Toilets are the most-used fixture in any apartment and the one most likely to be tolerated long after it should have been fixed. A toilet that runs constantly can waste hundreds of gallons a day — enough to turn a water bill into a surprise. A toilet that rocks on its base is leaking silently through a failed wax ring, which is the kind of slow leak that rots a subfloor before anyone notices. Most toilet problems are cheap, fast repairs when they're addressed promptly.
What we repair
- Running toilets — a flapper that no longer seals, a fill valve that won't shut off, or a flush tube set at the wrong height. The most common call and a five-minute fix in most cases.
- Weak or double flushes — partially clogged rim jets, a failing flush valve, or a flapper closing too early. Often misdiagnosed as "low water pressure."
- Toilets that rock or leak at the base — a failed wax ring or a broken flange underneath. Left alone, this warps the floor and eventually the ceiling below.
- Phantom flushes — the tank silently refills every few minutes because a slow flapper leak drops the water level past the fill valve trigger.
- Clogs and backups — usually flushable wipes (which aren't flushable) or a foreign object in the trap. See drain cleaning when the blockage is past the toilet.
- Wall-mount and pressure-assist toilets — common in commercial and some residential buildings, with their own failure modes around the carrier and flushometer.
When to repair versus replace
A toilet with a cracked bowl or tank is a replacement — no safe repair exists for cracked porcelain, and a hairline crack is a flood waiting for the moment it lets go. A toilet that's been repaired repeatedly and still underperforms is a replacement candidate, especially older high-volume units where a modern low-flow fixture cuts water use meaningfully. A toilet that simply has a worn flapper or fill valve is a repair, full stop — we won't talk you into a new toilet over a ten-dollar part.
Installation
A new toilet installation is straightforward when the flange underneath is sound, and a bigger job when it isn't — and in older Manhattan bathrooms the flange often isn't. We inspect the flange before setting the new bowl, replace corroded closet bolts, set a fresh wax ring (never reuse one), confirm the rough-in measurement matches the new fixture, and check that the floor is level enough to seat the bowl without rocking. If the flange itself is broken, we replace or repair it so the new toilet doesn't become the next leak. We also handle the supply line and shutoff valve while we're there for the same reason we do it on faucet installs — reusing a frozen angle stop under a toilet is how a quick job turns into a flood.
A toilet overflowing or backing up into the tub along with other fixtures means the main line is involved — that's emergency plumbing and possibly sewer repair, not a toilet problem. A slow leak at the base that's already damaging the floor is worth calling about the same day — it overlaps with leak repair.