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Repair and adjust a toilet

  • Difficulty: hammer
    Close Difficulty
    Beginner Do-It-Yourselfer - Easy
    Intermediate Do-It-Yourselfer - Moderate
    Experienced Do-It-Yourselfer - Difficult
    Professional - Expert
  • Completion Time : 3 Hours

A toilet with a leaky tank can waste up to 78,000 gallons of water every year – that's equivalent to the contents of a large swimming pool! To save water and get rid of that irritating constant trickle, it's worth taking the time to adjust your toilet properly. There's no need to call the plumber for minor issues like these; they are quite straightforward to fix with just a few basic tools. Most toilet problems occur inside the tank and are usually caused by an incorrectly adjusted flush lever, float or fill valve.

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Tools and materials required

TOOLS

  • 8" and 12" adjustable wrench
  • Adjustable tongue-and-groove pliers
  • Flashlight
  • Putty knife
  • Screwdriver
  • Old cloths
  • Bucket

MATERIALS
 

  • Gaskets
  • Float
  • White vinegar
  • Sealant ring
  • Fill valve

Before Assembly

COMMON PROBLEMS

The most common problems that arise with toilet mechanisms are a leaky tank (water running constantly) and not being able to flush, either fully or partially. In most cases you can fix the problem yourself by adjusting either the flush mechanism, or the float and associated parts, or the fill valve (ballcock), all of which are housed inside the tank.
 

Common problems

Solutions

Flush handle is stiff

  • Clean the handle
  • Adjust the handle (cf. 1)

Flush handle is loose or disconnected

  • Adjust the handle (cf. 1)
  • Reattach the flapper lift chain or wire to the flush lever arm (cf. 4)

No water when you flush

  • Check the water inlet valve is open
  • Adjust the flapper lift chain or wire connected to the flush lever arm (cf. 4)

Not enough water when you flush

  • Adjust the flapper lift chain or wire connected to the flush lever arm (cf. 4)
  • Adjust the water level in the tank (cf. 5)

Clogged toilet

  • Unclog the toilet (cf. our article dedicated to this topic)

Water continually running into the toilet

  • Adjust the flapper lift chain or wire connected to the flush lever arm (cf. 4)
  • Adjust or replace the float (cf. 5)
  • Adjust the water level in the tank (cf. 5)
  • Clean and adjust or replace the flapper (cf. 2 and 3)
  • Adjust or replace the fill valve (cf. 6)

Water leaking around base of toilet

  • Check the connections to the water supply and header tank
  • Check for any cracks in the toilet bowl
  • Seal the joint between the toilet and the floor with silicone sealant
  • Adjust or replace the wax ring seal

THE PARTS OF A TOILET

There are many models of toilets on the market with various mechanisms, but all work on the same principle. Lift the tank cover on your toilet and take a look inside. You will see that this is where the toilet's main plumbing components are located. Most toilet problems can be fixed by adjusting or repairing one of the parts or mechanisms inside this tank. So how does it work? It's quite simple: when you push the flush handle or button on the outside of the tank, the lever arm inside the tank lifts the flapper, which releases the water into the toilet bowl. The lever arm then falls back down automatically so that the flapper closes over the drain hole, while the float acts as a control device for the attached fill valve: water continues to flow through the fill valve until it reaches the required level in the tank. The float rises with the water, and once it reaches the pre-set level this closes the fill valve: the tank is full and the toilet is ready to be flushed again.
Toilet tank components

Steps

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Toilet with a pull down handle on the front of the tank
Repair and adjust a toilet