Ghost Flushing

Does your toilet tank start to fill on its own? In other words, run for 5 or 10 seconds and then stop? This can almost always be traced to one of two problems: poorly fitting/leaking flapper and/or a refill tube that is too long. A worn flapper or corroded flapper seat will cause water to slowly drain from the tank into the toilet bowl. After an hour or two the water level drops enough and the fill valve kicks on. This same thing can happen if the flexible water line that runs from the base of the fill valve to the inside of the overflow tube is too long. This will siphon water from the tank. New fill valves come with a special clip that holds the end of the water line up and ensures that water will stay in the tank where it belongs.

If you are experiencing  “ghost flushing” contact Mr Rooter Plumbing at 602-264-9407 today to help you with this annoying “ghost”

You may be flushing your money down the toilet and not even know it.

Put several drops of dark food coloring into the toilet tank. If dye appears in the bowl, you have a leak.

You need to either replace the water control diaphragm (also known as the flapper at the bottom of the tank) or adjust or replace the fill valve. You can buy these parts at a home repair store. If you’re not a do-it-yourselfer, you can contact your local Mr. Rooter location.

Caution: if base of toilet is leaking, dye could stain flooring. If unsure, call a plumbing professional to diagnose your problem.

As you and your family make party arrangements for the Super Bowl, ordering pizza and setting up tables around the big screen are high on the to-do list. But don’t overlook the plumbing.

Super Bowl parties can be a super problem for plumbing systems if you don’t tackle some plumbing precautions now.

When football fans arrive at your Super Bowl party, they’ll be eating more pizza, chicken wings and other snacks than usual. This means overtime for your garbage disposal and toilets.

“People are focused on the big game, and they don’t realize how much food is going down the garbage disposal,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. “We want to coach people on how to best prepare their kitchens and bathrooms for a house full of guests, especially on a day like Super Bowl Sunday.”

To keep plumbing problems from throwing a flag in your party plans, Mr. Rooter® service professionals suggest the following six points:

• Remove small objects from the top of the toilet tank that could fall in, causing it to clog.
• Keep a trash bin in the bathroom, so guests won’t flush paper towels, napkins or facial tissue.
• Don’t overload the garbage disposal with leftovers, which could lead to a clogged kitchen sink.
• Instead, throw scraps in the trash or compost pile.
• Avoid pouring grease down the drain and wipe off greasy plates and pans with a paper towel before washing them.
• It’s always important to know how to use the water shut-off valve under the tank. Toilet overflows are messy to clean up and can damage floors and drywall.

While these tips should help you intercept any issues, local Mr. Rooter service professionals will be ready if you have a plumbing problem.

Every Drop Counts

Drip. Drip. Drip. Many people consider a leaky faucet a mere annoyance. But if every household in America and Canada had a faucet that dripped once each second, 928 million gallons of water a day would leak away, according to the American Water Works Association.

That’s a lot, considering the AWWA predicts the average household uses approximately 146,000 gallons of water each year. But water is wasted in more ways than through a leaky faucet. Mr. Rooter® has some helpful household hints to keep you from wasting water.

For those who insist on rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, wash them in a basin of cold water rather than under a running faucet of hot water. Be vigilant about turning off the water when shaving or brushing your teeth. Only run the dishwasher and washing machine when they are full.

Water can also be wasted because of a lack of maintenance. Check all the faucets, hoses and appliances that use water in your house for leaks and drips.

Finally, examine your toilets — they account for almost 30 percent of all indoor water use, and most of the time they are the biggest culprits of wasting water. Just by listening you can tell if your toilet is running, but to check the water level, you’ll have to open the toilet tank.

If you are willing to spend the money on a new toilet it will actually save you money each month on water and wastewater bills. An ultra low-flow toilet requires only 1.6 gallons of water per flush compared to toilets made before 1994 that use 3.5 to 7 gallons for each flush. By replacing your toilet, you could save 7,900 to 21,700 gallons of water a year.

You may be flushing your money down the toilet and not even know it.

Twenty percent of all toilets leak, which secretly raises homeowners’ water and wastewater bills. But other problems — like a toilet that won’t flush completely or runs continuously — aren’t secret at all.

Take a whirl at inspecting your toilet. It’s more convenient and less expensive to systematically check the plumbing yourself, before you have to call in the professionals to take care of a plumbing emergency.

First, check your toilet for silent leaks by putting several drops of dark food coloring into your toilet tank. If the dye appears in the bowl, you need to replace the valve seal ball or flapper at the bottom of the tank or adjust or replace the fill valve.

Next, replace flappers and fill valves every couple of years to prevent a running toilet. A new flapper will seal properly, and a new fill valve will prevent overfilling or filling too slowly.

Also, lift the tank lid to fix the problem if water continues to flow after flushing – don’t just jiggle the handle. Adjust the chain if the flush valve flapper is hung up and not sitting down properly. If that doesn’t work, adjust the float ball so it doesn’t go down as far.

Last, it is not advisable to use chlorine tablets or any other chemical cleaner in the toilet tank. Chemicals corrode the metals and destroy the rubber seals. They could also kill the active bacteria that keep the septic tank working properly.