Yes, it’s true your friendly neighbourhood plumber has made at least 100 dollars per hour fixing stuff which you can do as well! Of course, your plumber would like to differ for obvious reasons and mouth off a slew of plumbing jargon but that’s just to intimidate you and maintain his cash flow. After all, for simple folks like us plumbers are indispensable. But not anymore, here are 15 basic tips and tricks which would make you proficient enough to handle most of the toilet and plumbing problems of your house and the cherry on top is that you do not need to spend anything on the labor costs or new parts!
A common problem in most households that can be rectified with a simple solution. All you need to do is to locate the float inside the toilet which may look like a black rubber ball or black piece of rubber rod. Adjust it higher to allow more water to enter the tank and voila your flush is stronger already.
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Toilet bowls can get really stained if you don’t clean the corners which then spread. But that’s the place you do your business and it should be kept clean at all times because of germ buildup. Kool-Aid is one such product that is excellent for removal of stains without any chemicals that could be harmful to the respiratory tract. Pour the kool-aid powder into your toilet bowl and let it remain soak overnight. Flush it clean the next morning.
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Yet another common toilet issue is clogged jets. if you see pinkish patches appearing inside your toilet bowls it’s a sign that the jet is clogged. This usually happens due to minerals and debris build up inside the jet holes over a long period of time. This weakens the jet’s ability to flush or rinse the bowl. If the marks are too stubborn to be scrubbed off, you need to pour vinegar in the tank and soak it overnight while sealing the jets with duct tapes. Next morning open the tapes and flush and you’ll see the difference.
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Due to the relentless usage the first causality of your toilet is usually the toilet handle. Do not be petrified, instead lift the tank lid and you’ll find a screw at the back of the handle, just tighten it and you’re good to go.
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If your toilet pipelines are clogged, never ever flush the toilet mindlessly to unclog it because the water would very soon start to overflow and well, you do not want to swim in toilet water right? The easier way out is to use hot water and dishwashing detergent powder. Mix it and fill the toilet bowl with it. Leave it like that for an hour so that the blockage is broken down. The clogged obstruction will get flushed out easily.
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Well if you believe that your toilet is leaking from somewhere or it’s flushing water slowly by itself you can try and identify where the leak is coming from. Put food coloring or Kool-Aid powder into the flush tank and keep it for at least 15 minutes. See if the color in the toilet bowl has changed, if yes then you’ll have to call a plumber for this one as your toilet has serious leak. Which will result in water wastage?
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Fill a plastic bottle with sand or small pebbles and put it in your tank to save water every time you flush. This will not weaken the flush water pressure.
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You must have lost called a plumber too many times for this frequently recurring problem. All you need to do is to go to any home improvement store and get a new flapper. It looks like a rubber sink plug, with a chain fixed to it. Now turn off the water and flush the toilet and remove all the water from the tank. Now, simply follow the instruction on the package and before you know it, your running toilet is fixed.
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The easiest way to get rid of toilet odor is to add a few drops of your favorite essential oil in the flush tank. But before you do that, please make sure the stench is not because of some neighborhood sewage problems. In this case you need to call the proper authorities and lodge a hygiene complaint.
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At some point or the other, every toilet gets obstructed. To remove the obstruction follow these steps. When the toilet bowl is filled with water.
• Remove half of the dirty water
• Fill it with fresh water if it gets half empty.
• Cover the plunger over the opening
• Start pushing down with all your might and thrust.
• This will unclog the obstruction
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If the plunger method doesn’t work, this becomes every toilet user’s nightmare because in the worst case scenario the blockage may be due to stool. If this happens, you might need to use a poop knife to cut it through and flush it.
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When any foreign object has clogged your toilet, you can use a metal coat hanger. Straighten out a coat hanger by untwisting the end and unbending it till you have a long metal piece. Insert the hanger into the toilet bowl bending it into whatever shape you want. Move it round to dislodge anything that may have got trapped in the toilet.
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Hydrogen Peroxide is good for unclogging a drain. Just take 1/4th cup of it and pour it down the toilet. Allow it to remain for a few minutes and then pour a mug of boiling water down the drain. For any stubborn obstruction, repeat the process or use the metal hanger method along with hydrogen peroxide.
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Make a mixture of ½ cup baking soda, ½ cup table salt and 2 tablespoons cream of tartar. Pour this down the toilet bowl. Then pour two cups of hot water and shut the lid. Wait 2 hours then flush the toilet bowl.
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Do not ever pour grease down your toilet because even when you flush it and it may appear clean it isn’t so. The grease clings to the sides of your toilet drain and slowly gets larger over time which will also clog your sewer pipe in the basement.
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