Bathroom Maintenance & Repair Tips: Plumbing 101

It’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it. When it comes to bathroom plumbing problems, we’ll often resort to calling the plumber. However, sometimes the problem is actually quite simple to fix and dialing that number is just as good as flushing your money down the toilet. In order to help you become a little more proficient when it comes to plumbing, here are some bathroom maintenance and repair tips that are sure to come in handy.

How To Fix Basic Toilet Problems

Clogged Toilet:

We have all been in a position where we’ve finished our business, looked down into the toilet bowl and wondered, “is that going to flush?” We take our chances, shutting our eyes with naïve hope, but as we suspected the water from the bowl rises progressively instead.  What to do? As quick as you can, shut off the valve to the toilet, located just under the toilet tank. Give the water a minute to drain. Next, grab your plunger in order to relieve the clog. Make sure you’re covering the hole completely. Pull up on the plunger to create suction in the drain, then push in to create pressure. Several pumps should do the trick.

Continuously Running Toilet:

Basically, a toilet will make that constant running sound when the float arm doesn’t raise up high enough to turn off the inlet valve inside the toilet. You can try flushing the toilet a few times without decompressing the handle completely. If this doesn’t work, take off the lid of the tank and see if the stopper is sitting squarely on the flush valve seat. It’s very possible that the chain is probably caught under the side of the stopper. You can fix the situation by ”jiggling the handle” i.e. pulling the chain out from the stopper.

Another idea is to shorten the length of the chain by loosening the link on top of the stopper that attaches the stopper to the chain, then placing the stopper squarely on the valve seat. Next, pull the chain taut to the stopper using a link that will still leave a little slack, then attach the chain to the stopper. Make sure the handle (on the outside) is up and the lift arm is down; this will place them in the proper position to pull up the chain and stopper.

Other Bathroom Repair Tips:

Clogged Sink:

There are several techniques for unclogging a sink, depending on how far gone your problem is. Most clogs in sinks and tubs are due to a combination of hair and soaps that accumulate in tepid water. If you have metal pipes, boil water and pour it down the drain. Make sure you pour the boiling water down the drain and not directly on the porcelain sink. You can also try using a plunger, particularly for plastic pipes. If the clog does not clear by using a plunger, try a sink auger designed for sink and waste lines. Extend the auger cable into the drain. Pull out about 12 inches more of the cable and tighten the set screw. Turn the crank handle of the auger with firm but gentle pressure. Extend more cable as required until you feel you’ve worked through the clog. Repeat and then flush with hot water from the faucet once the drain starts to flow.

Leaking Shower Head:

If you want to repair a dripping shower head, first unscrew the showerhead from the pipe, either by hand or with a set of pliers. Inside the showerhead you will find a small washer made of plastic or a rubber O-ring, which is likely damaged and needs to be replaced. Next, wrap the showerhead stem with some type of pipe sealer and remount the showerhead on the stem. Turn the water on and off and see if your showerhead leaks or not. If so, there may be a problem with the shower’s water-control valve and most probably require a plumber.