In detail: do-it-yourself toilet repair flow from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
The toilet is not a particularly complicated device. Back in Soviet times, when calling a plumber was an almost insoluble task, craftsmen successfully performed toilet repairs with their own hands.
Times have changed, modern plumbing has become more convenient and more difficult, but it is quite possible to correct some shortcomings on your own even now.
Even the most modern toilet bowl is not too different in design from its predecessor from the last century. He still has a bowl and a cistern installed above it, in which water is accumulated for flushing. The flow of water is still controlled by two mechanisms: shut-off and inlet. In modern design, these elements are made like valves. The intake mechanism is still controlled by a float sensor.
Such fittings are usually made of plastic, but there are still long-lived mechanisms where the float is held by a metal lever, or even just a piece of thick wire. Sometimes these are quite modern fittings made for a retro cistern in order to preserve a special style.
Immediately it is worth mentioning the devices of the "luxury" class, which use high quality fittings. Often, the intake and shut-off mechanism in such devices is a single element. It is better to entrust the repair of such expensive plumbing to an experienced specialist, so as not to aggravate the breakdown with inept intervention.
The most popular version of the toilet in modern apartments is the so-called compact. In it, the tank is mounted directly on the toilet bowl, or rather, on a special shelf made behind. There is a rubber gasket at the junction of the toilet and cistern. The tank is connected to the water supply using a flexible hose or a piece of plastic pipe of the appropriate diameter.
Video (click to play).
The toilet bowl is also connected to the sewer system using a corrugated hose and a rubber adapter. An even more compact version of the toilet is the wall-mounted model. The reservoir of such a device operates on a similar principle and is also equipped with an inlet and a shut-off mechanism.
But the cistern itself is located in a niche behind the toilet. It is placed on a special installation, which is then masked with a false panel. Such a system makes the tank fittings and the place of its connection to the water supply difficult to access for repairs. In this regard, owners of wall-hung toilet bowls are advised to:
carefully follow the rules for installing the device;
fine-tune the work of the tank fittings;
use high-quality mechanisms with a maximum service life;
to provide, as far as the situation allows, the possibility of easy dismantling of the panel, behind which the installation is hidden.
The principle of the toilet bowl is simple and familiar to almost everyone. When the float of the inlet mechanism falls below a set level, the valve that closes the water pipe opens and the reservoir begins to fill with water. When the water level, and with it the float, reaches the maximum level, the valve closes.
The gate valve mechanism, in its simplest form, is a heavy flap that is lifted with a lever, rope, chain, etc. More modern and “advanced” versions of the locking mechanism are operated using a button or pedal. At the bottom of the tank container, a receiving part is mounted, and the flap itself snaps into place in special clamps.
After that, the tank is closed with a lid and a button is installed, which is usually attached to the lever of the locking mechanism.When you press the button, the flap rises, water flows into the toilet, then the mechanism drops, blocking the outlet. At this moment, the inlet valve is triggered, and the tank container begins to fill with water.
The most vulnerable in the structure of the toilet are the joints, as well as fittings: membranes, gaskets, moving parts. In case of breakdowns, the following phenomena can be observed:
water constantly flows into the tank capacity, gradually overfilling it;
the tank is not completely filled or does not fill at all;
water flows out of the cistern in a small stream into the toilet;
to flush, you have to repeatedly press the flush button;
when filling the bowl of the tank, a characteristic whistle is heard;
water leaks onto the floor near the toilet, etc.
Before starting any repairs, prepare the equipment for work. To do this, first shut off the shut-off valve installed on the water pipe in front of the tank. If there is no such device, you will have to shut off the entire plumbing in the apartment. In most cases, work has to be done inside the tank.
To do this, remove the cover from it. First, remove the button or lever. Sometimes it is sufficient to simply lift it up and disconnect it from the check valve. If the button is fixed with a decorative ring, you must first dismantle this element. It is either carefully unscrewed counterclockwise, or pry off with some sharp instrument and simply removed.
A double button that allows you to adjust the amount of water that moves from the tank to the sewer is more and more common. To remove it, press the small button, then the large one, and then start rotating the element counterclockwise to disconnect it. The lid is removed from the tank by first unscrewing the fasteners, if any.
You should act carefully. If the ceramic lid breaks, it is not always possible to replace it. Sometimes you have to buy a new cistern, or even the entire toilet.
Manufacturers usually supply both the toilet and the cistern fittings with detailed instructions for installation, adjustment and repair. If these documents have survived, before starting work, you should carefully study them, having understood the design and operation of all mechanisms. This will help to avoid additional breakdowns and errors.
Problems with the water level in the tank, including its overflow, are associated with a breakdown of the inlet valve or the need to adjust it. If the tank does not fill up after emptying, or if it only partially fills, it is likely that there is a problem with the float.
The float lying at the bottom of the empty tank is probably leaky and filled with water. Disconnect it, pour out the water, close the hole and reinstall it. But even a very well-sealed float can soon leak again. It is best to replace it with a new element.
If the situation with the water level in the tank is not so critical, i.e. it stably picks up and turns off, but its amount is insufficient or, conversely, too large, you need to check the setting of the tank fittings. It's simple: you need to lower the float or raise it higher. In old tanks, where the float was held by a horizontal piece of metal, this was done very simply. The wire was bent slightly up or down in an arc.
In the first case, the position of the float became slightly lower, and less water was collected in the tank. And if the lever was bent down, the position of the float allowed to increase the volume of water in the tank. In modern intake valves, the float moves up or down along the plastic holder.
Typically, changing the position of this element requires unscrewing the nut holding it, performing a movement, and then locking the new position of the float. The optimum water level in a full toilet is usually marked on the tube with a strip or small roller.Constantly flowing water into the toilet indicates obvious problems with the locking mechanism.
Sometimes its lower part shifts slightly to the side due to design flaws. It is enough to correct the position of the damper to stop the flow. If this does not help, or it is obvious that the flap is not displaced, most likely the problem is in the wear of the locking mechanism. There is a special rubber pad at the bottom of this device.
When closing the drain hole, it is tightly connected to the receiving part installed in the tank. Over time, this rubber element wears out and begins to leak water, which leads to the flow of water into the toilet. To fix the problem, you need to either replace only the gasket or the entire mechanism.
Experienced plumbers recommend the latter as it is the simpler and safer option. Domestic fittings, which are equipped with almost all budget options for toilets, are relatively inexpensive. But the service life of such devices is four to five years, or even less.
To replace the check valve, you must purchase the exact same device. Before repairing, the water from the toilet bowl is drained, then the damaged valve is simply removed from the clamps. With this part, you should go to a plumbing store to pick up exactly the same item. The new part is neatly snapped into the clamps, after which the repair can be considered complete.
All that remains is to replace the tank lid and the flush button. At this point, a problem may arise. If the shut-off valve has not been previously adjusted in height, part of it will protrude from the hole in the cover too high, which will prevent the installation of the flush button.
Before installing a new valve, compare it with the old element and set it to a suitable height. To adjust the length of the float, there are two slats located on the sides and fixed in the lower part of the product. They just need to be lowered or raised several divisions.
Of course, a stem that is too short on the check valve is useless, the flush button will not contact it, i.e. the device just won't work. If a suitable shut-off valve was not found in the store, the task becomes more complicated, since these products are not typical. You should not take "something similar", it is better to consult with an experienced plumber. You may have to completely replace all the fittings in the toilet cistern.
If water is drawn into the reservoir with a characteristic whistling noise, it is most likely that the filter on the inlet valve is clogged. The phenomenon is usually accompanied by slow or insufficient filling of the tank. The filter is located under the float, and the procedure for cleaning it is usually described in detail in the instructions.
To clean the filter, unscrew the clamping nut holding it, remove the element, rinse it under running water, and then reinstall it. It also helps to flush the entire inlet valve to free the passages from accumulated debris. After that, the water in the tank will be collected faster, and the extraneous noise will disappear.
If the problem with clogging of the filter and ducts occurs too often, it makes sense to take care of filtering the tap water entering the tank. Leaks at the joints indicate that for some reason the sealing is broken here. The reason may be incorrect installation of the toilet or simply wear and tear caused by time.
If a leak is observed in places where there is a threaded connection, it should be unscrewed and inspected. Worn out parts such as flexible hoses are best replaced with new ones immediately. If the thread is in order, it should be cleaned of dirt and dried. After that, you need to use a new seal: flax, FUM tape, etc.
Do not wind up too much sealing material, this can lead to deformation of the thread, but the lack of a seal often causes leakage.If the material protrudes slightly from the edge of the joint after screwing it in, this is normal, but there should not be too much of this excess.
The seal must be wound in the correct direction along the thread. If the edge of the thread is directed towards the master, wind the thread or tape clockwise, if from the master, counterclockwise. After twisting, the joint is additionally treated with a sealant.
A leak under the toilet usually indicates a problem with the corrugated hose that connects the device to the drain. If the rubber gasket is worn out (usually it is), you should replace it, and then carefully treat everything with a sealant. Sometimes the corrugation itself fails, it will also have to be completely replaced.
In detail, the repair of the current toilet is presented in the following video:
If you have an understanding of the principles of the device and operation of the toilet bowl, as well as its fittings, then minor repairs to the device will be performed without any problems. Of course, it is necessary to observe the technology of work, and in especially difficult cases it is better to involve an experienced plumber.
A toilet breakdown can cause a lot of hassle for users, from annoying water noise to flooding. How to fix a toilet with your own hands? To carry out repairs, you need to know the structure of plumbing equipment and have a small set of tools. In some situations, it may be necessary to replace the constituent elements of the structure.
Troubleshooting the toilet
To answer the question of how to repair the toilet, you need to understand the design of the sanitary ware. The toilet consists of:
from a toilet bowl connected to a sewer pipe with a rubber cuff;
Bowl and cuff for connecting the device to the sewer
from the drain tank, in which there are special fittings that are responsible for draining and filling the container. Water is supplied to the tank using a hose.
Toilet cistern with fittings and eyeliner
The fittings installed in the cistern can be:
lateral, that is, the water supply is connected to the side of the tank (picture above);
bottom, that is, the water supply is provided from the bottom of the tank.
Cistern with fittings that can be connected from the bottom of the tank
The main components of the fittings are:
a trigger connected by a rod to the drain button;
an inlet valve equipped with a float and a shut-off mechanism;
rubber gaskets to achieve complete tightness of the system.
The design of the fittings installed in the cistern
Do-it-yourself toilet repair can be done if:
a small crack has formed on the bowl;
the cuff connecting the device to the sewer is worn out;
the toilet is clogged.
A crack in the toilet can be caused by:
mechanical impact on the toilet bowl;
draining hot liquid into the toilet.
Small damage in various parts of the toilet bowl
To eliminate the crack you will need:
drill with a small drill;
sandpaper;
Sander;
any solvent;
epoxy or similar adhesive.
Repairs are made in the following order:
the ends of the crack are carefully drilled to prevent further divergence. The bowl must be drilled very carefully to avoid damage. If the toilet cracked during the work, it will need to be replaced;
the crack is cleaned along the entire length;
the surface is degreased;
the prepared surface is filled with resin and left to dry completely;
the resulting seam is sanded.
Repairing a cracked toilet bowl
Cracks formed on the cistern are repaired in a similar way. Most often, the tank lid is not repaired, since the low cost of the products allows a complete replacement of the cracked surface.
If a puddle forms under the toilet, then the reason lies in the deterioration of the rubber cuff, which is the seal between the toilet drain and the sewer pipe.
Toilet leakage due to sewer cuff
The cuff is replaced as follows:
the old gasket is dismantled. For this you can use an ordinary knife;
the surfaces of the pipe and sewer inlet are cleaned of contamination;
all surfaces are treated with a sealant for a better fit of the new gasket;
a new collar is inserted into the drain and then slipped onto the toilet flush. For strength, the joints can be additionally treated with silicone sealant.
Replacing the sewer cuff on the toilet
The reason for the slow drainage of the toilet bowl is a blockage.
To cope with the problem will help:
various chemicals, for example, Tiret turbo;
plunger;
Removing a blockage with a plunger
Removing a blockage with a plumbing cable
Now let's look at how to identify the problem and what to do if the toilet cistern is broken. Typical malfunctions:
water enters the container constantly;
water is continuously drained into the toilet bowl;
the button responsible for flushing water does not work;
flows at the bottom of the tank.
The reasons for the continuous leakage of water into the cistern and toilet can be:
malfunction of the drain valve;
breakage of the shut-off valve.
To fix these problems, you need to purchase a toilet repair kit or replace the cistern fittings. If a malfunction of the drain valve is detected, the following actions must be taken:
first of all, you need to shut off the flow of water into the tank. Most often, a separate tap is installed on the toilet, which allows you to turn off the water exclusively for the sanitary ware. If there is no such tap, then you will have to turn off the water throughout the apartment;
Line connected to an individual tap
remove water from the container. Most of the water is removed by pressing a button. The rest must be soaked with a rag;
detach the cistern from the toilet. To fix the tank, bolts located in the lower part of the tank are used;
Detaching the waste container from the toilet
disconnect the drain valve. To do this, unscrew the nut located under the gasket and loosen the clamp connecting the drain and filling valves;
Removing the old drain valve
in some cases, valve repair is possible. To do this, it is necessary to replace all gaskets and clean the device from dirt. However, repairs do not always help. With a low cost of the device, repairs are resorted to only in exceptional cases;
clean the installation site of the device from dirt and rust. For this purpose, you can use any chemical agent that can cope with the problem;
install a new valve in the reverse order;
If during inspection a problem is found with the check valve, then it is replaced in the same way. You can watch the video for details on replacing the tank fittings.
