I've been having trouble with my toilet for the last week and a half. It won't flush at all. I've checked for clogs and even tried using a bucket of water to flush it manually, which works fine, so I know it's not clogged. I had a plumber come out, and they said the toilet needs to be replaced because of rusty bolts at the bottom. They gave me a scary worst-case scenario about the toilet collapsing and flooding my house! The estimate to replace the entire toilet is over $1000, and even just replacing the tank and flapper would cost me $600. I'm really at a loss here and feeling disappointed. Any advice?
3 Answers
It could just be the fill valve that's faulty, which is a pretty quick fix if you're willing to give it a shot. A handyman could also do it for around $50 – way cheaper than replacing the whole thing! Check if you’re in a place where handymen can work on plumbing, though.
You might want to get a few more quotes from different plumbers before committing to that $1000 price tag. It sounds like it could be a simple fix that some places are just trying to upsell you on.
Or better yet, watch a couple of YouTube videos on how to fix toilets and try it yourself. You might surprise yourself!
Honestly, I’d just hire a good local plumber on a time-and-materials basis instead of going for those big name places. They tend to overcharge.
If you’re up for a bit of DIY, changing the toilet yourself could save you a bunch of cash. You just need to check some tutorials online. Parts at Home Depot for toilet repairs are super cheap – you could get a kit for about $20 and do it in 15 minutes!
Exactly! Watching those videos can really help. Even if you don’t fix it yourself, you’ll at least understand what’s going on.
Plus, even if you mess up a bit, it's still gonna be better than paying that huge estimate!
Yeah, for something like this, a handyman is always a good go-to instead of a full plumber.