Common toilet and cistern faults
A toilet is a simple machine with a few parts that wear out. The most common faults are a worn fill valve or flush valve that lets water run through the cistern, a seal that has failed between the cistern and the pan, a worn seal where the pan meets the waste pipe, a loose pan that has moved on its fixings, and a crack in the cistern or pan itself. A toilet that flushes weakly, or will not clear at all, may have a drain problem instead, and we can tell which.
Signs to look out for
Tell-tale signs are:
- Hissing, or the cistern refilling every few minutes with nobody using it
- Water trickling into the pan after a flush
- An overflow pipe dripping or running outside
- Damp, staining or a soft patch of floor round the base of the toilet
- A pan that moves or rocks when you sit on it
- A weak flush, or a toilet that will not clear
How we fix it
We start by finding the cause: lifting the cistern lid, watching how it fills and flushes, and checking the connections and the base. Often the repair is a new fill valve, flush valve or set of seals, and the toilet is back in use the same visit. Where the pan has worked loose we refit and reseal it, and where the cistern or pan is cracked we replace it. If the toilet is slow to flush because the drain is part-blocked, that is a drain job (blocked drains), and we can deal with that too. A toilet overflowing and not stopping is an emergency: turn off the water at the stop tap and see emergency plumber.
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Repair or replace
Most toilets are worth repairing. Replacement makes more sense when the china is cracked, when the cistern's mechanism is so old that parts are no longer made, or when repeated repairs cost more than the toilet is worth. We tell you honestly which makes sense, and we do not push a replacement if a repair will do. It is worth sorting a running cistern quickly either way: it wastes water all day and night, and on a water meter you pay for every litre of it.
What affects the price
The type of fault and the price of the parts are the main factors. A concealed cistern behind a panel or a wall-hung toilet takes longer to reach than a standard close-coupled one, and any damage to the floor underneath changes the job. Repair is cheaper than replacement, and out-of-hours calls cost more than a booked visit. A firm price is agreed before we begin.
What happens after you call
You speak to the team. Tell us what the toilet is doing and what type it is, and we will say whether it can wait for a booked visit or needs someone out now. On site we find the fault, explain it and the cost, and fix it once you are happy to go ahead.