Toilet & Faucet Repair in La Palma, CA

Toilet problems

A running toilet is one of the biggest water wasters in a house. The usual causes are a worn flapper that no longer seals, a fill valve that won't shut off, or a chain that's too short or tangled. To check for a silent leak, add a few drops of food coloring to the tank and wait 15 minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means the flapper is leaking.

A toilet that rocks or has water around its base may have a failed wax ring or loose bolts. Left alone, that can rot the subfloor and let sewer gas into the room, so it's worth fixing quickly.

Weak or incomplete flushes can come from a low water level in the tank, a partial clog, or mineral buildup in the rim holes, which is common with hard water.

Constant clogging may mean an older or low-quality toilet, or a problem further down the drain line. See drain cleaning.

Faucet and sink problems

• Dripping faucets - worn cartridges, washers or O-rings. A drip doesn't look like much, but it adds up.
• Low flow from a single faucet - often a clogged aerator. Hard water scale is a common culprit. Unscrewing and cleaning the aerator sometimes fixes it.
• Leaks under the sink - loose slip nuts on the drain, failed supply lines, or a leaking faucet base
• Stiff or noisy shutoff valves - older valves under sinks and toilets can seize or leak when finally turned
• Garbage disposal leaks or jams

Check your supply lines

The flexible hoses that connect toilets and faucets to the shutoff valves don't last forever. Older plastic or rubber lines can crack and burst without warning, and a burst supply line can put a lot of water on the floor in a short time. Braided stainless steel lines are a good upgrade. Take a look under your sinks: if the lines are old, kinked or corroded at the ends, replace them.

Upgrading fixtures

Many homeowners use a repair as a chance to upgrade. Modern toilets use far less water per flush than older ones, and newer faucets and showerheads are designed to save water too. In California there's an extra reason: state law requires single-family homes built before 1994 to have water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and sellers are required to disclose whether the home complies. Our blog post on California's water-saving fixture rule explains what that means if you're selling or renovating in La Palma.

Hard water and fixtures

The white crust on faucets, showerheads and inside toilet tanks is mineral scale from hard water. Over time it clogs aerators and showerheads, wears out cartridges and valves faster, and leaves rings in toilet bowls. Regular cleaning helps; some homeowners add water softening or filtration to protect fixtures and appliances.

Repair or replace?

Most toilet and faucet problems can be repaired with new parts. Replacement makes more sense when:

• The fixture is very old and parts are hard to find
• It's cracked, as with a cracked toilet tank or bowl
• It's been repaired several times
• You want better water efficiency or a new look

Small jobs, big savings

A running toilet or a dripping faucet won't flood the house, but left for months they waste a lot of water. Fixing them early also prevents damage to cabinets and floors from slow leaks you don't notice. If you have a few small plumbing issues around the house, it's often efficient to have them looked at in one visit.