Mr Skill

Although toilets are built to be sturdy and reliable, they are prone to go wrong occasionally. Whether due to a faulty part in the cistern, a blockage somewhere in the flushing system or a physically damaged part of the toilet unit, you will want to get your “convenience” repaired as quickly as possible to save yourself from further inconvenience.

There are some simple adjustments you can make to your toilet system in order to eliminate the need for a London plumber to be called in, however care should be taken that you follow the fitting instructions on any replacement parts carefully and turn off the water supply before you start!

Toilet will not Flush

There are a couple of causes for a lack of flushing capacity from your toilet. Most commonly, flushing valve connections from the lever arm (the handle at the front of the cistern) or press button (on top of the cistern) are loose or broken. To remedy this, first turn off the water supply to your toilet and drain the cistern as much as possible using a jug. Then inspect the lever arm or connections to the press button to determine whether part of the mechanism is loose, detached or broken.

A loose or detached connection can just be put back in place and secured (although not too tight). If a lever arm or the connections to a press button look damaged, do not try to repair them as they will not have the leverage strength they had originally and the problem will reoccur. A broken valve or damaged lever arm will mean that the whole unit needs replacing and a trip to your local plumbing suppliers is required. It is advisable to take the damaged unit with you to ensure that you get an identical replacement and it is important to remember how you disconnected the broken valve in order to reconnect it successfully.

A second reason for your toilet not flushing is that there is a problem with the water supply to your cistern. Possibly you have not heard the water refilling the tank after you last flushed and you are aware that the supply from the mains is okay (you can test this by turning on a tap in the bathroom sink). More than likely, the cause of your problem is going to be the ballcock valve – a self-regulating floating orb which rises and falls with the level of the water in the cistern and should allow water from the mains to refill the cistern after you have flushed.

If the ballcock has got stuck, the valve will not open and allow water to flow in. Often this can be remedied with a little WD40 and some patience. If the metal arm attached to the ballcock is stiff in its joint, do not force it too hard or you may snap the joint. Although you can buy a complete replacement set from a plumbing supplies shop, they are trouble to fit, and you may have saved both time and money by using a London plumber in the first instance!

Cistern is Leaking into the Bowl

The ballcock may also be responsible if the cistern overfilling and water running out through the overflow. To establish what is causing the problem check the ballcock float first, inspect it for any holes and unscrew it to see if it is holding water. If water is found in the ballcock, it will need replacing. Fortunately, these cost just a few pennies.  If the ballcock float seems okay, then the valve itself must be faulty. To test it, try pulling the valve upwards a little, if water stops entering from the valve then the metal arm connecting the ballcock to the valve will need to be manipulated downwards to adjust the level it floats at in the water. Note: More modern ballcocks have screws on to adjust their height in the water level.

The other reason for water leaking into the toilet bowl may be the flushing valve. You can sometimes feel this valve is loose and be able to tighten it up with your hand, but if water continues to leak into the bowl, the valve itself could be faulty and need replacing. This requires draining of the cistern, removing the cistern from the toilet bowl and replacement of the valve. To remove the cistern, make sure that the mains water supply is turned off and the cistern is emptied (just flush it). Disconnect the water inlet pipe and overflow pipe, and unscrew the two wing nuts securing the cistern to the toilet bowl and any screws holding the cistern to the wall. The cistern will now lift clear of the toilet bowl.

When replacing the valve mechanism, it is also advisable to replace the close coupling kit as well, as these often perish over the course of years and although instructions for assembly come with any replacement valve and coupling kit you purchase, if in doubt about how to install these correctly, we recommend that you use the services of a local plumber in London.

Poor Flushing Performance

If you feel that your cistern is not emptying with the right amount of pressure to comprehensively flush the bowl, or it seems to take much longer than it used to, your problem is possibly more related to hard water. The hard water most of us experience is a nightmare for local plumbers in London, causing all many of corrosion and blockages.  If you live in a hard water area (and in London that is almost a certainty), you may see hard water stains in the bowl or around the rim. These stains are caused by the high levels of calcium and minerals present in the water supply to your toilet and occasionally can form a crust on the port holes where the water runs into your toilet bowl from the cistern.

To clean these out you can simply use a nail or screw to chip away at the calcium deposit and widen the holes in the port holes. Scrubbing with an anti-cal solution will also help if the port holes are not too blocked, and anti-cal can be added to the water supply to prevent this re-occurring. However, if you are using water freshener or colouring toilet blocks, when these disintegrate after a lot of use, they can also crumble and block your port holes. It is better to replace these loo fresheners before they dissolve and break up too much, or, better still, have them hanging inside of the toilet bowl rather than placed in the cistern.

Toilet Bowl Blockages

If the water in your toilet bowl is not flowing away quickly after you flush – or not flowing away at all – you have a blockage in your outlet passageway. If this is before the U-bend, you may be able to access the cause with a bent wire coat hanger or drainage rod. You may get deeper blokages clear with a plunger, however many plumbers in London will tell you that once the blockage is passed the U-bend, you need more specialised equipment to tackle the problem.  It is often stated that toilet outlet blockages are caused by an excess of tissue paper or incorrect disposal of sanitary equipment and prophylactics, however if you have small children in your family, the most common cause of a toilet bowl blockage is a child´s toy – or as happened in China, a mobile phone!

Replacing a Broken Seat

A broken or discoloured seat is easy to replace. If you have not visited a bathroom store recently, you will find that toilet seats come in all shapes and sizes, and it is best to take a template of your existing toilet seat in order to ensure you get the correct sized replacement.

To replace the seat, close the lid on your existing toilet. At the back of the seat you should find a couple of caps which pop open to reveal the screws with secure your toilet seat to the toilet bowl. These are normally held in place with a nut on the underside of the toilet bowl, and you may need to use a wrench to stop these from turning as you try to undo the screws.

Install your new seat by aligning the bolts with the holes at the back of the toilet bowl and inserting them. Some of the modern “soft-close” toilet lids come with additional gaskets, so make sure you insert these as well. Attach the nuts onto the bottom of the bolts and give them a final half turn with a wrench to make sure they are secure.

Replacing a Broken Toilet

Nothing lasts forever, and toilets can come to the end of their lives or get damaged during the course of some other activity in your bathroom. New toilets are not necessarily expensive items to replace, and the newer ranges are more eco-friendly, have dual flushing capacities to save water and come in a variety of designs, shapes and sizes. Have a look at our “Inspirations” page for details of some of the latest models and get some plumbing quotes from our database of plumbers in London featured in our Tradesmen´s Directory.

If there are repairs that need doing to your toilet, and you are unsure about doing them yourself, use the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of the page to alert local plumbers in London to your requirements and receive a selection of quotes from plumbers in London. Quick Tip: If you job is urgent, please start your posting with “Urgent – Plumber North London” or, of course, whichever area of London you live in.