Skip to content 
You may find this hard to believe, but toilets don’t last forever. Therefore, it important to know when to replace a toilet. According to home inspectors, most toilets have an average lifespan of about 50 years. However, there’s more than age to consider if you’re deciding when to replace a toilet.
For example, you may not know exactly when the installation of the toilet in your home took place. In addition, you may be dealing with a cheap model or faulty plumbing that affects your toilet’s ability to function.
Fortunately, there are several signs that it’s time for your toilet to go and make room for a new one! We invite you to continue reading to learn more about when to replace a toilet so that you make the right decision.
Is it Time to Replace Your Toilet?
⎆ Constant Clogging
It’s one thing if someone in your household flushed something they shouldn’t have, like a paper towel or a high volume of toilet paper. Toilets do clog from time to time and normally, it’s no big deal.
However, if your toilet keeps getting clogged, you may have a bigger problem on your hands. If a plumber determines that the clogging issue doesn’t have anything to do with your pipes, you may need to replace your toilet. Otherwise, you’re going to waste a lot of time plunging and a lot of money asking your plumber to fix a problem that isn’t cost-effective to fix.
⎆ Crack in the Tank
Do you keep finding a puddle of water at the base of your toilet? If so, it’s time to do a visual inspection of your toilet tank.
Look both inside and outside of the tank to locate the crack and determine its severity. If you can’t locate it, you may be dealing with a hairline crack. While this may not sound bad, it simply means that the problem is still building and it certainly isn’t going to solve itself.
Once you or a plumber locate the crack, you can decide if the issue is repairable or not. If the crack is below the tank’s waterline, you’re going to need to replace the tank and frankly, if you’ve reached that point, you might as well replace the whole toilet.
⎆ Hidden Leaks
Leaks that are coming from your toilet aren’t always easy to detect. A lot of the time, they’re occurring within your walls or flooring and you won’t know until you start to notice the damage. Areas that are susceptible to water damage in this instance are in the subflooring, drywall, and insulation.
One way to keep an eye on this problem is to keep close track of your water bill. If it starts to go up over the months when you know you haven’t been taking more showers, running the hose, and so on, it’s time to investigate. A leaking toilet is hemorrhaging water which means that it’s going to add up over time.
⎆ Excessive Running
We all know that a toilet runs for a few seconds after flushing as it fills up the empty bowl with clean water. However, what about toilets that are running for minutes or hours after flushing? Like a toilet leak, a toilet that runs for long periods of time will start to affect your water bill.
The old trick here is to jiggle the handle, but it doesn’t work every time. The goal is to get a faulty flapper valve to reseal. However, depending on the extent of the damage, the jiggling trick will stop working at some point.
If the flapper valve is your only issue, it makes more sense to replace the part than to replace the toilet. If the flapper valve is one of a dozen issues, then it’s time to replace your toilet.
⎆ No Flushing
If you’re not a plumber, you may not know everything there is to know about toilets. However, the one thing we all know is this: a toilet is supposed to flush. What happens if it stops working?
Some older toilets require more heavy-handedness when it comes to flushing, which is a nuisance in and of itself. A toilet that doesn’t flush at all is useless. Call a plumber to rule out the possibility that your problem is in the pipes and if it isn’t, get yourself a new toilet.
⎆ Water Inefficiency
More and more of us are starting to recognize the environmental impact of our daily lives. If you’re interested in conserving water, getting a new toilet is a good place to start.
Older toilets remove and replace the same amount of water no matter what you’re flushing. Newer water-efficient models are designed to replace less water depending on the need. This is better for the environment but it’s also better for your wallet, as a water-efficient toilet will lower your monthly water bill.
⎆ Significant Exterior Damage
If your toilet has been around for a few decades, it may have surface scratches and other spots of exterior damage. Exterior damage on a toilet is unpleasant to see, but it’s also a minor health hazard.
If the outer coating of your toilet has cracks and other nooks and crannies, it’s harder to clean. That means that after wiping down the toilet with disinfectant wipes, you’re leaving behind bacteria that are hiding in all of those hard-to-reach places. Unless you want to start cleaning your toilet several times a weak, you may want to consider getting a new one.
Knowing When to Replace a Toilet
If your toilet has more problems than solutions, it’s time to get yourself a new throne. Knowing when to replace a toilet spares you the headache, the cost, and the water waste.
Are you interested in improving your home with interior design tips and DIY tutorials? If so, see the links below to take you to more fantastic articles about all things design.
Images Courtesy of Canva.
Types of Fences To Keep Skunks and Other Wildlife Off Your Yard
How Power Washing Your Home Increases Its Value
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
About the Author: Ashley Edwards
