Toilet Repair

If you've ever seen the movie Along Came Polly, you remember the bathroom scene all too well. Ruben, played by Ben Stiller finds himself at his date's apartment after a night out eating spicy Chinese food. Suffering a bout of IBS he winds up in his lovely date's bathroom dealing with his issues...and, she's out of toilet paper.

Ruben gets creative and attempts to solve the no tissue problem with a small hand towel that's just a little too big to go down the toilet when he flushes.

What ensues is something we would all dread (whether on a hot date or not!), and leaves Ruben watching frantically and helpless as the water in the plugged up bowl rises and spills over the rim of the seat. The floor of the bathroom floods, and the rest is comical history.

It's the toilet clog of the century and is one of the classic movie bathroom scenes. If you've encountered such a scene... or have even come close, you know how discouraged (let alone embarrassing!) you can get.

Like much of your house's plumbing, typical toilet plumbing hasn't evolved all that much over the years. That means the traditional toilet repairs we've come to know (and not necessarily love!), haven't gone anywhere either.

Toilets can bring familiar problems such as various kinds of leaks, overflows, and broken handles, to name a few. (That's enough, right?)

Your toilet plumbing and mechanical function are made up of relatively few basic parts. A lever or handle is attached to a lift chain that is connected to a flapper. Lift the lever and the flapper raises up, releasing water from the toilet's tank to the bowl.

Finally, water refills the tank via a ball cock which contains a valve connected to the water supply, and is controlled by a float ball (that big ball we see in the tank), that shuts off the water when it rises to the top of the tank..

While the process is basic enough, one "out of line" part can gum up the works. When it comes to toilet repairs, you can usually hire yourself instead of a plumber. A little knowledge and the right tools go a long way to making your toilet like new again without spending precious dollars.

Below are some common toilet issues and how to get rid of them faster than you can say "honey, we're out of toilet paper!"

Common Toilet Repairs

A clogged toilet bowl is a toilet repair we're most experienced with. If you can't fix yours, there is always another way to "skin the cat" so to speak. Try each of these steps until you've cleared the dam.

Need to repair a broken toilet handle? If you can take the tank lid off, you can make this fix. Follow these straightforward steps to make your toilet flush with ease again.

Need to repair a running toilet? The joke goes "Is your toilet running? You better catch it! Okay, bad jokes aside, you can stop wasting water and quiet your running john with these tips on what to look for and how to repair this internal water leak.

Repair a toilet that's rocking: No, not one that's jamming out to some rock n' roll, but one that actually wobbles back and forth when you sit down. There are times to loosen up, but this is one time to tighten things down.

A slow flushing toilet isn't a crime, but it's also not normal. Complete these easy checks and balances to ensure your toilet's flush is a speedy one.

Here are 5 easy steps to unclog a toilet full of paper towels. We promise this is DIY doable!

Next time you repair or reinstall a toilet bowl, use a wax free toilet seal. Eliminate the mess and reduce the chances of floor leaks under your toilet.

A leaking toilet fill valve waits for no one. You'll see and maybe even hear water going where it's not supposed to. Check out this 3-step fix sooner rather than later.

When you're faced with a leaking toilet supply line you're looking at several different causes. Find out just where your problem is and follows these steps for an easy fix.

Sometimes it's time to upgrade or fix the the water line between your tank and wall. Here's how to replace a toilet supply line in the most basic steps to make your task quick and easy.