilet that is near an exterior wall. To ensure it wasn't something in the tank, I detached ...
4
votes
3answers
558 views
Are these toilet bolts installed properly?
I had my bathroom renovated and had a new toilet installed. I noticed the white caps on the toilet screws were not secure---- looked like the contractor tried to secure them with some sort of ...
0
votes
3answers
1k views
Why does my toilet randomly start running?
Sometimes my toilet starts running for a few seconds at a time, like it's just finishing filling up the tank.
Usually this happens when the bathtub is being drained, or when I turn on the facets in ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Toilet does full-blast, one-second refill every hour or so
I wouldn't lose sleep over this, except the unexpected and fierce sound startles my girlfriend and cat every time.
So I just replaced the refill valve on our toilet (using a kit, so everything from ...
6
votes
2answers
449 views
How to remove rusted tank bolts
We have a really old toilet in one of our bathrooms which has started to leak around the tank bolts. I was going to replace the bolts and washers but the nuts are completely seized and rusted to the ...
1
vote
1answer
142 views
What are the different parts of a toilet seat called?
I know a toilet seat has two parts but what are they called?
Can someone find me a diagram, or just tell me what the two parts are called? I think the top part is the lid...and the bottom part with ...
1
vote
2answers
318 views
How do I fix a slow toilet flush?
If I press the toilet handle or pour a bucket of water down the toilet, the water flows down slowly. What can I do to find out the cause of the issue along with steps to fix it.
I've tried cleaning ...
7
votes
4answers
917 views
Can vermin come in through your toilet or shower drain and, if so, what can you do about it?
First, I'm not sure that this is what's happening but I suspect this is the problem. On occasion my wife and I find cockroaches in our house. This isn't very frequent (I'll find one once every few ...
11
votes
10answers
6k views
Why is my toilet constantly backing up?
I've been in my new house for a few months now, and I end up plunging one of our two toilets about once a week - they tend to swap turns on which one gets to be finicky each week. Is there a more ...
6
votes
2answers
280 views
What to look for in a new/replacement toilet?
I have a slow/weak flushing toilet and it's not the tank or flapper, etc. Shirlock says in an answer to a related question, that it's "time to spring and spend 200 bucks for a new Class 5 toilet. ...
0
votes
1answer
339 views
Why does my toilet still leak after replacing the wax ring?
I just replaced the wax ring under my toilet. Now when you flush, it leaks worse than it did before! I am so confused! Is there something else that needs to be replaced?
3
votes
0answers
166 views
Can I connect a drain for my new washing machine to an existing toilet drain?
I would like to add a wash machine to the basement. Near the area of the basement where I'll be adding it is a 4 in drain coming from an upstairs toilet. Can I tap the new drain into the toilet ...
1
vote
2answers
906 views
My toilet is filling very slow with a Fluidmaster valve, how do I fix it?
My toilet is filling very slow. Sometimes it sounds like it is filling up a drip at a time. What's wrong with it and how do a fix it?
2
votes
3answers
598 views
Will low water use toilets clog more?
I need a toilet for the bathroom off a master bedroom that's being built in my house.
Once when my Mother had a plumber in to fix something else, he told her to hang on to her old fashioned toilet as ...
1
vote
2answers
408 views
Add a toilet to washing machine drain line
Are there any disadvantages to adding a toilet so that the toilet waste drains into the washing machine drain? We have a small home and it only has one toilet. There are four people who live here so ...
8
votes
2answers
3k views
Why do I have blue water coming out of the faucets?
We have an upstairs bathroom that we've gutted and are having some contractors remodel. The toilet is the only thing that hasn't been touched. We had a plumber come and redo all of the source and ...
2
votes
2answers
855 views
Why will my toilet not flush after it rains or when ground is wet
I live in a house with a septic system. When the winter/spring rains come, the toilet on the ground level master bedroom does not flush. We have another toilet on the ground floor that does flush. ...
0
votes
1answer
148 views
Can I get a smaller toilet installed? (picture included)
At the bottom is a picture of my toilet, where you can see the toilet pipe that enters the floor and that there is ~7 cm of space between the water container and the wall.
Question
Does there exist ...
2
votes
2answers
540 views
How do I fix a sticking toilet refill float?
After flushing, my toilet doesn't sense that it needs to refill. See the below image. If I so much as gently touch the gray piece, the toilet starts to refill. Any easy fixes?
5
votes
1answer
392 views
Extra plastic container in toilet tank?
I recently bought an older house, and the toilet tank is leaking. In exploring the issue and googling around for toilet repair, I saw no mention of one of the parts that is in my toilet tank. Within ...
2
votes
4answers
5k views
How can I move a toilet sewer drain in a concrete floor?
The toilet in one of my bathrooms is too close to the shower. I have room and would like to move it about 2 feet. It is also a 14" rough-in and it's hard to find toilets in that size, that are not ...
6
votes
1answer
199 views
What is a quick and temporary fix for a cracked toilet waste pipe?
Somehow the porcelain waste pipe of the toilet has cracked and has started leaking. We're about to replace the whole bathroom so I just need a quick fix. Will wrapping the crack in duck tape work?
1
vote
2answers
801 views
Why does my toilet overflow during my washer's spin cycle?
Whenever I use my washer, the toilet makes a gurgling noise and then over overflows. I have to turn the washer off until the water in the toilet recedes. I have noticed this during the spin cycle. It ...
4
votes
2answers
592 views
How can I fix a toilet that is backing up with sink water?
I need help. I would like to avoid calling a plumber. The toilet in our downstairs bathroom keeps backing up.
Here is what I have tried and/or observed:
I tried using a good plunger. I cannot even ...
0
votes
2answers
523 views
How do I repair this leaking toilet supply nut?
I've got a leaky toilet that I'm trying to fix (and in the process making worse). The leak seems to be coming from the brass nut on the right of the photo here:
This nut has a washer in it so ...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
What are the red streaks in my toilet occasionally?
What are the red streaks in my toilet occasionally? It seems to come from where the water flows when flushing and go around the bowl. Sometimes settling in the bottom where the little bit of water ...
3
votes
3answers
191 views
How compatible are toilet repair parts?
I've got one that's doing the ol' dribble for a few minutes after flush. Ran out to the store today to get new seals with the plan of replacing the inlet seals and scraping out the gunk. However, it ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
When bolting down a porcelain toilet, how tight is “too tight”?
Tightening bolts on the base of a toilet is the one thing about toilet installation that has me the most nervous. They say not to over-tighten, but how tight is too tight before the porcelain is ...
4
votes
0answers
135 views
What would cause water to flow around the toilet flange where the concrete is? [closed]
My toilet was leaking around the bottom so I assumed that it needed a wax ring. However when I removed the toilet, after emptying the water, I noticed that water keeps coming up around the flange.
...
