Toilet Repair & Installation in Fort Worth, TX

Running toilet: flapper, fill valve or float

A toilet that keeps refilling or hisses long after the flush is losing water from the tank. Three parts cause almost all of it:

• Flapper: the rubber seal at the bottom of the tank hardens and warps with age. If the toilet refills by itself now and then, suspect it first.
• Fill valve: hard water leaves mineral scale inside it, so it never shuts off fully and keeps trickling.
• Float and chain: a float set too high spills water down the overflow tube; a chain that is too short holds the flapper open.

Many running toilets need only an adjustment or one new part. If the flush valve seat is pitted or crusted with scale, a new flapper won't seal against it, so we replace the flush valve rather than chase the same leak twice.

Leaking at the base: wax ring, bolts and flange

Water around the base usually means the seal between the toilet and the drain has failed, and that water isn't clean. Common causes:

• A flattened or dried-out wax ring, often after the toilet has rocked for months
• Loose or corroded closet bolts that let the toilet shift
• A cracked or rusted flange, common with the cast iron drains in 1920s–60s homes around Riverside, Oakhurst, Six Points and Northside
• A flange left below the floor after new tile went down, so a standard wax ring can't reach it

Check the supply line, the tank-to-bowl bolts and the outside of the tank first; a tank can sweat enough on a humid day to drip. If water appears only after a flush, it's the seal, and it's best to stop using that toilet until it's reset. We lift the toilet off, repair or replace the flange if needed, and reset it level on a new seal and bolts. In pier-and-beam homes in Fairmount and other older neighborhoods, we also check the subfloor, because a slow leak softens the wood. For a stain you can't trace, try leak detection.

Clogs that keep coming back

One clog usually clears with a flange plunger. A toilet that clogs every week, gurgles when the tub drains or backs up into the shower has a problem farther down the line. Many older Fort Worth homes still have cast iron or clay sewer pipe, and tree roots and shifting North Texas clay can crack those joints. Drain cleaning clears the line, and a video camera inspection shows whether it needs sewer line repair.

Repair or replace your toilet?

Flappers, fill valves, handles, supply lines and seals are all repairs. Replacement makes more sense when:

• The bowl or tank is cracked; porcelain can't be reliably patched
• It clogs constantly even with a clear drain line
• It's an older model using 3.5 gallons or more per flush; new toilets use 1.28 to 1.6
• You're remodeling, or want a comfort-height or elongated bowl

Toilet installation in Fort Worth

Before you buy, measure the rough-in: the distance from the finished wall to the center of the bolts at the base. Most homes are 12 inches, but some older houses are 10 or 14, and a toilet made for the wrong size won't fit.

1. Shut off the water, remove the old toilet and plug the drain opening so sewer odors stay out of the room.
2. Inspect the flange and floor; repair a cracked flange or add a spacer for raised flooring.
3. Set the new toilet on a new seal and bolts, then level and shim it so it can't rock.
4. Connect a new supply line, replacing a seized shut-off valve if needed.
5. Flush several times, check every connection and set the tank's water level.

We install and replace toilets for homes and other properties, including remodels alongside new showers and faucets. For sinks, tubs and other fixtures, see fixture repair and fixture installation.

Toilet repair FAQ

Call for toilet repair or installation in Fort Worth

From Riverside we serve all of Fort Worth, including Oakhurst, Six Points, Northside and Fairmount, plus Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Saginaw, Lake Worth, Benbrook, Kennedale and Burleson. Call (817) 755-5621 to book. Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily · 24/7 emergency service.

New customers get $50 off; seniors, military and first responders get 10% off; and the dispatch fee is $0 with a repair. Terms are on our coupons page.