A toilet that runs is a fairly common problem for Birmingham area homeowners – at some point, it’ll probably happen to you if it hasn’t already. Luckily, a toilet that doesn’t seem to turn off is often easily solved, even without the help of a plumber. Save yourself a service call – Douglas Cooling & Heating explains how to fix a running toilet tank before you enlist the help of one of our licensed Alabama plumbers.

Flapper Issues Causing a Running Toilet Tank

When you flush your toilet, the handle is connected to an arm inside the tank, which has a chain that hangs down and connects to the flapper. Pulling the handle causes the arm to raise, in turn raising the flapper. When the flapper opens, water flushes into the bowl from the tank. When the lever goes back down, the flapper should also shut, closing off the tank and allowing it to refill.

If the flapper fails to seal at the bottom of the tank, your toilet may run. Here’s how to fix a running toilet tank caused by a faulty flapper:

• Take the lid off your toilet tank and set it aside.
• Find the flapper’s position at the bottom of the toilet tank.
• See if the flapper is stuck open – there may be a kink in the chain. If so, straighten out the chain and see if this stops the toilet from running.
• If the flapper appears closed, it may not have formed a good seal at the bottom of the tank. Check for debris that could be in the way or heavy mineral buildup causing an imperfect seal. Remove or clean away debris to see if the flapper will seal.
• If the flapper itself is damaged or cracked, the toilet will run, and you’ll need to replace the flapper entirely. This can be a DIY plumbing repair for some homeowners while others prefer to leave it to the pros. Whichever you prefer, feel free to call Douglas Cooling & Heating should you experience difficulty doing so.

Valve Leaks Behind a Running Toilet

After the flapper seals the tank closed, the toilet’s fill valve will add water to the tank until it is refilled. If the toilet fill valve leaks, the toilet can continue to run. Fixing a running toilet tank with a leaky fill valve involves the following steps:

• Remove the tank lid and set it aside.
• Flush the toilet using the outside lever.
• After the toilet flapper closes, watch the tank fill. When water in the tank is about one inch lower than the overflow pipe (the pipe that’s open at the top), raise the float upward to stop the fill valve. 
• If the fill valve still runs even after you raise the float up, there is a leak in the valve. The valve will need replacement. Installing a new fill valve isn’t as easy as replacing a flapper – call Douglas Cooling & Heating and let one of our plumbers handle this repair.

Bad Lever Causing a Running Toilet

If it’s not a bad flapper or fill valve causing the toilet to run, the flush lever may be to blame. When you flush the toilet, the lever should never stick downwards. If it does, it will cause the flush arm to hold the flapper open and continuously dump water into the bowl. 

Fixing a bad flush lever involves these steps:

• Remove the tank lid.
• Check the flush arm for corrosion or damage.
• If the flush arm is damaged, replace it. You can DIY this repair if you’re comfortable or call Douglas Cooling & Heating and let your plumber do the job.

Need Help Fixing Toilet Troubles?

If you’re having trouble fixing a running toilet, don’t hesitate to call Douglas Cooling & Heating for professional help. Our plumbers are happy to help you solve toilet troubles like this! Contact us today to make an appointment for repair services.

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Your home’s plumbing pipes and fixtures need some regular care to stay in good shape. The sewer line extending from your home to the shared sewer or private septic tank are no different. How often should sewer lines be cleaned? Douglas Cooling & Heating explains how often you need to schedule this essential service.

How Often Should Sewer Lines Be Cleaned?

The sewer lines should be cleaned out about every two years in the average home. Businesses typically need to have the sewer line cleaned out a little more frequently, about every 18 to 22 months on average.

This regular sewer line cleaning works as a preventative measure to keep these pipes draining properly. Cleaning removes buildup that sticks to the inner pipe walls, increasing the risk of a blockage forming. Plumbers use professional tools and techniques like a drain auger to bust through clog material or hydro jetting to remove hard buildup from the inner pipe walls.

Signs You Need Your Sewer Lines Cleaned

It is possible for sewer line issues to arise between routine cleanings, even when you exercise great care in preventing sewer line clogs. Ignoring sewer line issues can result in severe clogs and damage to these buried pipes, so you want to schedule a sewer cleaning whenever you first notice the signs of trouble.

Signs it’s time to have your sewer lines cleaned include:

• You notice the odor of sewage inside your house.
• There is raw sewage backing up into the home’s plumbing fixtures.
• Your pipes make bubbling or gurgling sounds.
• Water backs up in drains when other fixtures or water-using appliances are in use.
• Drains across the house are slow or experience frequent clogs.
• Water pools around the floor drain in your basement

What Causes Sewer Line Clogs?

Even if you pay great attention to your sewer line, problems can still pop up in between maintenance cleanings. Common causes of clogs in your sewer line that produce the symptoms mentioned above include:

• Tree roots: Roots from nearby trees and shrubs naturally grow toward sewer lines and can penetrate the pipe in search of the nutrients within. These roots can continue to grow within the sewer pipe, causing a clog themselves or catching waste material to form a large clog in the sewer line.
• Grease: Dumping grease, oil, and fats down the kitchen drain leads to clogs in the sewer line. These materials solidify and stick to the insides of the drainpipe, restricting the line and increasing the likelihood of catching other materials to form a clog.
• Sagging pipe: Ground shifting can cause sewer pipes to sag, creating a dip in the line. Materials can get caught up in this section of pipe, forming a large clog in the sewer line.

Sewer Drain Cleaning in Birmingham, AL

If your home’s sewer line is due for a cleaning, call Douglas Cooling & Heating today to schedule an appointment for  your Birmingham area home to ensure your plumbing system is in good working order.

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In today’s world, plumbing fixtures come in all styles, profiles, finishes – the options really seem endless. If you’re someone who values function just as much as form, you’ll appreciate the water-efficient plumbing fixtures available that will help you reduce water consumption and keep water utility costs low. Get the scoop on today’s efficient faucets, toilets, and more!

How We Discuss Water Consumption in Plumbing Fixtures

To understand the differences between standard plumbing fixtures and water-efficient fixtures, it’s important to know how their water usage is measured.

• For toilets and urinals, we use gallon per flush (gpf) to describe the amount of water the fixture uses to perform one flush.
• For sink faucets and shower heads, as well as other plumbing fixtures, we use gallons of water per minute (gpm) to describe how much water is released by the plumbing fixture over one minute.

When you compare the water usage of standard fixtures to water-efficient plumbing fixtures, you’ll be able to tell the difference. How much more efficient a new fixture is compared to an older one depends on its age and manufacture, as standards have grown stricter over the years to improve water conservation.

• For toilets, the current federal standard is 1.6 gpf. The most water-efficient fixtures use just 1.28 gpf or less! Toilets made before 1992 commonly use 3.5 gpf, and those built before 1982 use as much as 5 to 7 gpf.
• Today’s standard for residential bathroom faucet water use is 2.2 gpm. Water-efficient fixtures use no more than 1.5 gpm. Older faucets can use 3 gpm or more.
• Standard shower heads use 2.5 gpm. Water-efficient fixtures use no more than 2 gpm. Older models can use as much as 4 to 5 gpm.

Benefits of Installing Water-efficient Fixtures

Installing water-efficient and low-flow fixtures in your home does so much good. If those water-saving numbers alone aren’t enough to convince you to make the switch, check out the great benefits these plumbing fixtures bring to your household:

Lower water bills

If you pay for a water utility, the savings generated by water-efficient fixtures isn’t limited to just water – these fixtures will also save you money. When you’re paying for water, you’re paying for what you use. When your fixtures force you to use less, they automatically save you money.

• If every US home switched to efficient fixtures for shower heads, more than $2.9 billion would be saved in water costs and around $2.5 billion in hot water expenses.
• Replacing old toilets with water-efficient fixtures in the average home saves a family over $140 each year.
• Replacing standard bathroom faucets with efficient fixtures in every US home would save $1.3 billion in water and energy expenses.

Lower energy bills

You’ll see in the section above that energy savings are mentioned along with water savings from high-efficiency fixtures. This savings is related to the energy conserved by heating less water. Water-efficient fixtures make it so you require less hot water and thus less energy to take a shower, wash dishes, do a load of laundry, and more.

Stylish options

When it comes to style, today’s plumbing fixtures don’t lack in options. They are available in essentially the same finishes and designs as you’d find in standard fixtures. Plus, as technology and design have continued to progress, these new fixtures feature much more user-friendly features versus older models.

Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating for Plumbing Upgrades at Home

Out with the old and in with the new – water-efficient fixtures are just too good to pass up! Explore your options with Douglas Cooling & Heating today, and we will help you find the fixtures that offer the style you want and the conservation abilities to meet your goals. Contact us anytime to schedule service.

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