Key Takeaway
Most toilet problems are repairs: a worn flapper or fill valve, a loose seat or handle, a wax ring that has failed under a toilet that rocks, or a clog in the trap. Replace the toilet when the bowl or tank is cracked, when it clogs again and again with normal use, when it needs a new part every few months, or when it is an older model using far more water than a modern one. The EPA says older toilets use as much as 6 gallons per flush, while WaterSense labeled models use 1.28 gallons per flush or less. Setting a new toilet takes about 1 to 2 hours. SKS Plumbing is open 7 days a week. Call (503) 319-9348.
Repair a toilet when the problem is a single worn part, such as a flapper, fill valve, handle or wax ring. Replace it when the bowl or tank is cracked, when it clogs or needs parts over and over, or when it is an old model that wastes water every time you flush.
Most toilet problems in Hillsboro and Beaverton homes come down to one worn part. The trick is knowing which symptoms are a quick fix and which ones mean the toilet has reached the end. Here is how to sort them.
Toilet Problems a Repair Usually Fixes
It runs or refills on its own. This is almost always the flapper or the fill valve inside the tank. Both are cheap, standard parts. Our guide to why a toilet keeps running walks through the dye test and the three parts that usually cause it.
It rocks or wobbles. The bolts at the base have worked loose, or the wax ring under the toilet has been crushed. Snugging the bolts may stop the wobble for a week, but a toilet that has been rocking has usually broken the seal. The fix is to lift the toilet, inspect the flange and set it again on a new wax ring or wax-free seal.
Water around the base. If it only appears after a flush, the seal under the toilet is the likely cause. If it is there all the time, check the supply line and the shutoff valve behind the toilet first. A braided supply line with a bulge or a corroded nut is a simple swap.
A weak flush. Hard water scale can clog the small rim holes and the siphon jet at the bottom of the bowl. Cleaning them out often brings the flush back. A flush valve or flapper that closes too early also shortens the flush, and that is an adjustment, not a new toilet.
A loose handle, seat or lid. These are parts, never a reason to replace the whole fixture.
Signs It Is Time to Replace the Toilet
Some problems cost more to keep fixing than a new toilet costs to install. These are the ones we tell homeowners to stop repairing.
- A crack in the bowl or tank. A crack below the water line will leak, and porcelain can let go without warning. There is no repair that holds. A crack in the tank lid is cosmetic.
- It clogs with normal use. If you reach for the plunger every week and the drain line beyond the toilet is clear, the trapway inside the bowl may be too narrow or partly blocked with scale. Some older low-flow toilets from the 1990s were known for this.
- Parts every few months. A new flapper once every few years is normal. A toilet that needs a fill valve, then a flush valve, then a tank bolt seal in the same year is telling you something.
- It is an older high-flow model. The U.S. EPA's WaterSense program notes that "older, inefficient toilets that use as much as 6 gallons per flush" are a major source of wasted water, and that newer designs "have allowed toilets to use 1.28 gallons per flush or less." (EPA WaterSense, Residential Toilets) In a household that flushes many times a day, that difference shows up on every water and sewer bill.
- Damage you can see at the base. Stains on the ceiling below an upstairs bathroom, or flooring that is soft around the toilet, mean water has been getting past the seal. The toilet has to come up anyway, which makes it a sensible moment to replace an old one.
- You are remodeling. If the floor is coming up or the bathroom is being redone, setting a new toilet at the same time costs less than coming back for it later.
How to Check Whether Your Toilet Is an Older Model
Lift the tank lid. Most manufacturers stamp a date inside the tank, and many print the gallons per flush (GPF) on the back of the bowl near the seat hinge. A toilet marked 3.5 GPF or more, or one with no marking that dates from before 1994, predates the federal 1.6 gallon limit. A WaterSense label means 1.28 GPF or less.
Age on its own is not a reason to replace a toilet. A 30 year old toilet that flushes well and never leaks can stay. Age matters when it comes with one of the problems above, because then you are paying to repair a fixture that also costs more to run.
Repair or Replace: A Quick Rule
Repair it if the problem is one part: the flapper, the fill valve, the handle, the seat, the supply line or the wax ring under a toilet that is otherwise sound.
Replace it if the bowl or tank is cracked, if it keeps clogging with normal use, if you are fixing something new every few months, or if it is an old high-flow toilet and you are already paying to have it pulled up.
If you are not sure, a plumber can usually tell in one visit. We check the bowl and tank for cracks, the seal and flange, the supply valve and the inside of the tank, and then tell you which way we would go and why.
What a Toilet Replacement Involves
A standard toilet replacement takes about 1 to 2 hours. We shut off the supply, drain the tank and bowl, and remove the old toilet. Then we inspect the closet flange (the fitting in the floor the toilet bolts to). A cracked or corroded flange gets repaired or replaced before anything else goes on it, because a new toilet on a bad flange will rock and leak just like the old one.
We fit a new wax ring or wax-free seal, set the toilet, bolt it down level, and connect a new supply line. Then we flush it several times and check the base, the tank bolts and the supply connection for leaks before we leave.
What you choose affects the price more than the labor does. Comfort height bowls, elongated bowls, one-piece designs and dual-flush models all cost more than a basic round two-piece toilet, but any of them can go in during the same visit. Tell us what you want when you book, or ask us to bring a standard model. We give you a written estimate before any work starts.
Swapping toilets in more than one bathroom? It is usually quicker and simpler to do them in the same visit. If you are also replacing faucets or showerheads, our guide to WaterSense faucets and showerheads covers what to look for.
Get Your Toilet Fixed or Replaced
SKS Plumbing repairs and replaces toilets as part of our bathroom plumbing service, along with faucets, shower valves and tub drains, across Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard and the rest of Washington County. If you have spotted water where it should not be and cannot find the source, our leak detection service can track it down.
We are open seven days a week. Call (503) 319-9348, or book a visit for a free estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a single worn part, a repair is almost always cheaper. Flappers, fill valves, handles, seats and wax rings are inexpensive parts and quick to fit. Replacing makes financial sense when the toilet is cracked, when repairs keep stacking up, or when an old high-flow toilet is adding to your water bill every month.
Not reliably. A crack below the water line in the bowl or tank will keep leaking and can fail suddenly, so the safe answer is a new toilet. A hairline crack in the tank lid or above the water line is cosmetic and can be left alone.
Usually the bolts holding it to the flange have loosened or the wax ring underneath has been crushed or has failed. Tightening the bolts on its own rarely fixes it for long. The toilet needs to come up, the flange checked, and a new wax ring or wax-free seal fitted. If the floor around the base is soft, water has been leaking into the subfloor and needs looking at.
Lift the tank lid and look for a date stamp or a gallons-per-flush marking inside the tank or on the back of the bowl near the hinge. Toilets made before the federal 1.6 gallon limit took effect in 1994 often use 3.5 gallons or more. A WaterSense label means 1.28 gallons per flush or less.
About 1 to 2 hours for a standard swap. That covers removing the old toilet, checking the flange, fitting a new seal, setting and bolting the new toilet, connecting the supply line and testing the flush and the base for leaks. A damaged flange or subfloor adds time.
