by Richard Serra

Created on: November 09, 2011

When something is wrong with the toilet, most think of calling a plumber to do the job. When you think about how much it costs these days, you might consider doing the job yourself. Toilets are not at all that complicated. Depending on the age, each works basically the same.

What normally goes wrong is either the chain that lifts the flapper breaks, or comes loose. It may even tangle a bit, causing the flapper not to close properly. These are of course simple fixes. Quite often the flapper itself begins to lose its ability to keep a tight seal.

In this case, there are two types that are very easy to work with. One being the kind that you slip over the main tube beside the drain hole, and push it down till it's flush at the bottom, and is centered over the hole. Reconnect the chain, and that's it.

Another might be the type whereas there are two holes on the tabs of the flapper. Slipping these flaps over a retainer on each side of the main pipe at the very bottom will fix the problem. Also there are adjustments that can be made to make sure the fill is at the proper level, and this is done by an adjustment of the float so that when water reaches a certain level, it shuts the water flow.

However, there are more serious issues with toilets such as a leak at the inlet pipe. Sometimes this is a simple fix by just tightening the bolt that connects the inlet to the base of the water valve stem. If this doesn't work, then you might have to replace the valve unit entirely, and if so, then you need to shut the water supply, unscrew the bolt at the base, and then remove the valve assembly.

Replace in reverse order, and if all was done right, no leaks, no running water because of an improper seating of the flapper. These are relatively simple tasks to perform with little or no experience. However, there is one more fix to consider. This is when you find water seeping at the base of the toilet every time you flush.

This means that the main seal that the whole toilet sits on has lost its ability to keep the seal water tight. In this case, it's necessary to shut the water supply, remove the bolt that holds the inlet pipe to the base of the valve assembly, and then remove the two hold down screws at the base of the toilet, which is usually covered with some kind of porcelain caps.

You'll also need to empty out as much standing water to make the job of lifting the toilet easier, although not necessary. Unless your back is in good shape and you are fairly strong, you might need someone to help you lift the toilet so as to expose the wax seal ring.

Once you remove the toilet, and the old wax ring, you simply replace the ring, and then carefully center the toilet so that it is dead center over the ring, and let gravity do the rest. Replace the hold down screws, inlet pipe, and check for leaks by flushing. If no leaks, you did the job right, and saved yourself a bundle.

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