Is It Time To Replace Your Toilet?

There is one appliance in your home that receives its fair share of daily
use. Yet chances its not one of the things that makes your list when you
talk about remodeling or upgrading.

Its your toilet.

The life expectancy of a toilet can vary greatly, but like everything in
our homes, there comes a point in time when replacing it is the better
solution. How do you know if you’ve reached that point?

Cracks

Cracks can occur either in the tank or in the bowl. In many cases they
are hard to spot. If a crack goes unnoticed, it can quickly grow and build,
releasing a flood of water in a short period of time. A simple way to
determine if you have a crack is to drop a few drops of food coloring
in to the tank. Wait a few minutes. If the food coloring seeps into the
bowl, you have a leak and it may be caused by a crack.

Age

If your home was built in the 80s or before, and the toilet has never been
upgraded, you are still operating with a full flush toilet. Toilets from
this era used 3.5 gallons of water or more with every flush. In 1992,
the Energy Policy Act was signed into law, making 1.6 gallons per flush
a maximum for all new toilets produced. With today’s technology,
you can find low flow toilets at this water level and below – ever
considered a dual flush toilet in your home? You may be surprised by all
the options available to you.

Cost

When a toilet reaches a certain point, you may be spending more on replacement
parts then you would by replacing the entire toilet. If you’ve replaced
a part more than once per year, its time to look at replacing the entire
unit rather than working your way through part by part.

Clogs

A toilet constantly clogs, it may be time for an upgrade. Especially with
an older low flow toilet, if you find yourself consistently plunging,
or flushing more than once on a regular basis, it’s a wise decision
to upgrade.

Have any questions about your toilet or your plumbing? One of our licensed
plumbers can assess your situation and give you the best options for repair
and/or replacement. Give us a call today.