Flushed With Ideas: It's Time To Check Your Toilet

Tips for National Toilet Repair Month

(Friday, September 23, 2005) - You may be flushing your money down the toilet and not even know it. October is National Toilet Repair Month, so there is no better time than now to make sure your toilet is working properly and efficiently. "Twenty percent of all toilets leak, secretly raising homeowners' water and wastewater bills," Keith Glass, director of technical services for Mr. Rooter® Plumbing, said. But other problems — like a toilet that won't flush completely or runs continuously — aren't secret at all. In fact, next to the kitchen sink, the toilet is the most commonly fixed fixture in a house, and the reason may surprise you. "Because of EPA standards, water is cleaner and safer to drink than ever before," Glass said. "But since the quality of water is more aggressive, it is actually breaking down toilets because the parts are aging faster." If you want to take a whirl at inspecting your toilet, plunge into these tips offered by Mr. Rooter. Check toilet for silent leaks • Put several drops of dark food coloring into your toilet tank. If the dye appears in the bowl, you need to replace the valve seal ball or flapper at the bottom of the tank. Don't use chlorine tablets or any other chemical cleaner in the toilet tank • Chemicals corrode the metals and destroy the rubber seals. They could also kill the active bacteria that keep the septic tank working properly. To prevent a running toilet, replace flappers and fill valves every couple of years • A new flapper will seal properly and a new fill valve will prevent overfilling or filling too slowly. Don't just jiggle the handle when water continues to flow after flushing; lift the tank lid to fix the problem • Adjust the chain if the flush valve flapper is getting hung up and is not sitting down properly. • If that doesn't work, adjust the float ball so it doesn't go down as far. If you're not a do-it-yourselfer or the problem is too complicated to fix, contact a licensed plumber. About Mr. Rooter®: Established in 1968, Mr. Rooter® is the second largest full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company in North America. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its "Franchise 500" and Franchise Times Top 200, Mr. Rooter® provides services to both residential and commercial customers at more than 200 locations in the United States and Canada and more than 100 locations internationally through master licensees. Mr. Rooter® began franchising in 1974 and is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information or to find the location nearest you, please visit our Web site at www.mrrooter.com. About The Dwyer Group®: The Dwyer Group, Inc., based in Waco, Texas, is a holding company of six franchise businesses, each selling and supporting a different franchise under the following service marks: Aire Serv®, Glass Doctor®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Mr. Rooter® (Drain Doctor® in the UK), and Rainbow International®. Collectively, these independent franchise concepts offer customers world-wide a broad base of residential and commercial services. The Dwyer Group® also owns Harmon Solutions Group, a third party administrator for the insurance community, and provides services to an associate company, DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen by Worldwide®, a national remodeling franchise. The Dwyer Group® is a portfolio company of The Riverside Company, a private equity firm with offices in New York, Cleveland, Dallas and San Francisco. For more information on The Dwyer Group®, or its franchise concepts, visit the company's Web site at www.dwyergroup.com

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