Toilet repair

At a glance

Running toilet

Flapper, flush valve seat or fill valve

Leak at base

Failed seal or broken flange

Poor flush

Partial clog, low water level, blocked rim jets

Rocking

Loose bolts, broken flange, uneven floor

Running and phantom flushing

Hear the tank topping itself up with nobody near it? Water is slipping past into the bowl. Some food dye dropped into the tank will show it. The fix is usually a new flapper or flush valve seal, but a fill valve set too high will also send water down the overflow tube.

• A tank that never stops filling quietly pours money away, which shows up on your Toronto water bill.

Leaks at the floor

Water around the base after flushing usually means the wax ring has failed. If the toilet rocks, it has likely crushed the old seal. We pull the toilet, inspect the flange underneath and replace the seal, plus the flange or a repair ring if the old one is cracked.

• Ignoring a base leak rots the subfloor slowly, and the repair grows from a seal swap into floor work.

Weak or slow flushes

Mineral build-up in the rim jets and siphon jet starves the bowl of the water it needs to start the siphon. A partial blockage in the trapway does the same. We clear the jets, check the water level in the tank, and auger the trap if needed.

• Sometimes the honest answer is that a toilet has reached its limit, and replacement is better value.

Signs to watch for

• Tank refills when no one has flushed
• Water on the floor after flushing
• Toilet rocks when you sit
• Bowl drains slowly or needs two flushes
• Handle must be held down to flush

How the job runs

1. Diagnose

   Dye test, level check and inspection.

2. Replace parts

   Flapper, fill valve or flush valve as needed.

3. Reset or reseat

   Toilet pulled and reseated for base leaks.

4. Test flushes

   Several flushes to confirm fill and seal.