Toilet Tips: When To Plunge And When To Invest In A New Throne

Here’s some advice to never forget: always wield your bathroom toilet plunger carefully.

That’s important to keep in mind, because there’s a temptation when dealing with a backed up toilet to use the plunger somewhat aggressively or enthusiastically – often times as a result of frustration over what’s never a pleasant situation. But what can happen then, especially if you’re using one of those so-called “super plungers” that have hit the market in recent years, is that all the extra pressure and force can create a break in the wax ring, which is an important link between the bowl and the tank. And if that happens, then you’re just asking for a leak that a Roger’s Plumbing tech will need to come out and fix, or possibly even advise a full toilet replacement if a repair can’t guarantee proper function.

Stubborn Back-Ups Happen

If you’re toilet is very stubbornly backed up, there’s no shame in calling us to have it looked at and professionally cleared. When we get involved, there’s no more use for a plunger since we have a cable made to clear stopped up toilets. After clearing, we test to make sure the toilet can properly flush toilet paper three times in a row, which tells us that everything is back to normal and working properly.

Water Quality Matters

Of course, it’s possible that a toilet can develop problems from normal everyday use. A big culprit in those cases is the water quality in a home since parts can become clogged or unmovable due to calcium buildup from hard water. That will decrease the efficiency and eventually lead to a problem of some kind that a professional will need to come in and fix.

Sometimes Replacements Are The Best Solution

As a general rule, the life span of a residential toilet is 10 to 15 years, though water quality plays a big part in determining that. We’ve had some Leander plumbing clients who develop an issue because of water quality and over a period of three or more years, the toilet would never work right. At that point, it’s a good idea to just replace the unit with a new one from a trusted name like Grover or Toto that will reliably work for many years to come.