By Glenda Taylor and Bob Vila | Updated Nov 12, 2021 4:48 PM

If there’s one household fixture we really rely on and hate to have to fix, it’s the toilet. But while these fixtures are prone to acting up now and then, the good news is many common toilet repairs are do-it-yourself-friendly; few (if any) basic hand tools are required to fix a toilet.

Unlike many of today’s high-tech home appliances, toilets are rather straightforward fixtures and are comprised of only a few essential parts. When something goes on the fritz, it’s usually relatively simple to diagnose the problem and fix it. That said, homeowners are hesitant to tackle commode repairs because they don’t know precisely how the fixture works.

If your toilet is giving you trouble, you’ve come to the right place. Check out the likely issues here and learn how to launch a DIY toilet repair rescue mission, without calling a plumber or needing to replace the toilet altogether.

The average toilet works via gravity and a siphoning effect. Water fills the toilet bowl about halfway, while additional water is stored in the tank. When someone depresses the toilet handle, the seal between the tank and the bowl (called a flapper) lifts, and water from the tank floods into the bowl. The water pressure forces the contents of the bowl to flow out of the toilet through the drain.

After the flush, the flapper settles back into place, and clean water from a water supply line flows into the tank until the water level reaches a predetermined point, which causes the water flow to cease until the next flush. Here are the various parts you may encounter when repairing a toilet:

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A clogged commode will cause the bowl to overflow onto the bathroom floor, but the fix—which happens to be the most common of all toilet repairs—doesn’t have to ruin your day.

Clearing the clog is super simple, and you probably have a toilet plunger already on hand. Simply insert the plunger into the bowl while it’s still full of water, pressing the mouth of the plunger firmly against the opening at the bottom of the bowl to form a seal. Then use a rhythmic push-and-pull pumping motion to create pressure in the drain and free the clog. Often, just plunging will fix it.

Don’t be overly enthusiastic. Forceful plunging is likely to splash dirty water all over the bathroom. After eight to 10 pumps, lift the plunger away from the bottom of the bowl. If you’ve freed the clog, the water will drain—it usually takes just one or two attempts to free a clog.

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If you depress the handle but feel no resistance and the toilet fails to flush, either a connection or the toilet chain inside the tank has most likely come loose. Not all tank interiors look exactly alike, but all feature a lift arm (a thin metal or plastic rod) and a rubber stopper at the bottom (called a “flapper”), which connects via a chain to the lift arm. Learning how to fix a toilet handle is quick and usually solves the problem.

If the chain comes unhooked from the lift arm, the flapper won’t lift to allow water to drain from the tank, preventing the flush. The same problem can occur if the nut that secures the handle to the lift arm (just inside the tank) has worked loose. When the problem is a toilet not flushing, the solution could be a simple four-step repair.

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If you continue to hear water running in the commode when the tank has refilled after a flush, give the handle a little jiggle. If the running water stops, the problem is a faulty flapper. When new, the flapper is flexible and seals tightly in the drain at the bottom of the tank, settling easily back into place after every flush. Over time, however, the rubber can harden and the flapper won’t fit as snugly into the drain, and the result is a leaking toilet tank. Replacing the flapper should be just the right toilet repair.

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Pooling water around the toilet base is always a cause for concern—is the toilet leaking from tank, bowl, or somewhere else? It’s often the result of a leaking wax ring seal. To test if the wax ring has gone bad, squirt some food coloring into the toilet bowl and then flush the toilet. If colored water runs out from around the base, you’ll have to replace the wax ring.

No need to size shop, as wax rings are one-size-fits-all standard toilet flange and are readily available at hardware or plumbing supply stores for about $5. While replacing the ring is a fairly simple DIY project, it involves physically lifting the entire toilet, which can weigh anywhere from 70 to 125 pounds depending on size and style. Such types of toilet repairs will require a strong back or, better yet, a helper.

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If the toilet starts to flush but then stops, the chain may be too loose (causing the flapper to close prematurely) or the fill valve may be allowing insufficient water into the tank. Here, toilet repairs can be as simple as adjustments made to these components. If you find yourself having to hold the handle down for the entire flush, the following steps will get your commode flushing correctly again.

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The toilet is one of the most taken-for-granted fixtures in most homes. No one talks about it or thinks too much about it until it starts acting up—flushing slowly, clogging, leaking, or even hissing. Fortunately, most toilet problems are simple fixes, and a handy DIYer can tackle them in no time because the average toilet has only a few working parts.

Calling a plumber to repair simple toilet problems is costly and often unnecessary, since the most common issues have easy fixes. That said, replacing a wax ring is simple, but it also requires lifting the toilet from its base, which is physically strenuous. So if you’re not up for that, you may want to call a plumber for that fix.

At some point, almost all homeowners are faced with clogged toilets or ones that aren’t flushing well, and they ask themselves, “How does a toilet work?” A few questions are likely for those wanting to learn to troubleshoot and take the DIY route to fix toilet problems themselves.

The most common type of toilet is a two-piece (separate tank and bowl) unit that contains a tank with a flapper and a float. It relies on gravity to flush. Less common types may feature a toilet pump that sends a jet of water to flush the commode with force.

Many DIY types of toilet repair cost nothing, including plunging the bowl or adjusting a chain or the float level. However, if the tank’s inner workings are damaged, homeowners could pay an average of about $242 to have a plumber come out and make repairs, depending on the plumber’s hourly rate.

The water level in the tank is adjustable, and most toilets flush well when the water level is 1 to 2 inches below the fill valve and the overflow tube. Learning how to adjust a toilet float (see above) will make it possible to select the optimal level for smooth flushing.

If a toilet flush valve is cracked or broken, it should be replaced. This is a more challenging DIY repair than some, so some homeowners will want to call a plumber at this point. If you’re up to the challenge, you’ll need to purchase a flush valve kit, and it will come with complete instructions.

Most are, but it depends on size, either 2 inches or 3 inches. You’ll need to get the size that’s already in the tank for the correct fit.

It sounds ominous, but it’s actually quite simple. A toilet snake is an auger on a cable that feeds down the toilet bowl and into the trap beneath to clear out a clog. The tip of the auger will usually dislodge the clog or snag it so it can be pulled back up. Many a toddler’s stuffed toy has been retrieved in that manner.

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