Toilet repairs run the gamut. It can be as extensive as a complete replacement or as simple as replacing a broken flush handle. All of the toilet repairs are well within the ability of the average do-it-yourselfer.( DIY )

Leaks around the base of the toilet are usually a sign that the toilet will have to be replaced. In some cases, it’s a simple tear in the wax seal that was used to seal the hole in the floor where the toilet is installed. Sometimes a kind of grease is used instead and it can dry out or acquire a hole underneath the toilet whereby causing the base of the toilet to leak and require removal of the toilet to repair. In those cases, the old toilet can be re-used but the steps for repair are the same as installing a new toilet.

Other problems with toilets are much more common.

When you hear the toilet water continue to run forever, a few simple things can be the culprit. Inside the tank of the toilet is a large plastic ball that floats called, not suprisingly, a float. It’s attached to a rod that controls a valve. If the ball never rises enough to shut off the water, it will continue to run.

Test that by pulling up on the rod in the toilet tank. The water flow should stop almost instantly. If it does, simply bend the rod down slightly until the ball floats high enough to shut off the valve on the inside of the toilet tank. This simple fix can help you avoid a repair or replacement to any of the toilet parts.

In more typical cases, the cause is the failure of the small rubber stopper or flapper at the base of the toilet tank used to seal off the hole that drains the water down into the toilet bowl. Water leaks through the hole and the float does its job by falling down as the water level lowers in the tank of the toilet. That opens the valve and the water runs continuously on the toilet. Very annoying.

There are two basic ways to repair that situation.

Sometimes it’s possible to simply take a rough sponge or pad of steel wool and scour off any slime on the base of the rubber stopper located at the base of the toilet tank. If its surface became uneven due to mold build-up, small cracks open up when it doesn’t seat properly thereby causing the toilet to leak.

Sometimes that rubber stopper can be defective, or the hinges may break requireing the parts of the toilet to be repaired. Occasionally the small metal pins that secure the hinges to the toilet may break from having rusted then moved many times. In all such cases, just buy a kit and re-install the stopper using the simple instructions on the package. The nice thing about a whole kit replacement to repair a toilet is the cost – only about $14.00.

It may take years, but the rod connected to the flush handle of the toilet does sometimes break if made of plastic or corrode until it breaks if made of metal. These are inexpensive and easy to replace. Each will last about as long as the other. Just remove the clip that attaches the rod inside to the chain , located in the tank of the toilet. Then remove the small plastic and/or metal retaining nuts and replace the part. Nice, easy repair.

On rare occasions it may be necessary to replace the floating ball located in the tank of the toilet, water feed tube or other parts. Kits are available that contain all these parts. Installation is simple by following the instructions on the package.
Some inexpensive DIY project tips you can do by The Fixie Chick