It seems like these days you hear a lot of people saying that their business is down or has gone "in the toilet."  Here at aaa Auto Salvage in MN, it has been a mild winter to put it lightly, so out business is down a little bit but not in the toilet.  If you are in the situation where you have a toilet issue, we found an article on foxnews.com that might help.

Let’s face it: a broken toilet is an inconvenient and inevitable part of life. Learning to deal with a faulty toilet immediately can be an invaluable skill that could save you time and money, and prevent mess and water damage. Although tackling your broken lavatory may seem like a daunting and complicated task, repairing a toilet can often be a quick and simple procedure requiring little more than some basic tools and a little elbow grease. Here’s a quick guide to fixing a faulty toilet.

Diagnose the problem
There are many reasons that would cause a toilet to break down, so your first step should be to assess which problem yours is experiencing. The most common faults among toilets are blockages and leaks. A blockage should be immediately apparent, as water in the toilet bowl begins overflowing or filling to an unusually high level. A leaky toilet, on the other hand, can be much more difficult to detect. Often, your toilet will still function properly, or may simply become noisy or temperamental. The most common sign of a leak is a buildup of water around the base of the toilet, though you may also have trouble flushing properly.

Unclogging
Although it is the single most common cause of faulty toilet woes, clearing a clogged toilet is usually a rather simple undertaking. Once you’ve noticed the problem, do not test it by flushing again, as this can cause the water to overflow. There are several different methods for unclogging a toilet that won’t require you to pay a plumber, the most common of which is plunging. By inserting a plunger into a bowl and pressing down slowly and firmly, you should be able to clear all but the heaviest blockages. If plunging fails to produce results, a wire hanger or plumbing snake may be used to break down a particularly tough obstruction. Alternatively, pouring hot water, dish soap, chemical drain cleaners, or a combination of baking soda and vinegar into the bowl can also help to clear blockages.

Finding a leak
Though not as pressing an issue as clogging, a leaking toilet can result in inflated bills, water damage and disruption to a toilet’s normal flow. The prospect of repairing pipes and valves may send novice plumbers running for the hills, but fixing a leaky toilet can often be done quickly and easily.

To do so, you’ll first need to locate the source of the leak. An easy way to do this is by removing the lid of the tank and placing a few drops of food coloring into the water inside. Leave it alone for an hour or so, making sure no one flushes the toilet, and then check where the colored water has ended up. If it drips out the back of the toilet then the seal between the tank and bowl is faulty, and a pool of water at the toilet’s base indicates a crack in the wax ring. These can be complex issues that may prove too difficult for inexperienced plumbers. If the colored water flows into the in the bowl, however, the flapper valve is leaking — a problem which can be easily solved.

Flapper valve
To fix a faulty flapper valve, you should first turn off the water supply at the shut-off valve, which is typically located where the toilet attaches to the wall. Next, drain the water by flushing the toilet, while observing how the flapper settles on the valve opening. If it’s not settling properly or getting caught on the flush arm chain, reach in and adjust its position. If the flapper simply isn’t sealing the valve correctly, it may be worn and need replacing.

Float ball
The leak may also be caused by a faulty float ball – the large ball floating in the tank water. If the water stops when you lift up the float arm, it’s a clear sign that the ball isn’t rising far enough to lower the valve plunger. This may be a symptom of a leaking float ball that has filled with water, which may need to be replaced.

Rosemount, Minnesota – AAA Auto Salvage has been recycling automobiles for 28 years. AAA Auto Salvage is celebrating America Recycles Day by helping raise peoples' awareness of the important benefits of buying Green Recycled Parts™ harvested from motor vehicles.

America Recycles Day is a national event held annually on November 15 to promote the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and buying recycled. Last year millions of people participated in events around the country. AAA Auto Salvage along with sister company U Pull R Parts are drawing near to recycling their 130,000th vehicle. This translates to less landfill space used and a lot of gas, oil,glass, steel, aluminum, rubber, plastics, and other materials reused. Customers also benefit from the millions of dollars in savings achieved from buying and using Green Recycled Parts™.

According to the Automotive Recyclers Association, the industry's international trade association, just about everything in your car - from floor mats and instrument panels to upholstery, aluminum and steel - can be recycled for use in a new automobile or another consumer product.

Approximately 84% of each vehicle is recycled and during this process six million tires and millions of gallons of anti-freeze, oil, gasoline and oil are recycled. Automobile recycling recovers enough steel to produce almost 13 million automobiles and saves an estimated 11 million gallons of oil that would otherwise be needed to manufacture new automobile parts. Many people don't realize that the automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world.

The efforts of automotive recyclers not only preserve natural resources and conserve landfill space, they also reduce air and water pollution that occur during the manufacture of new automotive parts. As an automotive recycler, AAA Auto Salvage is helping to preserve natural resources, protect the environment, and save our customers money. When it comes to recycling an automobile about the only thing we can’t recycle is the future.

The aaa Auto Salvage race team of Mike Mechevich, Charlie Pearson, Tracy Jones, and Brandon Jahnz, was short handed with only 4 racers but had the highest place finish in company history at the AASP-MN race for Education. The race is the AASP Education Fund’s major fundraiser of the year and in 2011 the race raised over $6000, with 2 races on January 18th and 19th at Pro-Kart Race track in Burnsville, MN.

"This event has become one of the most popular in the Association," said Judell Anderson, AASP-MN Executive Director. "I'm very impressed with the level of support, participation and enthusiasm that AASP-MN members devote to this event and to the cause of automotive education," she added.