Basic toilet repair is the type of home project that nearly all homeowners tackle at one time or another, whether or not they are experienced do-it-yourselfers. Unless you’re willing to pay a plumber $80 (or possibly much more) to clear a clog or stop a running toilet, you’re likely to give the toilet plunger a shot or jiggle the handle to stop the water running. Besides, who wants to wait hours…or days…for a plumber to arrive when the toilet is inoperable? In many cases, you can fix toilet problems yourself, quickly and easily.

To handle many basic toilet repairs, you just need some helpful step-by-step guidance and a few tools, such as a toilet plunger, pliers, a screwdriver, and a wrench.

Before you begin, become familiar with the basic workings of a toilet. Study the drawing shown here and check out How a Toilet Works & Toilet Plumbing Diagrams.

Then clarify the problem that you need to fix, based on the symptoms. Sometimes this is obvious, sometimes it isn’t. See the various specific repairs listed under the Repair & Care section below for step-by-step instructions to get you through most basic toilet repairs.