How To: Unclog A Toilet

How To: Unclog A Toilet

No doubt about it- toilet clogs happen to all of us, and they’re always a nuisance! Toilet clogs are a fairly common plumbing problem that can happen with some frequency to everyone. Although you can always call a professional plumber, generally toilet clogs are a problem you can fix yourself. Here are a few helpful tips on how to unclog a toilet.

 

  1. Use a plunger. Whether you own or rent your home, you should always own a plunger! Plungers are readily available and are cheap, and having one can save your toilet from overflowing and causing water damage to your home. If you don’t have a plunger or you need a new one, purchase a sturdy, rubber plunger with a flange. These are the most effective at plunging clogged toilets. If its time to unclog a toilet and use your plunger, you can add some petroleum jelly around the rim of your plunger to make for an even better seal inside your toilet bowl. Plunge as vigorously as possible, but try not to splash! Usually, a few good plunges will have your toilet unclogged and working again. 
  2. Try the volcano. This isn’t as hard or as scary as it sounds. Baking soda and vinegar- ingredients that most of us already have on hand- are great for fixing a clogged toilet. Boil a large pot of water, then allow it to cool for a few minutes. While your water is cooling, add one cup of baking soda and two cups of white vinegar to your toilet. Then add the cooling water. If possible, let this mixture sit in your toilet for a few hours. This concoction should clear the clog. 
  3. Use some dish soap. Similar to the volcano method above, dish soap can also help unclog a toilet. Boil a large pot of water and allow it to cool. While the water is cooling, squirt a large amount of liquid dish soap into the bowl of the toilet. Once your water has cooled some and the dish soap has settled in your toilet bowl, pour the water into the toilet bowl. Try not to splash, but pour the water from approximately a foot above the toilet. The idea is to use the force of the water and the slipperiness of the dish soap to move the clog along.
  4.  Call a plumber. If these methods don’t work, call a professional plumber! No one wants to go too long without a working toilet.

If you’ve got a tough clog, don’t hesitate to call the professionals at Masterflo Plumbing today! We can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (678) 822-7095 for all of your plumbing needs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overflowing Toilet

Overflowing Toilet

If you’re reading this post, chances are that you’ve got an overflowing toilet. We all deal with toilet problems at some point or another- an obnoxious clog, a broken seat, a cracked bowl, a toilet that won’t stop running. The good news is that most of these problems are minor and can be fixed without having to call a professional plumber. Unfortunately, some of us have had to deal with a much worse toilet problem- a leaking or overflowing toilet.

If you’ve got an overflowing toilet, keep reading to find out what you should do next.

what to do if your toilet overflows

  1. Turn off the water! This is the first step and perhaps the most important! Turning off the water source to the toilet immediately can prevent any further leakage which may help to prevent some damage. Usually you don’t need to turn off the water source to the whole house. There is a shut off valve specifically for the toilet just behind the toilet or near the base. If you can’t find this valve, you should shut off the water supply to the whole house.
  2. Call a plumber! This is the next most important step. Unless you are a licensed, professional plumber, an overflowing toilet should not become your next DIY project. Contacting a professional plumber as quickly as possible is important. The longer your toilet problem is allowed to continue, the more damage you could have.
  3. Move any nearby objects! Water damage is no joke- a small amount of water can create major damage. If you’ve got any furniture, household objects, or wall hangings nearby, you should move them away to keep them safe.
  4. Clean up! Although the problem may not be completely fixed yet, if you’ve already shut off the water source to the toilet its safe to go ahead and clean up any water. Cleaning up standing water that has spilled from the toilet can help prevent more damage from occurring. It also helps keep the area safe for you and your plumber.

Now you know a little bit about what to do if your toilet overflows! If your toilet is leaking or overflowing and you’re in the metro Atlanta area, make sure to call the trusted professionals at Materflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

What To Do If Your Toilet Overflows

What To Do If Your Toilet Overflows

At some point in your life you’ve probably had to grab your trusty old plunger and clear up a small toilet clog. Almost all of us have had a run in with a clogged toilet. While a clogged toilet is definitely annoying, its usually an easy fix with no resulting problems. Unfortunately, some of us have had to deal with a much worse toilet problem- a leaking or overflowing toilet. Toilet problems can start small and end up as big problems. A small crack in your toilet bowl can eventually turn into a large crack, leaving you with a leaking, overflowing toilet.

Today we’re going to talk about a few easy steps so that you’ll know what to do if your toilet overflows.

what to do if your toilet overflows

  1. Turn off the water! This is the first step and perhaps the most important! Turning off the water source to the toilet immediately can prevent any further leakage which may help to prevent some damage. Usually you don’t need to turn off the water source to the whole house. There is a shut off valve specifically for the toilet just behind the toilet or near the base. If you can’t find this valve, you should shut off the water supply to the whole house.
  2. Call a plumber! This is the next most important step. Unless you are a licensed, professional plumber, an overflowing toilet should not become your next DIY project. Contacting a professional plumber as quickly as possible is important. The longer your toilet problem is allowed to continue, the more damage you could have.
  3. Move any nearby objects! Water damage is no joke- a small amount of water can create major damage. If you’ve got any furniture, household objects, or wall hangings nearby, you should move them away to keep them safe.
  4. Clean up! Although the problem may not be completely fixed yet, if you’ve already shut off the water source to the toilet its safe to go ahead and clean up any water. Cleaning up standing water that has spilled from the toilet can help prevent more damage from occurring. It also helps keep the area safe for you and your plumber.

Now you know a little bit about what to do if your toilet overflows! If your toilet is leaking or overflowing and you’re in the metro Atlanta area, make sure to call the trusted professionals at Materflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

 

How to Caulk a Toilet in 9 Easy Steps

How to Caulk a Toilet in 9 Easy Steps

Now that the weather has cooled off and outdoor projects aren’t top on the to do list, its time to tackle some projects inside the home! Whether you’ve got a brand new toilet to install, or you need to touch up an old one, caulking a toilet is easy! Today we’re going to teach you how to caulk a toilet in 9 easy steps!

toilet-repair-services-canton-gaToilets should always be caulked to the floor in order to prevent any movement of the toilet. When a toilet moves, the wax seal could get broken and water can collect under the toilet and rot the floor. Oftentimes, homeowners will set a toilet and then caulk around the outside edge. This method generally isn’t strong enough to hold and it also leaves a large, visible line of caulk. Read on to find out the best way to caulk a toilet!

  • Set the toilet in place, making sure its square against the wall
  • Use masking tape to make an outline of the toilet on the floor
  • Remove the toilet and lay it on its side
  • Measure the depth and width of the gluing edge of the bowl
  • Use your caulk gun to apply caulk directly to the floor using the depth you measured in the previous step
  • Install the wax ring
  • Lower your toilet onto the floor
  • Stand on the toilet to make sure its properly adhered to the wax ring
  • Use a paper towel to clean up any extra caulk

If you love to tackle DIY home repair projects (or even if you don’t!) these 9 steps will make caulking a toilet easy! For any plumbing projects you don’t want to tackle yourself, call Masterflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

 

Plumber Canton, GA: Toilet Repair

Plumber Canton, GA: Toilet Repair

Is your toilet leaking or overflowing? Read on…..

No one likes to find that they’ve got a toilet problem. In fact, most of us shudder when we think about having to fix or repair a toilet. Fortunately, the only toilet problem most of us will face is the occasional clog, which can be fixed by simply using a plunger. However, some of us may face some bad luck and end up with a worse problem. If you get a crack in your toilet bowl or seal, you can end up with extensive water damage. If you have a cracked toilet or if your toilet is overflowing, keep reading to find out what to do next.

  1. Turn off your water!!! The first thing to do in any plumbing emergency is to turn off your water at the main water source. This can help prevent any additional water from leaking out into your home. In a toilet emergency, you may be able to shut off the water valve behind your toilet to stop the flow of water instead of having to shut off the supply to the whole house.
  2. Remove any objects that can be damaged by water. Make sure you’ve removed all furniture, decorations, clothes, etc. from the area surrounding your leaking toilet. These items can easily be damaged by water, and its a good idea to make it easier for your plumber to get to the problem.
  3. Clean up. If you can’t fix the problem on your own, the key to preventing major water damage is to clean up as you go. Mopping up and soaking up the water with towels will go a long ways in preventing extensive water damage to your floors and your home.
  4. And finally- call a plumber if you haven’t already! plumber-canton-ga

If you have a leaky or overflowing toilet, call Masterflo Plumbing immediately at (678) 822-7095! We provide toilet repair services throughout the Canton, GA area! We provide emergency repair services, so you can call us 24 hours a day 7 days a week!

 

Leaky Toilet Tips

Leaky Toilet Tips

At one point or another, every home owner has experienced a leaky toilet in their home. Leaky toilets are a super common plumbing problem that every one deals with. Not only is the sound of a leaky toilet annoying, but the added cost on your water bill is annoying, as well! Not all toilet leaks have the accompanying obnoxious leaking sound, though. In fact, most toilet leaks can go unnoticed for months because they aren’t quite large enough to produce the tell tale leaking sound. We’ve got good news for you, though! Follow our leaky toilet tips, and you won’t have any of those costly, unnoticed toilet leaks!

Did you know that for all you DIYers out there that there’s a test you can do yourself to find out if your toilet is leaking? Remember, if you can hear the water in your toilet constantly running, then there’s no need to run this test- you DO have a leaky toilet!

If you want to test your toilet to find out if its leaking, find some food coloring. Red or blue work best because they’re the most saturated and easiest to see. Before you go to bed, put several drops of food coloring in the water tank- not the bowl- of your toilet. In the morning, check the bowl of your toilet. If there’s any food coloring in the bowl, then you have a leaky flapper.

What if you’ve got a leaky toilet?

Fortunately, you can fix most leaky toilets yourself without spending a ton of money!

The two most common leaky toilet culprits are the flapper or floating ballcock. The floating ballcock is the floating ball in the water tank of the toilet. The purpose of the ballcock is to indicate when the water supply should shut off. If the ballcock is set too high, the water will simply keep running. By adjusting the float downwards, you can get the water to shut off before it reaches the overflow tube.

The flapper is the main cause of leaky toilets. Over time with normal use, the flapper warps and doesn’t seal as well as it did when it was brand new. Water pressure from the tank then creates a leak in any of the small gaps. You can find a replacement flapper at any home improvement store for just a few dollars that you can install yourself.

For major leaks or other toilet problems, give us a call at Masterflo 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (678) 822-7095!

 

Toilet Repair Tips- Caulking

Toilet Repair Tips- Caulking

Let’s face it- toilets can get nasty. There’s really no way around it. The caulking that seals your toilet to the floor can get nasty as well, so today we’re going to talk about a way to remedy that.

  1. First you’ve got to remove the old caulk. A flat head screwdriver is a great way to do it.
  2. Once all the old caulk is gone, clean the area really well.
  3. Let the area dry out really, really well. If its not completely dry before you re-caulk, you’ll just be inviting mold to grow back quickly.
  4. Using an adhesive bath caulk, re-caulk the toilet to the floor in sections. Smooth out each section with your finger as you go.
  5. Once you’re completely done, clean up any areas that need it with a wet sponge. Make sure to rinse your sponge so you don’t spread wet caulk around.
  6. Try to let the area dry for at least two hours and try not to get it wet for 36 hours.

In 6 easy steps you’ve got yourself a brand new looking toilet!

Eco Friendly Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Store bought household cleaning supplies do a great job, but they’re not for everyone. Maybe you don’t like to use chemicals or maybe you just don’t want to spend a lot of money, but whatever your reasoning is, we’ve got a solution.

Here’s how you can clean your toilet bowl in about 2 minutes using only non toxic ingredients that you’ve probably got at home already.

Supplies-

  • white vinegar
  • baking soda
  • toilet scrub brush
  • spray bottle filled with 2/3 cup of vinegar and 1/3 cup of water

Steps-

  1. Sprinkle approximately 1/2 cup-1 cup of baking soda in your toilet bowl making sure to get the sides all the way around.
  2. Pour approximately 1-2 cups of vinegar into the toilet bowl.
  3. The mixture should bubble and fizz. There may be some places where the baking soda hasn’t fizzed. Spray these places with your spray bottle of vinegar water.
  4. Next, take your scrub brush and scrub away. You can either do this immediately, or let the fizzy mixture sit for a few minutes.
  5. Once you’re done scrubbing, flush it all down and you’ve got a clean toilet bowl!