If you’re like the average Brit, you spend about 90 minutes a week sitting on the toilet. Or, as they’d say in that part of the world, “the loo”.

We don’t have exact figures on how long U.S. folks sit on their thrones, but many of us can agree on one thing. Sitting on the toilet is relaxing, even calming or therapeutic to some.

But all these can turn into a nightmare because of common toilet problems, such as leaks and clogs.

After all, us humans use it about four to seven times a day for peeing alone. Don’t forget that you also “make an offering to the porcelain throne” once a day on average.

In any case, no need to panic right away when the toilet starts to act up. Here are some DIY fixes to some of these issues that even you can do on your own.

1. Clogged Toilet

From constantly-trickling water to leaks, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong with the toilet. But of all these, the most dreaded is a clog.

Part of the reason for this dread is having to shell out about $109 to $273 for a plumber to fix it. More than that though is the potential of a clog causing water to back up. Imagine how horrible that would be, finding your home flooded with water from the toilet.

The good news is, not all cases of blocked toilets require you to call a pro plumber. If it was your garage door acting up, that’s a different story. That’s one problem best left in the hands of garage repair specialists.

Back to the toilet issue at hand. If it takes forever to flush or it makes gurgling sounds, that’s a warning sign there’s a clog in there. Before phoning your plumber, try these DIY fixes first.

Use a Plunger with a Tight Seal

A tight seal ensures the plunger creates enough pressure. The right amount of pressure will force the blockage into the line.

Pro Tip: To avoid splashing water all over yourself, make sure the toilet is only half full.

Now, dip the plunger, making sure the head covers the entire drainage area. Time for some pumping action! Give it a few powerful thrusts to dislodge the obstruction.

To check if this worked, pour some water down the toilet. If it goes down fast, that means the clog is out. If not, try again a few more times.

If it still doesn’t, try the next solution.

Cut through Clogs with a Plumbing Snake

Also known as a drain auger, this tool can cut through smaller stuff blocking your toilet drain. You can buy them online or from hardware stores.

Prevent Clogs in the First Place

According to Boxed, an average American goes through 50 pounds of toilet every year. Unfortunately, many of those wads end up in plumbing lines. The same goes true for wipes, towelettes, cotton, and so many other non-flushable items.

Stop flushing this stuff, and you most likely won’t have to deal with a toilet clog in the first place.

2. Constantly-Running Toilet

A small toilet leak wastes as much as 30 gallons a day. That goes up to 250 gallons if you have a medium-sized leak. If you’re dealing with a large leak, your toilet is sending up to 4,000 gallons a day down the drain (sorry).

That said, you’d want to know how to fix a running toilet ASAP. The first step is to locate the source of the leak. It’s either a faulty (or worn) flapper or a malfunctioning flush valve.

Either way, the fix usually only requires adjusting the flapper or refill valve. If the problem is a too-worn flapper, a replacement is all you need.

3. Loose Flush Handle

With all the flushing you do, there will come a time the flush handle will become loose. Lucky you, there are only three steps on how to fix a toilet flush handle that’s become loose.

First, remove the flush tank cover. Then, reconnect the chain or wire connecting the lift arm to the flapper. Place the tank cover back to its original position.

That’s it. Pretty easy, right?

4. Toilet Base Leaks

Most of the toilet problems you’ll experience occur within the tank. But sometimes, it occurs outside, at the toilet’s base to be more specific.

You know you have this problem if you see water coming out of this area. If you notice constantly-forming puddles around here, that’s a sign you have a faulty wax ring. This component is what seals the base of your toilet to the floor drain opening.

Fixing toilet issues involving the wax ring requires removing the toilet itself. Granted, it seems like a project best handled by a pro plumber. It sounds harder than it is though, plus, you can save a lot of money by doing it on your own.

5. A Bowl that Takes Forever to Empty

Plumbers refer to this problem as a weak flush. The culprit is often dirt and debris, as they clog the holes underneath the bowl’s rim. Hard water can also contribute to the formation of these clogs.

The good thing is, you’ll only need a wire, plus a few of your deep-cleaning household tools for this project. From your toolkit, get a small brush and a cleaning cloth.

Bend the wire a bit to make one of the ends curved. In a gentle and slow manner, poke each of the flush holes to dislodge build-up. Use your brush and cloth to clear away the remaining debris.

Try flushing the toilet again. If you cleared away most of the clogs, your flush should be powerful again.

Final Pro Tip: Fix these Common Toilet Problems ASAP before Water Damage Occurs

No matter how small that leak or clog is, leaving it unfixed can ultimately lead to water damage. Many of these DIY repairs to the most common toilet problems only take about 30 minutes. Now, compare that with the $4,400 cost associated with a drain system failure.

So, pay attention to your toilet! You spend a lot of time on it, after all. Give it the TLC it deserves since it’ll help you save loads in the long run too.

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