Calcium Deposits in Our Toilet
The message below is a toilet repair question sent in by one of our visitors. If you would like your question answered here, please send us an email...
Patricia asked us: Plumber out to unclog toilet. Told husband to put Boric acid down overflow pipe to clean out calcium. Is this correct? No clog in line. Plumber said toilet might need to be replaced if boric acid didn't work?
We responded with: Calcium deposits are caused by hard water. As the water passes through your plumbing system it finds any little nook it can and deposits that calcium. Over time, the calcium builds up, restricting the size of the sewage pipe, therefor making it harder and in some cases impossible for waste to pass through. One easy way to check if calcium build ups are a problem is to simply lift the tank lid on your toilet in question. The majority of the time, we will find calcium built up within the tank itself. Look for a white, in some cases light brownish, substance on the flapper and inner working parts of the tank.
Next, do you have more than one toilet in the house? If so, I would recommend checking to see that the other toilet(s) are not also having problems flushing. In most situations, your toilets will share a main sewage pipe, which means that if there were a problem with the pipe itself, you should see similar problems with all of the toilets in the house. If the other toilet(s) appear to be working fine, I would first assume that there is a problem with the toilet in question, rather than the sewage pipe.
If the problem appears to be affecting only the toilet in question, I would change your focus to the toilet rather than the sewage line. Try shutting off the water to the toilet and flush out any water in the tank. Now mix a 1 gallon jug of vinegar with 1gallon of hot water and pour it into the toilet tank, allow to site for about five minutes and flush a couple of times. The vinegar works as a natural acid that can help to break down the calcium inside the toilet, depending on the severity of the build up.
If non of this works, you might try using an auger on the toilet. Sometimes, an auger will manually break up those calcium deposits, or you may just choose to replace the toilet itself. We typically steer people away from using harsh chemicals in their drains for a number of reasons, but mostly because they can be harmful to humans and the environment.
FEATURED REPAIR GUIDES
- How to Unclog a Clogged Toilet
- How to Replace Your Toilet
- How to Fix a Leaking Toilet
- How to Use a Toilet Auger
- Unclog Toilet Using Household Items
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TOILET REPAIR HIGHLIGHTS
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