Toilet problems are very common occurrences and most people think that toilet repair requires special skills. Many will proceed to hire a handyman or plumber right away to check out what is wrong with their toilet and to fix and install any needed toilet repair parts, not knowing that they can probably fix most problems themselves.
Toilet problems cause headaches on their own, and they cause even more when you realize how much you have to pay the handyman to fix them. That’s why it’s of great help to be able to repair a toilet yourself. Listed below are some common toilet problems and their corresponding toilet repairs – as you will see, many can be done fairly easily on your own.
Toilet flange repair – Leaking water from the floor? There must be a problem with your toilet flange. The toilet flange is a metal ring that serves as the base of your toilet, connecting it to the floor and to the pipe going to the sewers. To access this part of your toilet, you first need to turn off the water supply and then unmount the whole toilet from the floor. This can be a little tricky, but you can unmount the toilet by undoing the nuts or bolts located at the sides of the toilet. Then gently lift the toilet and you’ll see the flange that connects your toilet to the sewers. Inspect the flange for the cause of water leakage. Usually, the wax ring around the flange seal causes the problem and replacing it is the best solution and solves the water leakage problem.
Toilet flush repair – Problems with the toilet flusher include broken flush handles or the apparatus that connects the toilet flusher inside the tank. To repair the toilet flush handle, unscrew the nut that secures the flush handle inside the tank, put in a new flush handle and secure it in place with a nut.
Toilet bowl repair – There are times when something goes totally wrong (something falls on your toilet bowl) that leaves a crack or even a hole in the bowl. Replacing the toilet bowl is not too difficult a toilet repair job. Just turn off the water supply, empty the water in the toilet bowl, loosen the nuts or bolts at the sides of the toilet bowl, and lift it gently off. Replace the old bowl with a new one and remember to secure it properly to the floor and to the tank. Some toilet units come with the toilet bowl connected to the tank, so if this is how your toilet is, a simple toilet repair will not do the job – you will need to replace the entire unit.
Toilet flapper repair – The toilet flapper controls how much water flows into the bowl when you flush. Flapper problems result in running toilets or an incomplete flush. To remedy this problem, turn off the water supply and remove all water inside the toilet tank, then check the tank for what seems to be the problem. Sometimes, the problem is with the length of the chain hooked to the flapper. If that is the case, a little adjustment on the chain length will solve the problem. However, if the flapper is already damaged and does not fit the pipe hole, it should be replaced. Replacing the flapper is easy. Just reach in and remove it from its mounting tabs and then disconnect its chain from the flush lever. Then replace it with a new one.
You do not need to hire a handyman to do most toilet repairs because you can do it yourself. Just be confident that you’ll be able to pull it off and follow the toilet repair directions depending on what the problem is and you will have a fully functioning toilet without the big price tag that comes along with hiring a professional!
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