| I don't know how many times I have walked down | | | | place, again alternating to keep the tank even. Now |
| the plumbing section in home depot and some poor | | | | too tight or you will crack the tank or the bowl. Put |
| guy or girl is standing there trying to figure out how | | | | the supply tube back into place and turn on the |
| to repair their toilet. There are only a few things that | | | | water. Check for leaks, tighten slightly if there is |
| can go wrong with your toilet. You get plug it, but | | | | some. You are done! That's another $150.00 you just |
| that is for another article. It could be leaking. There | | | | saved yourself. |
| are leaks from a number of places. | | | | The connection from the supply tube: |
| Leaks can come from: | | | | This one is easy, simply turn off the water and |
| The wax seal | | | | remove the supply tube. Pick up a new one and put |
| The connection from the tank to the bowl | | | | into place, turn on the water and check for leaks. |
| The connection from the supply tube | | | | Savings this time $120.00. |
| Leaking inside from the tank to the bowl | | | | Leaking inside the toilet from the tank to the bowl: |
| Leaking inside from flowing over the overflow tube | | | | This is a very common toilet repair, this is just the |
| There are other toilet repair problems, but these are | | | | seal from inside the tank. Called the flapper. American |
| the most common. | | | | Standard has their own kind of flapper, but the rest |
| The wax seal: | | | | are the same. Put a few drops of food coloring into |
| Often the toilet will either have water on the floor or | | | | the tank and wait an hour or two. If there is food |
| through the floor to the ceiling below. To fix this you | | | | coloring in the bowl you know you have a leaky |
| need to get a new wax ring and t-bolts. Turn off the | | | | flapper. Buy a universal flapper from the hardware |
| supply water, flush it, sponge out as much water as | | | | store. Turn off the water, and remove the old |
| you can from the tank and from the bowl, loosen | | | | flapper. The rubber may be giving off a black film, |
| the t-bolts off, loosen off the supply tube, lift the | | | | this will stain your floor so make sure to wrap it up |
| toilet off the floor, turning it upside down beside you, | | | | right away. To remove the flapper, take the chain |
| scrape off the old wax seal from it and from the | | | | off the lever, and remove the flapper from the two |
| floor, remove the old t-bolts, put in new t-bolts, and | | | | hooks at the bottom of the overflow tube. These |
| wax ring, set toilet down on top of the flange, press | | | | hooks are rubber and attached to the flapper. Now |
| gently to the floor allowing the wax to create a seal, | | | | install the new one, and turn on the water. Flush the |
| tighten t-bolts, go from one bolt to the other 5 | | | | toilet. If the toilet does not flush well you will need to |
| ¼ turns each, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN, hook | | | | adjust the chain length from the lever to the flapper. |
| up the supply tube, turn on water, flush toilet, check | | | | Then flush again and you are done! Savings $120.00 |
| for leaks. | | | | Leaking inside the toilet by flowing over the overflow |
| That's it, normally I would charge about $150 for | | | | tube: |
| coming to someone's place to do this, so you just | | | | The second most common toilet repair. If the water |
| saved that money. | | | | is flowing over the overflow tube, or if it is running |
| The connection from the tank to the bowl: In this | | | | from the fill valve tube to the overflow tube you |
| case you might need a new spud washer and tank | | | | need a new fill valve. Fill valves come in two styles, |
| bolts. Or in some cases this happens and the tank or | | | | one with the big float ball and arm, the other with |
| bowl has cracked over time. The first thing you need | | | | the float on the valve itself. Both are interchangeable |
| to do is find where the leak is coming from. Does it | | | | with each other. Buy a new fill valve. Turn off the |
| leak all the time or only when the toilet is flushed? If | | | | water, and disconnect the supply tube. Flush it and |
| it leaks all the time the tank may be cracked. These | | | | sponge out the water in the tank. Loosen the nut |
| are quite often hairline cracks, try and wipe dry the | | | | under the fill valve on the outside of the tank. |
| tank, then feel with your hands where the water is | | | | Remove the old fill valve. When installing the new one |
| coming from. Sometimes it might be condensation as | | | | check the height of the fill valve. If you bought the |
| well, if this is the case you will need to line your tank | | | | type with the float on the valve you can raise this |
| with a Styrofoam insulation, you can buy this at your | | | | by twisting the valve. Don't go too high or you will |
| hardware store. If you find water is coming from a | | | | have to start over. Now put the valve into the hole |
| small crack you will need a new toilet, if it is newer | | | | at the bottom of the tank, tighten on the nut on the |
| you might be able to get the matching tank still. | | | | outside of the tank. Put on the supply tube, and turn |
| To change the spud washer and tank bolts you will | | | | on the water. Check for leaks, if need be tight the |
| need to shut off the supply water, and flush the | | | | nut a bit more, being careful not to over tighten. |
| toilet. Now loosen the bolts under the tank that | | | | Take the tube that comes with the new valve and |
| connect to the bowl, usually two sometimes three. | | | | connect from the valve to the overflow tube with |
| Loosen the supply tube and remove. Remove the | | | | the connector in the package. This allows the bowl to |
| tank and remove the washer the is at the bottom of | | | | fill after you flush so that sewer gases do not come |
| the tank, normally a rubber type washer with a | | | | up out of the sewer. Savings $130.00 |
| spongy feeling. Replace with a new one and put the | | | | These are the most common toilet repair jobs, there |
| tank back on the bowl. Tighten the new tank bolts in | | | | are others just not as common. |