Flexible toilet waste pipes have ringed or lined textures connected with a bowl to carry waste. The main function of this pipe is to connect the bowl with the plumbing system for transferring waste material.
Common problems with flexible toilet waste pipe include loose connections, unpleasant odors, poor angle, ruining overall bathroom appearance, and leakage. Moreover, the other issues in these pipes are clogging, gurgling sound, and collection of dirt and grime.
These pipes are mostly made of PVC material instead of metal, which is more durable but carries rust easily. These are of variable lengths and diameters according to the size of the toilets.
| Flexible Toilet Waste Pipe Problems | Solutions |
| Loose connections | Replace toilet flange seal |
| Unpleasant odors | Flush toilets with vinegar solution |
| Poor angle | Hire professional plumber |
| Ruining overall appearance | Install toilets on the sides of the walls |
| Broken pipes | Replace broken pipes and proper maintenance |
| Clogged pipe | Flush with hot water |
| Gurgling sound | Use plunger devices |
| Collect dirt and grime | Flush with apple cider vinegar and baking soda |
Loose connections
These waste pipes are connected to the bowl using toilet flanges. Toilet flanges are rubber seals that are helpful to secure the connection of the plumbing system.
Sometimes the connection between the toilet bowl and these draining systems becomes loose, and you can see dripping of contaminated water.
It is highly unhygienic and irritating when contaminated water from the bowl drips on the floor due to poor and loose connections.
The loose connection issues come from breaking the toilet flange seal. The plastic seals break due to the age-related deterioration of plastic material.
Moreover, rust can also come on them and decrease their durability. The waste pipe connections with the bowl also become loose due to improper installation and poor attachment.
You can resolve the issue by changing the flange seal to fasten these connections properly. Remove the broken and corrosive seal and add the new one there.
It is also necessary to check the seals by separating the pipes when you feel water dripping in this area.
Unpleasant odors
Many people complain about the unpleasant odors from the bathrooms that usually come from waste pipes and their blockage.
These smells are unpleasant and occur due to the drying of the draining system.
The water remains in the pipe to prevent the smells in the bathroom. Sometimes these become dry due to poor cleaning and flushing practices and cause smells to rise.
The sewer or waste pipes are the most favorable places for bacterial growth. As a result, bacteria colonies multiply rapidly in summer seasons and produce foul smells in bathrooms.
Bacterial growth increases in these regions due to entrapped food and urine residues. You can resolve the problem by adding water and bleach to the bowl to wash out the bacterial colonies.
In addition, you can also flush them with vinegar and water solution. However, avoid flushing the tanks after pouring the bleach or vinegar solution so they can stay there for some time and kill bacterial colonies.
Poor angle
The angle of the pipe for the flexible waste pipes matters a lot for their proper functioning. These cannot transfer the waste from the bowl to the plumbing system if their angle is poor.
These are installed in the sloppy direction for proper movement of waste materials. These have a flexible structure and ringed shape, and little adjustment in their angle cause issue.
The angle adjustment problems come when you install them at home without hiring a professional plumber.
Moreover, the unprofessional plumbers sometimes also know about their angle adjustment and install them in a straight direction.
The draining becomes slow due to its poor angle and can produce a smell due to bacterial colonies.
You can resolve the problem by hiring a professional mechanic with enough knowledge about their installation.
Moreover, it is also necessary to correct their angle when it becomes a little straight in direction after some years of their installation.
Poor overall appearance
These plastic pipes can ruin your bathroom’s overall appearance if installed on the outer side.
The stains come on them, which are white and easily become dirty. It increases your effort of daily cleaning because of their lighter color.
Moreover, the exposed pipes in the bathrooms look awkward and decrease their overall appearance.
People do not have enough space to install them on the side of the walls, so these do not become prominent.
You can resolve the problem by adequately cleaning these pipes regularly. In addition, I prefer to install them near walls of closed ends so they become less prominent in bathrooms.
Broken pipes
They are made of soft and flexible plastic materials, which are less durable than metal pipes.
The material can break easily after some years or have clogging issues. Plastic pipes are more vulnerable to breaking issues when they become old and brittle.
The broken plastic pipes cause leakage of contaminated water on the bathroom floor and make the conditions seriously unhygienic.
These can break when these pipes become old. Moreover, long-term clogging can also increase the risk of cracks in its plastic material.
You can use broken or cracked pipes because it makes the sanitary conditions bad. You can resolve the problem by quickly changing the broken pipes with new ones.
In addition, you can extend the life of these plastic draining systems with regular maintenance.
Clogged pipe
Clogging in waste pipes is common due to decreased flushing. These can clog when you do not flush the toilets immediately.
The hard solid waste material clogs the pipe, and you can see an overflow of water. In addition, the draining also becomes slow due to the locked surface area.
The clogging in the toilet draining system comes from sanitary products. For example, people often throw wipes and tissues in the bowl, clogging the pipes and making water movement difficult.
You can use mild to hard detergents to unclog the drain pipes. Furthermore, you can also unclog the draining system using plunger devices.
Flush toilets with hot water before using any detergent or plunging equipment.
Gurgling sound
Sometimes you can hear the gurgling sound from the toilets while sitting on them due to a faulty plumbing system.
Moreover, you can also see air bubbles forming in the bowl. The gurgling sound occurs due to clogging issues and poor vent pipes.
The gurgling sound comes suddenly when something is blocking the passage of movement of water and entrapped air.
You are hearing the gurgling sound due to entrapped air particles. Sometimes the gurgling sound fixes itself after some time.
Moreover, you can resolve the problem by using the plunger devices. These devices have several shapes and structures according to the type of drains.
Collect dirt and grime
These waste pipes are made of PVC material and have a ringed structure. The drawback of their ringed structure is that it can collect the waste material in its ringed lining.
The ringed structure is more prone to collect waste material, dirt, and grime than straight-line pipes without any hidden corners.
These are less suitable than metal pipes because they have straight-end structures. However, you can resolve the problem by washing it with mild detergents that do not damage the PVC materials.
You can use home-based detergents while mixing an equal amount of baking soda and apple cider vinegar.
For example, flush the bowl-connected plumbing system with apple cider vinegar and baking soda mixture.
Flush toilets with water after 15 to 20 minutes and do it about 2 to 3 times.
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