Should You Replace Your Plumbing Fixtures?

You know how sometimes when you’re trying to cook a meal and you put too much spice in it, you can cover up that mistake by adding something else?

And then other times you try to sprinkle a bit of salt in but then your teenage son thought it would be HILARIOUS to unscrew the cap so you end up with a pot of tomato sauce with more salt in it than there is in his tears when you tell him he’s grounded for a week, and you have to throw the whole thing out and start over again?

Plumbing is like that.

Sometimes you can repair an old plumbing fixture. There’s nothing really wrong with it other than maybe a small part – in that case, a general residential plumbing repair company can help you.

But other times it’s so messed up that you just need to throw the whole thing out and start fresh.

The only real way to know is to give us a call so we can check out the problem and let you know what to do. But here are some telltale signs.

Cracked Toilet

Toilets are pretty tough. After all, they’re designed to hold the weight of everyone from your super skinny cousin Felicia to your big uncle Al. Really, the porcelain parts of a toilet should last pretty much forever. But if for some reason the porcelain does crack (like if you just broke through the wall you were hiding in so Trinity and Neo can get away, and you just got the hell beaten out of you by Agent Smith) there’s nothing you can do.

How did you crack the porcelain anyway?

Never mind, I probably don’t want to know.

But if it’s cracked then you need to replace your toilet.

Broken Flushing Mechanism

Every toilet has a flushing mechanism built into it (shocking I know). This mechanism has a lot of moving parts and it’s not easy to replace these individually. Basically when your flushing mechanism breaks you need to replace the whole thing.

Not the whole toilet (not usually) but the flushing mechanism. If it’s broken, it might run all the time which wastes a lot of water. That’s bad for the environment and bad for your water bill!

Upgrading

I once saw someone who tried to paint their toilet. And I guess that’s… kind of cool if that’s what you’re going for. But it only works if you want to do some crazy design on it. If you paint it a solid colour it’s going to look horrible. Trust me.

If you’re remodeling and your toilet no longer fits with your washroom, go ahead and replace it. Don’t paint it.

Some people might think it’s wasteful to replace a toilet. Sometimes it is. But sometimes you can replace your toilet with a better model that uses less water, which actually makes it less wasteful.

What About Faucets?

Most leaky faucets are pretty easy to repair. Swap out a broken part for a new one, Bob’s your uncle. But most people like to replace their broken faucets since they’re not very expensive, and if one piece broke on your faucet chances are more parts are going to go soon.

Other people just don’t like their faucet anymore. They think it’s ugly, or it doesn’t fit with their new kitchen or washroom. In that case, go ahead and replace it.

Need Help Replacing Your Fixtures?

If you’re planning on replacing your plumbing fixtures, we can help. Give us a shout here at London Plumbing.

Stuck? Give Us A Call

Once you’ve shut the water off, take a deep breath, and give us a call. Here at London Plumbing, we’re here to help, no matter your plumbing needs.

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