Plumbing Emergency Tips

Ed the Plumber offers tips on the tools needed to make a plumber's emergency kit and what to do during plumbing emergencies.

Plumber's Emergency Kit

• Use a five gallon bucket as a tool holder. And if a leak springs mid-project, it'll catch the water. A tool caddy can also be attached to the bucket providing a place for everything.
• Keep a forced cup and a regular plunger handy. Each plunger has its own specific use and provides extra unclogging power.
• Wrenches are essential in plumbing. A pair of medium sized slip joint pliers and an adjustable wrench should cover most jobs, along with various sized wrenches.
• A multi-bit screwdriver can reduce the number of tools that need to be carried around on the job.
• An assortment of Allen keys is very handy and has many uses.
• Duct tape and leak sealing tape can help out in a plumbing emergency until a permanent fix can be made. Teflon tape will seal up leaks from around threaded connections.
• A variety of blind caps can help you see your way through repairing a broken valve.
• Heavy duty paper towels or rags will help clean up water from small leaks.

Emergency Tips

• Always know where the main water shut-off valve is located in case of a leak.
• Know how to turn off the water heater. If it's a gas water heater, turn the switch to the "pilot" position.
• Isolation valves located at each fixture will stop the flow of water to that location. This allows water to continue to service the remainder of the house while the leak is being repaired. It's a good idea to turn on and off each isolation valve in the house at least once a year to keep them in good working condition.
• Using two wrenches at once turning in opposite directions is called "backing off" and allows the wrench to absorb the stress and not the plumbing.
• Slip joint pliers can be used to loosen the collar nuts on a drain line.
• If a supply tube break off is causing a leak, screw in a blind cap to seal off the leak until it can be fixed.
• Occasionally, the ferrules in a supply tube can get scratched or dented causing water to leak. Use Teflon tape around the ferrule until a permanent repair can be made.
• Use duct tape or pipe sealing tape to pull together a crack in a pipe, reducing the leak as a temporary solution.
• A cup plunger can be used for small drains like bath tubs, showers and lavatory sinks. Forced cup plungers have a funnel that can apply extra force down the drain, which is good for sinks or toilets.
• When unclogging a kitchen sink, use a second plunger to cover the other drain to get the most force to remove the clog.
• To unclog a toilet, use a forced cup plunger.
• For bathtub clogs, unscrew the chrome cap — this exposes the entire drain. Once the mechanism is removed, you'll be able to see the clog. Put the plunger on the drain, and then use the second plunger to plug up the tub's overflow. Plunge the drain to remove the clog.
• Allen wrenches are useful for working on a faucet and garbage disposals.

Tips on Solving Common Toilet Problems

Master plumber Ed Del Grande explains how even the average homeowner can easily fix common toilet problems.

More in Plumbing

All About…

• Repairing
• Leaks
• Clogs
• Plumbing
• Toilets

More Topics

Problem 1: Water Trickling Into the Bowl, or "Phantom Flushes"
You may periodically hear your toilet begin to spontaneously refill, as though someone had flushed it. A toilet that cuts on and off by itself, or runs intermittently, has a problem that plumbers call a phantom flush. The cause is a very slow leak from the tank into the bowl. This problem is almost certainly caused by a bad flapper or flapper seat. The solution is to drain the tank and bowl, check and clean the flapper seat, and replace the flapper if it's worn or damaged.
Problem 2: Water Trickling Into the Tank
If you hear a sustained hissing sound coming from your toilet, it's probably a result of water trickling into the tank via the supply line. In this case the parts to check are the float, the refill tube and the ballcock or inlet-valve assembly. The hissing sound is typically caused by water coming through the inlet valve. First check to see whether the float is sticking or needs adjusting. Next, check to make sure the refill tube isn't inserted too far into the overflow tube. (It should extend only about 1/4" below the rim of the overflow tube.) If neither of these adjustments solves the problem, you'll probably need to replace the ballcock assembly as described above.
Problem 3: The Bowl Empties Slowly
A bowl that empties slowly -- also known as a weak flush -- is usually the result of clogged holes underneath the rim of the bowl. Use a curved piece of wire to poke gently into each flush hole to clear out any debris. Coat-hanger wire works fine, and a small mirror will help you see under the rim. You can also use wire to loosen debris that may be blocking the siphon jet in the bottom of the drain. Be careful not to scratch the bowl.
Problem 4: The Dreaded Clog
Clogs are the most common toilet problems. Several tools can help you clear a clogged drain. A force-cup plunger is more effective than the familiar standard type for clearing minor clogs. Insert the bulb into the drain, and pump forcefully. Slowly release the handle, letting a little water in so you can see whether the drain is clear. Repeat if necessary.
For serious clogs, use a closet auger. Insert the end of the auger into the drain hole, and twist the handle as you push the rotor downward. Use caution not to scratch the bowl.
Problem 5: Leaky Seals
A standard toilet has at least five seals with the potential for leaking. In each case, the solution is to identify the faulty seal and tighten or replace it. The largest seal is the one between the tank and bowl. A break here will cause a major leak, with water shooting out from underneath the tank at every flush. Replacing this seal involves draining and removing the tank. Turn the tank upside down for better access. Remove the old seal and pop on a new one. The smaller seals at the mounting bolts and the base of the ballcock may also fail and cause smaller leaks. Replace these in the same way. Tightening the bolts or mounting nut occasionally is enough to stop the leak.
The final seal is the wax seal mounted on a plastic flange underneath the toilet base. If this seal fails, water leaking underneath the toilet base will eventually rot the floor. Caulking around the base of the toilet without repairing the leak will only trap the water, making matters worse. To repair a leak around the base of the toilet, you'll need to remove the toilet and replace the wax seal. If the leak is caused by a broken flange, get the help of a professional plumber.

Toilet Flapper Repair

How to Repair a Toilet Flapper that is Causing a Running Toilet

By Mark J. Donovan

A Toilet flapper plays a key role in the proper functioning of your toilet. A warped or damaged toilet flapper can cause your toilet to constantly run causing annoyance and higher water bill costs. Toilet flapper repair or replacement is a simple do it yourself project and a replacement toilet flapper will only set you back a few dollars. To understand how a toilet flapper works, its best to remove the toilet tank lid. With the lid off, you should notice that the toilet tank lever is connected to a chain.

The other side of the chain should be connected to the toilet flapper. When examining this assembly check to make sure the chain is not in any way sitting underneath the toilet flapper. Occasionally, if the chain is too long, the chain can become wedged between the toilet flapper and toilet tank valve seat. If you see this is the case your toilet flapper repair job is very simple. Simply pull the chain out from underneath the toilet flapper and adjust the chain length so that it cannot inadvertently get stuck underneath the toilet flapper.

If the toilet lever and chain assembly look like they are connected properly, push down on the toilet tank lever as you normally would. You should observe that one end of the toilet flapper lifts up. When this happens water rushes out of the toilet tank and fills the toilet bowl, causing the flushing action. After a couple of seconds the toilet flapper should close over the toilet tank valve seat and water should begin to fill up again in the toilet tank. If you hear or see water continuously draining into the toilet bowl, even after the water has reached its maximum height in the toilet tank then most likely the toilet flapper is damaged or deformed.

The toilet flapper can become damaged due to a variety of reasons including the use of toilet bowl chemicals that are stored in the toilet tank. The chemicals can effectively eat away at the rubber toilet flapper to the point that it does not sit tightly over the toilet tank valve seat. Alternatively, the toilet flapper can also become deformed in shape, so that again it does not seat well on the toilet tank valve seat. In addition, minerals in the water can collect on the toilet flapper and toilet tank valve seat so that the toilet flapper does not close fully

How your toilet works

How your toilet works.

Two assemblies are concealed under the lid of a toilet tank; a ball cock assembly, which regulates the filling of he tank, and a flush valve assembly, which controls the flow of water from the tank to the bowl. When someone presses the flush handle, the trip lever raises the lift wires (or chain) connected to the tank stopper. As the stopper goes up, water rushes through the valve seat into the bowl via the flush passages. The water in the bowl yields to gravity and is siphoned out the trap.
Once the tank empties, the stopper drops into the flush valve seat. The float ball trips the ball cock assembly to let a new supply of water into the tank through the tank fill tube. As the tank water level rises, the float ball rises until it gets high enough to shut off the flow of water. If the water fails to shut off, the overflow tube carries water down into the bowl to prevent an overflow.