Think You Need a Simple Toilet Repair in Atlanta? Plumber Warns Owners of Older Homes of Peculiar Challenges

DIY toilet repair in Atlanta stinks… especially when the plumbing is more than 50 years old.

If you’re thinking about making a toilet repair in Atlanta, you’re probably tempted to try to do-it-yourself. Tons of self-help videos exist online, showing you how to do a variety of fixes: change a handle, auger a blocked pipe, perhaps even replace the whole toilet. And these are all basic repairs, easily done on toilets made in the last thirty to forty years. But if your toilet can be described as “historic” or “vintage,” then be warned: nothing is as straightforward as it seems.

That Toilet Problem Could Be a Pipe Blockage

If you live in a historic home, you have probably battled a stopped toilet and pipe blockages. In some instances, these blockages can lead to draining failures for your entire bathroom suite. The sink, the tub…nothing is draining the way it should. But an auger should fix that, right?

Well, sometimes. The problem with older homes is that you don’t always know what they are hooked up to. At Morningside Plumbing, we’ve seen a number of interesting issues, but one of the most memorable was a case where an older home’s septic system was still connected to a limited number of plumbing fixtures, even after the rest of the home had been hooked up to the municipal system. Over time, the few fixtures still connected very slowly filled a tank the homeowner didn’t even know was there. And the worst part? In addition to the clogged drains, the tank eventually overflowed back into the yard, wiping out their daughter’s sand-box and play area.

Needless to say, no one was happy. But the problem could have been easily avoided if the family had consulted a professional plumber much, much sooner.

Old Toilets vs. New Toilets

Homes built in the 1940’s (and earlier) face a number of challenges. One is the plumbing configurations. Toilets have changed pretty dramatically over the years, and a new one may not fit the old flange configuration. Put another way, the waste hole that drains the bowl, and the bolt holes securing the toilet to the floor, won’t line up. Obviously, this poses a big challenge for a homeowner looking to make a bathroom update on their own, but don’t despair. A trained plumbing professional will be able to create a customized work-around, specific to your home’s needs.

However, when you remove that antiquated toilet, you will also likely be facing an oddly placed waste line. Toilets and plumbing weren’t necessarily standardized early on, so it may face an issue with the required twelve inches of space needed by modern toilets. Now, you can remove the old waste line, and replace it with a new one, but that leads me to the next, common problem.

Old Toilets Can Be Rather Mysterious

In the early years, many pipes were constructed of cast iron, or even lead. Sometimes the closet flange was even welded directly to the iron waste pipe. We’ve uncovered a variety of plumbing mysteries, dating back to the days before things like “housing codes” were in effect. And while we’re equipped to deal with them all, you might not be.

In order to minimize the hassle, and ensure the job gets done right, it is best to call a plumbing pro.

Who Can You Call for Toilet Repair?

The pros here at Morningside Plumbing have just about seen it all. There’s nothing your house can throw at us that we aren’t prepared to deal with. Whether it’s a simple repair or full replacement, we’ll make sure everything is working fine, so you can have ease and peace of mind.

So the next time your old home is in need of toilet repair in Atlanta, click or call our friendly service pros at 404-873-1881.