We are Cistern Plumbing Specialists
A perfectly working toilet is a necessity in any home. The moment it starts acting up, it affects everyone who uses it. One of the most common problems with a faulty toilet can be its cistern.
As the main storage tank for the water that flushes away all human waste and toilet paper, it needs to be in peak working condition for the toilet to be considered in peak working condition. If you need an experienced cistern plumbing technician to fix your toilet, don’t hesitate to call After Hours Plumbing.
We provide skilled service and advice based on experience and knowhow, combined with state-of-the-art technology and the most up-to-date practices to ensure your toilet cistern is operating perfectly.
How Does a Toilet Cistern Work?
To understand cistern plumbing it may help to know the key parts found in toilet cisterns, and how these parts work with each other.
- Fill valve – enables the cistern tank to be replenished with fresh, clean water.
- Flush valve – discharges water into the toilet bowl when someone flushes the toilet. This is a self-closing valve.
- Float – a mechanism that controls the water level of your cistern.
- Chain – raises the flapper to release the water when someone flushes the toilet.
- Flapper – found at the base of the cistern, the flapper is essentially a rubber plug that stops water pouring from the cistern to the bowl. Once someone flushes the toilet, the chain attached to the flapper lifts it and enables the free flow of water into the bowl.
- Refill tube – replenishes your toilet bowl with water and maintains a constant water level.
- Roller clamp – can be fitted to the refill tube as a means of regulating the bowl’s fill level to help conserve water usage.
- Overflow pipe – supplies the water that fills your toilet bowl.
- Flush mechanism – Most modern day toilets in Australia will feature a dual flush cistern. The dual flush cistern, originally designed in Australia, helps to save water by providing two valves. The full flush valve is best suited to flushing away solid waste, while the half flush option, which uses half the volume of water, is for liquid waste.
Each component enables the complete process of flushing the toilet, the replenishing of the toilet bowl and cistern with fresh water, and then the closing off of the water flow.
All of these parts work in conjunction with each other to make the toilet a fully functioning unit. Once one part fails, it can affect the performance of the entire system. You’ll likely encounter problems that will require the need for a cistern plumbing specialist from After Hours Plumbing.
Most Common Cistern Plumbing Faults
Typically the most regular cistern plumbing issues either come down to the cistern not filling up with water, filling slower than it should, or filling with too much water leading to messy leakage on the floor.
Toilet Cistern Not Filling or Fills Slower Than Normal
If the toilet cistern is not filling or is filling slowly, it could mean any one of a number of possible problems. The most common, though, is that there is an issue with the fill valve. If debris gets into the system, or the valve has simply worn out over a prolonged period of time, it will start to lose its functionality, which can affect the performance of your toilet.
There may also be problems with the valve tube, whether it comes down to age and condition, or whether it has shifted within the toilet cistern. If the tube is unable to fill, it will affect the ability of the cistern to fill as well.
It’s possible that the float ball may become waterlogged, hampering its ability to properly raise and lower with the rising and dropping of the cistern water level. This in turn diminishes the ability of the cistern to fill with fresh water when the toilet has been flushed.
Toilet Cistern Filling Too Much
Just as toilet cisterns can underfill or not fill at all, so too can they overfill and ultimately overflow or leak. It ultimately leads to unnecessary water waste and unnecessarily high water bills.
An overflowing cistern occurs most often when the inlet valve has worn out or become damaged, and is no longer able to shut off the flow of water when the cistern refills. There are other possible causes of an overfilling cistern that might include:
- An uneven or stuck flapper – water may keep passing through if the flapper doesn’t return to the closed position or doesn’t settle back into the correct position at the opening.
- Float or water valve incorrectly set – an incorrectly set fill valve or float can allow too much water into the cistern.
- Float valve fails to close off – this can happen when the water pressure is set too high and may stop the float valve from shutting off.
- Broken seal – a seal in the flush pipe that has worn down with use and the passing of time, or become damaged, can lead to an overflowing cistern.
If your cistern isn’t filling or conversely is filling too much, there are some potential DIY measures you can attempt. They include fixing up the float level or stuck flapper, maybe replacing the flapper if needed, and changing any seals or washers that may have worn.
If you’d much rather leave the job to an experienced cistern plumber, or the problem is larger than what a simple DIY fix might be able to achieve, then give After Hours Plumbing a call.
Trust the Expertise of Our Cistern Plumbing Specialists
After Hours Plumbing has all your needs covered when it comes to toilet cistern repairs, installations and replacements. We understand the importance of a properly functioning toilet in your home, and our cistern plumber professionals draw on their skill and experience as well as cutting-edge technology to get yours back in perfect working order.
Whether you have a single or dual flush cistern, or even a concealed cistern situated behind the wall, we are here to help you.
Why Choose After Hours Plumbing?
Whether you’re looking for a replacement toilet cistern or a basic service and repair, After Hours Plumbing can assist with all your cistern plumbing needs.
- Our licensed and accredited plumbing contractors boast a wealth of skill and experience that they keep fresh and current with regular training and development.
- Our state-of-the-art service vehicles are stocked with all the essential tools and equipment to ensure we get the job done right, with minimal fuss or disruption.
- We are available 24/7, every day of the year. Round-the-clock availability makes it easier for you to get us when you need urgent assistance.
- We offer fixed-price quotes that are the same no matter when you call us. Get the same price whether you need us on a weekday, weekend, public holiday, after hours or during business hours.
- Fast response to your call – we aim to be at your doorstep within 30 minutes*.
- $20 million public liability insurance.
- A range of finance options** payment options – making it easier financially when you need a callout unexpectedly.
- 12-month workmanship warranty.
All toilet cistern repairs, replacements and installations come with a Certificate of Compliance that shows the work was completed by a certified plumbing professional.
Finance Options** Cistern Plumbing
Toilet cistern repairs typically come unexpectedly, so when you need to call a plumber with barely a moment’s notice, the impact on your household budget may be significant.
After Hours Plumbing can help to alleviate that financial stress by offering a range of finance options** payment plans for eligible customers. Your plumbing professional can take you through the easy application process and approval usually only takes a few minutes.
Choose a payment plan through one of our providers, Humm or Zip, and you will have the flexibility of weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments, depending on your choice of provider. Some plans even accept a $0 deposit, so you pay nothing upfront.
Then you can relax while After Hours Plumbing takes care of your cistern plumbing problem. We also accept payment by cash, cheque or credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express).
Contact Us For Cistern Repairs Today
After Hours Plumbing is available round the clock for all your toilet cistern repair needs. For trusted service and advice coupled with state of the art technology, give us a call any time day or night. You can also contact us online and one of our customer service specialists will call you back immediately.
