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3 Seemingly Small Toilet Problems That Can Have Big Consequences

Jim Dhamer Plumbing • Jan 20, 2021

While many toilet problems are obvious, such as a clogged toilet or toilet that just won’t flush, others are less apparent. However, many small toilet problems can be symptoms of larger problems. If not resolved, they can lead to even bigger problems.

Read on to learn about three small toilet problems that should not be ignored.

1. Gurgling

If you hear a gurgling sound coming from your toilet bowl when it is not being flushed, do not ignore this noise, because toilet gurgling is typically a symptom of a much larger plumbing problem.

Two plumbing problems that can cause a toilet to gurgle include a clogged main sewer line and a clogged vent stack. Your home’s vent stack is a pipe that allows sewer gasses to escape from your home.

A clog in either area of your home plumbing system keeps air from freely flowing through the drain line, which could cause negative air pressure to build up inside of it. And then when pockets of air do move through the line, they often flow backward through the drain pipeline and into the toilet. As this air is released into the water in the toilet bowl, it creates a gurgling sound.

If the gurgling is caused by a clogged main sewer line, then waste could eventually begin backing up into all of your home drains as this clog becomes more advanced. However, if this gurgling is instead caused by a clogged vent stack, then hazardous sewer gasses could back up into your home if the clog is not removed from the vent stack.

Contact a licensed plumber any time you notice a toilet gurgling when it is not being flushed. The plumber can determine where a clog exists in your drain line and remove this clog before it wreaks even more havoc on your home plumbing system.

2. Sweating

You may notice condensation on the exterior of your toilet from time to time and ignore it. This condensation develops when the air inside of the bathroom is hot and humid and the water inside of your toilet tank is relatively cool. When warm, moist air comes into contact with a cool toilet exterior, the humidity in the air is deposited on the exterior of the toilet tank.

The accumulation of condensation on the exterior of a toilet is often referred to as toilet sweating. While sweating does tend to occur more often during the hot summer, toilets can sweat year-round when home occupants take hot steamy showers and perform other tasks in the bathroom that leave the air warm and moist.

While often overlooked as a minor nuisance, toilet sweating can cause extensive water damage over time as the condensation that collects on your toilet runs down the toilet exterior and drips onto and under your bathroom flooring. This water can rot the subfloor and create a breeding ground for hazardous mold and mildew.

The best way to keep a toilet from sweating is to have a plumber add an anti-sweat valve to the toilet’s water supply line. This valve adds a small amount of hot water to the cold water that fills your toilet tank to increase its temperature. The slight temperature increase can reduce toilet sweating greatly or even completely eliminate it.

3. Wobbling

If your toilet that was once secured tightly to your bathroom floor has begun to wobble, then you may think that this wobbling is just a minor nuisance. However, a toilet that is not mounted securely to the floor is hazardous to your family and home. Loose, wobbly toilets are prone to hidden water leaks around their bases and can release hazardous sewer gasses into a home.

Additionally, if a loose toilet were to completely tip over, its water supply pipe could easily break, which could cause many gallons of water to leak into your bathroom until you shut off your home’s water supply. If a person is sitting on the toilet when it tips over, they could also become seriously injured.

To eliminate these hazards, call a licensed plumber who can remount the toilet properly. When remounting your toilet, they will replace the seal that connects the toilet base to the waste pipe underneath to eliminate any hidden leaks and prevent future ones. Then, they will bolt the toilet to the toilet mounting flange and apply caulk around the base of the toilet.

If your plumber determines that a hidden toilet leak under the base of your wobbly toilet damaged your bathroom sub-flooring severely, then bathroom floor repair may be necessary before the toilet is remounted.

While some toilet problems are obvious, others often go unnoticed or ignored until they cause larger problems. If your toilet has any of these problems, be sure to call an experienced plumber. Contact the licensed plumbers at Jim Dhamer Plumbing and Sewer, Inc. at 630-964-2222 for all of your plumbing needs today.

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