Category: Plumbing

A Guide to Shutting Off Toilet Water Supply

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Do you know how to shut off your toilet’s water supply? This information can be crucial in protecting your home from water damage. For example, an overflowing toilet or a leaking pipe can make a huge mess if you don’t immediately shut off your toilet’s water supply. Fortunately, turning off your toilet’s water supply is easy and can help prevent water damage and messes.

How to Turn off Your Toilet’s Water Supply

When you have a toilet emergency, you can prevent a costly mess by turning off your toilet’s water supply. While there are a few ways you can cut off your toilet’s water supply, the most common and easiest way to do so is by using a shut-off valve. Since most homes and apartments usually have a shut-off valve behind their toilets, you can typically follow these four steps to shut off toilet water.

Step 1: Locate the toilet’s shut-off valve

Before using your toilet water shut-off valve, you need to know where it’s located. Typically, a toilet shut-off valve will be mounted on a wall and placed behind your toilet. To find your valve, simply look at the wall behind your toilet. You should see the shut-off valve close to the bottom of the left-hand side of your wall. 

Step 2: Turn the shut-off valve clockwise:

After you’ve found your toilet’s shut-off valve, you’ll need to turn the valve clockwise until it’s tight and won’t let you turn it anymore. For those with a push/pull valve, you can pull the valve all the way out to shut off the toilet water. However, if you notice your valve is stuck and won’t turn due to corrosion or rust, we wouldn’t recommend trying to turn it. Instead, you’ll need to use your home’s main water shut-off valve to stop your toilet from overflowing or leaking. 

Step 3: See if your water supply is turned off

Once you’ve turned the shut-off valve clockwise, check if your toilet’s water has actually been turned off by flushing your toilet. When you’ve had to shut off your toilet water due to a clog, you can lift the float level in the back tank. When you’ve performed either of these checks, you’ll know the shut-off valve has worked if your tank doesn’t refill in your tank. After you’ve verified your water supply is off, you’ll likely want to contact a plumber to repair whatever issue caused a leak, clog, or overflow.

Step 4: Turn the water back on by rotating the shut-off valve counterclockwise

Though a plumber will usually turn your water back on after completing a repair, it’s simple to do it yourself. All you have to do is turn the toilet’s shut-off valve counterclockwise until it doesn’t turn anymore. Next, you can test if your toilet is receiving water by flushing the toilet. If everything is working correctly, your bowl and tank should refill with water. If not, you’ll likely need help from a plumber.

Choose Peter Levi for Plumbing Services Near You in Northern California

If you’re looking for a plumber near you—in Novato or the surrounding areas—turn to Peter Levi, a Bonney company. When something goes is with your toilet, give us a call! Our plumbers will inspect, diagnose, and repair the problem. Our experts can also replace your toilet if it’s past the point of repair. Before you receive any of our services, you should review our coupons to receive the best deal possible.

We invite you to learn more about our toilet repair and replacement services today. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please contact us. 

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaner

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Let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of having used Drano or another store-bought drain cleaner! For many homeowners, the first thing they turn to when they encounter a slow or clogged drain is a liquid drain cleaner from the nearest store. They see it as a cheaper, quicker fix than contacting a professional. However, chemical drain cleaners can cause a variety of problems. Keep reading to see why you should always avoid using store-bought chemical cleaners to resolve your drain problems. 

Pipe Corrosion

Drain cleaners can cause both internal and external damage to your home’s plumbing. They work by creating a chemical reaction within your drain pipe with the help of hydrochloric acid. Heat is then generated by these reactions, causing cause significant damage to the pipe itself. Pipe corrosion can lead to a burst pipe, which can lead to a serious plumbing emergency, such as a flood.

They Are Toxic

The fumes released from liquid drain cleaners can irritate the eyes, nose, lungs, and throat, causing shortness of breath. Mixing drain cleaners, even accidentally, with other cleaning products can result in deadly gasses!

You’re Flushing Money Down The Drain 

Drain cleaners are not guaranteed to be effective. Depending on the cause of your clog, drain cleaner may not have any effect at all. Sometimes, drain cleaners can clear a clog temporarily, but they end up reappearing. That’s because liquid drain cleaner won’t address more serious underlying issues, like broken pipes or a sewer line that isn’t working properly. You can easily end up wasting your time and money by using store-bought drain cleaners. 

While chemical drain cleaners seem like an easy, quick fix they can cost you your time, money, and overall well-being! Whether you are dealing with a minor or major drain clog it is best to let the professionals TAKE CARE OF IT. Put down the DRANO and give our Peter Levi team a call today at (855) 433-6800. We are always here to help! 

Expert Answers To Your Most Common Drain Clog Questions

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Whether you’re a homeowner of a brand new build, fixer-upper, or anything in between you will most likely face a drain clog in your home. With any home service issue you face you will most likely have a few questions before diving into fixing the problem. Our Peter Levi Plumbers are EXPERTS when it comes to your plumbing and drain needs, and we’re happy to answer any questions our customers have. Let our team dive into some of the most common questions we receive about drain clogs so you can determine what your next steps are. 

How Often Should I Schedule A Drain Clearing?

Every 18-22 Months

While many of the systems around your home require regularly scheduled inspections and cleaning, like your A/C or furnace, your drains are significantly lower maintenance. However, that doesn’t mean it’s okay to leave it alone for years on end. When it comes to cleaning your drains, you want to do it often enough to prevent clogs from forming. We find drain clearings are most effective when performed once every 18 to 22 months.

Are Drains Clogs Typically A Minor Issue?

Not Always

We’d like to be able to tell you that all drain clogs are minor, but that’s simply not the case. Yes, some drain clogs are minor and can be fixed with a plunger or hand-cranked snake. While some can also indicate more serious problems lurking down in the drainage system, such as a broken or clogged sewer pipeline, root infiltration in the sewer line, or blocked drain vents. If these larger issues aren’t dealt with ASAP, clogs could soon be in every household drain and sewage may start to flood into the lower parts of your home house.

I Don’t Put Anything Bad Down My Drains. Why Am I Still Experiencing Clogs? 

They’re inevitable!

First things first, thank you for being a proactive homeowner! Making sure food scraps don’t  make theirs way down your drain and using drain covers are great ways to prevent future drain clogs. If clogs are still happening, please remember that you can’t stop all food waste from going down the drain. Eventually, drains are going to clog up, and this is one of the reasons routine drain cleanings are so helpful! Clogs can also be caused by things other than food waste like hard water deposits, soap scum, & hair.

Should I Use Store-Bought Drain Cleaner To Unclog My Drain?

NO

The simple answer: NO! Any plumbing professional would tell you to avoid using store-bought drain cleaners, like Drano. Why? Store-bought cleaners aren’t very effective, since they only open a small hole through the drainpipe obstruction without actually cleaning anything, letting the clog come right back. They can also cause MORE damage to your drain pipes due to their acidic elements. This will end up causing you more money in the long run by creating a more severe problem than just a clogged drain! 

We hope that through answering some of these common drain clog questions we have helped you make a decision on what your next step is! Whether you are dealing with a minor or major drain clog it is best to let the professional TAKE CARE OF IT. If you have any further questions or believe you are dealing with a clogged drain, our Peter Levi team is here to help. Give us a call today at (855) 433-6800!