When a New Toilet Makes More Sense
If the tank or bowl is cracked, a rebuild won't help. Porcelain can't be patched, and a cracked tank can let go without warning. A new toilet can also be worth it as an upgrade: one that uses less water, sits taller, or is more comfortable. That's a toilet replacement, and I handle those too.
Stop the Water First
Behind the toilet, near the floor, there's a small valve. Turn it clockwise to shut off the water to the toilet. If it won't budge, don't force it. Old shutoff valves can snap. Leave it and call me.
What Your Toilet Is Telling You
- It runs and runs. Usually the flapper at the bottom of the tank isn't sealing, or the fill valve isn't shutting off.
- It refills on its own every so often, with nobody using it. Water is slowly leaking from the tank into the bowl, usually past the flapper.
- It won't fill, or fills painfully slowly. Usually the fill valve.
- Water on the floor around the tank. It could be the seal between the tank and bowl, the tank bolts, or the supply line.
- Water around the base. Often the wax seal under the toilet. That's a different fix: the toilet has to come up and get reset.
Not sure it's leaking at all? Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank, don't flush, and check the bowl after 10 to 15 minutes. Color in the bowl means the tank is leaking into it.
Rebuild the Tank, Not the Toilet
On a running or not-filling toilet, I usually don't swap one part and hope. I take the whole tank off, rebuild it, and put it back together.
"He went above and beyond, you can tell he is passionate about his work and did not cut corners. He took his time and went out of his way to review everything not just the one problem I was experiencing."
Could You Do This Yourself?
Honestly, a lot of people can. Tank parts come with instructions, and plenty of homeowners handle a flapper or fill valve on their own.
Call me if you can't comfortably get down behind the toilet, don't have the tools, got halfway into it and got stuck, or you've already replaced a part and it's still running. Also call if you'd simply rather not deal with it. That's a good enough reason.
On a Well, a Running Toilet Costs More Than Water
A lot of homes around here are on private wells. If yours is, a running toilet isn't just wasted water: your well pump keeps kicking on to refill it, day and night. On Templeton Light & Water, water is billed quarterly, so a toilet that's been running for months can land on one bill all at once.
Call or Text About Your Toilet
Tell me what it's doing, and I'll get back to you with a real time.
