When you stop to think about it, the toilet is one of the most significant inventions of all time, it’s an important symbol of modern civilization. It can also be the source of a lot of frustration and even damage our homes.

Have you been taking care of your porcelain friend? If not you may be wasting money and setting yourself up for expensive repairs. Enclosed is a checklist for performing maintenance and repair on your friendly toilet.

I know it’s a delicate subject but if you can’t trust your realtor to talk about it who can you trust?

Oh by the way, if you or someone you know could use some help with Real Estate or home repairs, just call me with their name and number and I’ll be happy to help them (but I won’t fix their toilets).


Toilet Maintenance

  • Replace the wax ring. Water can leak into the sub floor if the ring has failed. This can cause dry rot. To test, straddle the toilet and rock your body weight back and forth. If the toilet water moves, the floor may be compromised.
  • Check the flange bolts. They hold the toilet to the floor and keep pressure on the wax ring to seal out water. Grasp the bowl and rock it back and forth if there is any movement in the water, you may have loose bolts. Tighten or replace as necessary.
  • Check the bolts holding the tank to the bowl. If there is excessive movement, carefully tighten them until they are snug. Don’t over tighten as you may crack the porcelain.
  • If the toilet is not flushing easily consider the following causes;
  • Something may be lodged in the discharge channel
  • Water level in the tank is too low. Each toilet is designed around a specific amount of water.
  • A dirty toilet & discharge channel can slow the flushing action. This is also true for the holes under the rim. You may need to use a strong commercial product.
  • Water leaking from the tank into the bowl can be very costly. If you see the water in the bowl rippling, it’s leaking. Check the flapper, flush valve settings & float settings. Be sure settings stop the water level below the overflow. New flush valves and flappers are fairly easy to install by a homeowner.
  • Toilets are cheap! Sometimes it’s cheaper & easier to just replace the entire toilet. New toilets also save water.
  • Get advice from your local ACE or McClendon’s hardware store. They employ highly trained experts and their advice can save a lot of money and time.
  •  ___Call Linnea for a referral to help with this list_______

Courtesy of Linnea Jones – Windermere Real Estate / Northeast, Inc. 425-765-2211