Service
Toilet, Faucet and Shower Plumbing in Van Nuys, CA
A toilet that runs, a faucet that drips, a shower that swings between hot and cold. Most fixture problems have a small cause. This page covers what usually fails and what installing a new fixture involves.
- Toilet repair and installation
- Faucet repair and installation
- Shower installation
Toilets, Faucets and Showers
The small problems that waste the most water
Fixtures fail in small ways first: a toilet that runs after flushing, a faucet that drips once a second, a shower head that sprays sideways. They are easy to put off because nothing is flooding. They also add up, since a running toilet can waste a lot of water over a day and a hot-water drip is energy you pay to heat.
Fixtures also have an age. Faucet cartridges, supply lines and the rubber parts in a toilet tank wear out on their own schedule, and where water is hard, as it is across much of Southern California, mineral scale speeds that up: aerators clog, cartridges stiffen and valves stick.
- A toilet that runs, refills on its own or needs the handle held down
- A weak or slow flush
- Water around the base of a toilet, or a toilet that rocks
- A faucet that drips or leaks around its handle or base
- Low flow from a faucet or shower head, often from scale
- A shower that swings between hot and cold, or will not shut off fully
How the work goes
What the work involves
Parts matched to the fixture
Cartridges, flappers and supply lines differ by make and model. A repair uses the part made for the fixture, and a fixture too worn or too old for parts is replaced instead.
The connections are checked too
Supply lines, shut-off valves and drain connections are worth checking at the same visit, because a new faucet over a weeping valve still leaves a leak under the sink.
Shower valves that follow code
Plumbing code calls for a pressure-balancing or thermostatic valve in a shower, so that a flush elsewhere in the house does not turn the water scalding. The valve is set at the right depth for the wall it sits in.
Fixtures that fit the room
The distance from the wall to the toilet drain and the number of holes in a sink decide which toilets and faucets fit. They are measured before a fixture is bought, not after.
Toilets: the usual causes
Most toilet problems come from a short list. A running toilet is nearly always a flapper that no longer seals or a fill valve that no longer shuts off, both small parts inside the tank. A weak flush often comes from mineral buildup in the rim jets, a partial clog in the trap or a low water level in the tank. Water at the base is a failed wax ring or a loose closet bolt, and it means the toilet has to be lifted and reset. A toilet that rocks has the same cause.
An old, cracked toilet, or one that uses more water than a modern one, can be worth replacing. California limits new toilets to 1.28 gallons per flush.
- Replacement toilet: the rough-in distance, the bowl shape and the height are the choices that matter
Faucets
A dripping faucet is a worn cartridge, washer or seat, and the fix is the part, not the whole faucet. Corrosion at the base or leaking from the handle points to worn seals. When the finish is damaged, scale keeps coming back or parts are no longer made, replacing the faucet is the better route.
A new faucet installation covers the supply lines, the shut-off valves and the drain connection, and it has to match the sink or counter it mounts to: the number of holes in the sink decides which faucets fit.
Shower installation
Installing a shower is partly plumbing and partly other trades. The plumbing side is the valve, set into the wall at the correct depth, the shower arm and head, the drain with its trap and its connection to the waste line, and the supply lines to the valve. Tile, waterproofing and framing around the shower belong to whoever builds the enclosure, and the plumbing has to be coordinated with them.
In a remodel the plumbing is done and tested while the wall is still open, because a leak found behind finished tile is a costly one to fix.
Questions
Toilets, Faucets and Showers questions
Why does my toilet keep running?
Most often the flapper at the bottom of the tank does not seal, or the fill valve does not shut off, so water keeps trickling into the bowl. A simple test: put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and, without flushing, see whether color shows up in the bowl after some minutes. If it does, the flapper is leaking.
Is a dripping faucet worth fixing?
Yes. A steady drip wastes water, and a hot-water drip also wastes the energy used to heat it. A worn cartridge or washer is a small repair.
Can I choose my own toilet or faucet?
Yes, and it helps to check a few things first. For a toilet: the rough-in distance from the wall to the drain, the bowl shape that fits the space and the height. For a faucet: how many holes the sink or counter has.
What is a pressure-balancing shower valve?
It senses changes in the hot and cold supply and adjusts, so that someone flushing a toilet or starting the washing machine does not suddenly make your shower scalding or cold. Plumbing code calls for a pressure-balancing or thermostatic valve in showers, and it is the type to choose when replacing an old valve.
Why is there a white crust on my faucet and shower head?
Mineral scale from hard water, which is common across Southern California. Calcium and magnesium are left behind as water dries and form a crust that clogs aerators and shower heads. Soaking the part in vinegar often loosens it. Scale that keeps blocking things points to worn parts or a question of water treatment.
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