Jobs you can do before calling an emergency plumber: Leaking toilets

by

Robert Weir

Given that they’re used numerous times a day in the average family home, you can’t afford to leave a toilet broken – which is usually where an emergency plumber is called out to sort the problem. However, if you’re confident in your DIY skills, there are some basic repairs you can carry out yourself – which may at least let you know what you’re dealing with and which plan of action may be the most appropriate.

In most cases, there are three common causes of a leaking toilet – a cracked pan, damaged cistern or leaking overflow pipe. Each come with their own problems and you’ll need different skills for each – so if you’re in doubt, it’s always best to speak to a professional. If you’ve decided to attempt a fix yourself, your first step is to turn off the water supply and flush the toilet to empty it of any waste material. Next, take a good look at exactly where the leak is coming from. If it appears to be emanating from a crack in the toilet plan, you can carry out a temporary repair by filling in the crack or hole with a specialist putty, which your local DIY store will be able to advise on. However, in the long term, you’ll need to replace the whole pan, as patch up jobs will only last a short to medium period of time. On the other hand, the leak could be coming from the cistern. If this part of the toilet is damaged, you can again use putty as a temporary hole or crack-filling fix. Ultimately, though, you’ll need to replace the part – so you should already be thinking about this. Another common cause is a leaking overflow pipe – this may be more tricky to sort out, involving locating the crack and fixing the pipe. For many people, this may be the point where they need an emergency plumber – something which can be expensive if you haven’t got adequate insurance. Take out plumbing cover

and you’ll not only make sure the tradesman who’s called out is fully qualified and vetted, but also won’t have to worry about any nasty bill at the end of the work.

From a few pounds a month, you can enjoy the peace of mind that you’ll be covered, not just when your toilet leaks, but when other things go wrong with your plumbing. All toilets can develop cracks from time to time – but there’s no reason why this should mean that money has to leak from your family budget as a result.

Robert Weir is a writer and editor from Manchester, England. Having produced and revised copy for a number of home insurance institutions, he is highly experienced across a range of home insurance matters including

boiler cover

and

pest cover

topics.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com