by Catherine Lear

Created on: June 24, 2009

How to fix a toilet. Now that is a novel idea how we fix a toilet, it all depends what kind of fixing it needs, fortunately a toilet is one of those items in your home that is easy to fix and does not go wrong often.

When it does go wrong you are in the pooh so to speak especially if you do not know how to fix what has gone wrong. The toilet is in two sections the section that you sit on and the section that flushes, and it is that section that will go wrong. If you lift the lid on the cistern and that is what we call the section that flushes, you will see in side all manner of funny things; now do not get too worried about what you see most of what you see will never go wrong. However, what you will see is an arm that is linked to the incoming water. This arm has a plastic ball on the end it is called a float and it is this arm that will sometimes course you problems.

You will notice that the float sits on water, well it would wouldn't it. Nevertheless, when you flush the cistern that arm and float if doing its job right stops the water from overflowing out of the cistern, you see as the water rises in the cistern ready for the next flush there comes a point when it must stop. However, how does it know how to stop, well as the arm rises the end of the arm is pressing slightly on a little plastic button and as the arm raises even more the little plastic button goes in further.

Then as it reaches its chosen, height the button shuts of the water. You yourself will choose the chosen height you or your plumber that has fitted the toilet, but sometimes you will notice that the height of the water has started to rise, you will then have to adjust the arm. You will notice that there is a screw on the button and it is this that you must adjust, just take a screwdriver and screw the screw a few turns, this will adjust the arm to the desired height. And really that is all that can wrong with a toilet.

Now in the event that you have to take out the inside of the cistern for any reason then you must turn off the water, you will find that most toilets have a little valve that you can turn of, if yours has not got a valve then it is advisable to buy and fit one. Now as I was saying to take out the inside workings of a cistern you take the cistern of the wall and the small pipe that comes out of the bottom, then you must unscrew the plastic nut on the bottom of the cistern. You will now find that the inside is now loose just take it out and fit the new. Just put it all back on the wall making sure that it is watertight.

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