Is Your Toilet Getting You In Hot Water?

Four-inch cast-iron plumbing pipes (and at lower left center the three-inch down-pipe from a toilet) in the basement ceiling of a Seattle home. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Billy Aldridge

A number of years ago I lived in a house built in the 1950’s.  While there is a certain amount of charm to 

older structures, the one thing that was less than charming was the plumbing, which had not been upgraded since it was originally installed back in 1954.  So there were a number of things that needed to be dealt with in order to bring the plumbing in the house up to snuff.  The first thing was the toilet, which wasted water with every flush.  Back in the 50’s it was common for toilets to use as much as 7 gallons per flush.  By 2001 when I bought the house, the norm on water usage had been halved.  So the first thing I did was replace the toilet.

However, the toilet in this particular house did something else that quickly got on our nerves.  Every time someone was in the shower, a toilet flush was usually accompanied by a scream as the water temperature in the shower rocketed upward along with the shower’s occupant as the cold water was usurped by the commode.   While newer homes come equipped with a thermostatic mixing valve that prevents this from happening, many older homes can still deliver a jolt to anyone taking a shower whenever a toilet is flushed.

The reason for this is due to the fact that household plumbing is based on the trunk and branch system where a large bore pipe runs the length of the home and smaller pipes branch off to the various rooms, such as the bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room and garage.  Since the system relies on supply and demand, whenever a tap is opened, a toilet is flushed, the dishwasher or the washing machine is running, this effects the amount of water available to the remainder of the system.  

If the water coming out of the shower and taps fluctuates wildly whenever the toilet is flushed, the solution is to either:

      1.      Installa Thermostatic Mixing Valve – If you are a capable DIYer who has experience at soldering and is not averse to complying with local building codes, the steps necessary to install one can be gleaned by going to eHow.com .  Thermostatic Mixing Valves attach to both the cold and hot water lines in order to keep water temperature coming out of the tap at safe levels.   Since water temperatures of 120 degrees or more can cause scalding, these valves are one way to maintain safe temperatures at the tap.  

Toilet water shutoff valve, used to cut off the flow of water into the tank when repairs/maintenance need to be conducted. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      2.      If the toilet is the chief culprit, the other way to deal with the problem is to simply close the supply valve 

      partially.  This will mean that the toilet fills more slowly, but it could also keep anyone in the shower from getting scalded when the toilet is flushed.  To tighten the valve, you will need to support the supply line that comes out of the wall with one hand while tightening the shutoff valve ever so carefully with the other.  The last thing you want to do is break off the shutoff valve and cause a flood.  Warning: If your home is more than 20 years old, it is quite possible that the shutoff valves will be locked tight.  If this is the case, you can attempt to replace the valve yourself as demonstrated at FamilyHandyman.com.  

   

      The other option is to call a licensed and bonded plumbing professional.  While it will cost you a few dollars to hire a pro, you can rest assured that the job will get done right the first time, which will not only save you money on your utility bill, but it will most definitely keep you out of hot water.

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing in Jacksonville, Florida.  For more helpful hints and how-to videos, visit their site at http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com