Popular New Community Guides Product Guides

Results for "tank hardware"

55+ Answers 55 New This Week Free
Toilet Repair VideosSee all →
Water Leaking Between Tank and Bowl? Here's Why
Tank Problems Medium 1–2 hours 7 👍

Water Leaking Between Tank and Bowl? Here's Why

During my morning routine I spotted a puddle forming right at the seam where the tank meets the bowl — and it definitely wasn't there yesterday. I've owned this house for about twelve years and this toilet has always been rock solid, so the sudden leak caught me off guard. The water seems to appear mostly after a flush and then sort of seeps down the back of the bowl. Is this a gasket issue, or something more serious I should be worried about?…more
Cracked Toilet Tank: Repair or Replace?
Tank Problems Medium 1–3 hours (tank swap, once parts are sourced) 8 👍

Cracked Toilet Tank: Repair or Replace?

Looked under the lid of our toilet tank the other day while chasing down a slow drip, and sure enough there's a visible crack running along the inside wall. Now I'm trying to decide between attempting some kind of repair versus just swapping out the tank entirely — or maybe even replacing the whole toilet. We have two kids and this is the busiest bathroom in the house, so I don't want to be without it for long, but I also don't want to slap a band-aid on something that's going to fail on me in a few months.

I'm not totally clear on what causes these cracks in the first place — is it age, water pressure, something I did wrong? And honestly, I'm not sure if a DIY repair is even a realistic option or if it just delays the inevitable. Would love to understand what I'm actually dealing with before I drag my family to the hardware store.…more
How to Remove an Old Toilet: DIY vs. Pro Guide
Install Replace Medium 1–2 hours 13 👍

How to Remove an Old Toilet: DIY vs. Pro Guide

Three of my rental units need their aging toilets swapped out, and I'm standing in the plumbing aisle of the hardware store trying to figure out exactly what I need to buy before I start pulling them. I've got a handyman coming to do the actual installs, but I want to have everything on hand and understand the process so I'm not caught off guard if something goes sideways — like a rusted bolt or a cracked flange.

What tools should I have ready, what replacement parts should I grab at the same time, and are there any points in the removal where a landlord really should just step back and call a licensed plumber instead of pushing through? I'd rather know ahead of time what a 'stop and call someone' situation looks like than find out mid-job.…more
How to Connect a Bidet to Your Toilet Water Supply
Bidets Washlets Easy 1–3 hours depending on seat type 13 👍

How to Connect a Bidet to Your Toilet Water Supply

During my Saturday morning planning session, I realized this would be the perfect weekend to finally install the bidet attachment I've had sitting in its box for two months. My bathroom has a standard toilet with the shutoff valve accessible behind it, and the bidet kit came with what looks like a T-shaped fitting and two hoses — but I want to make sure I understand the connection sequence before I start turning things off and pulling apart my water supply line.

I'm comfortable with basic home repairs, but plumbing always makes me a little nervous about leaks. I'd love to know exactly what order to connect everything, whether I need any extra materials like Teflon tape, and what to watch for once I turn the water back on. I'm planning to do this solo, so knowing the full picture ahead of time would really help me feel confident going in.…more
Why Your Toilet Seat Keeps Coming Loose (and How to Fix It)
Seats Lids Easy 30–45 minutes 4 👍

Why Your Toilet Seat Keeps Coming Loose (and How to Fix It)

My vacation property came with a toilet seat that was clearly never maintained properly by the previous owner — it wobbles side to side every time anyone sits on it, and the hinge bolts underneath seem to work themselves loose within days of me tightening them. I noticed it during my first walkthrough after closing and assumed it would be a simple fix, but no matter how snug I get those bolts, the seat starts rocking again within a week or two.

I'm only at the property a few times a year, so I can't keep running back to retighten everything. Is there something structurally wrong with the hinges, or am I missing something about how these are supposed to be secured? I'd love a fix that actually holds up between visits rather than a band-aid that comes loose again by the time I return.…more
How to Tighten Toilet Tank Bolts Safely
Tank Problems Easy 30–45 minutes 7 👍

How to Tighten Toilet Tank Bolts Safely

Three times now the toilet tank has started rocking and dripping right before we have guests over — it never fails. Every time we have people over, I'm in the bathroom with a towel mopping up a slow leak from where the tank meets the bowl, and it's embarrassing. I'm pretty sure the bolts holding the tank to the bowl have worked loose over time.

I know porcelain can crack if you overtighten things, so I'm nervous about just grabbing a wrench and going to town on these bolts. Is there a safe way to snug them down without doing more damage than I started with? Are there any signs I should look for that tell me a bolt or gasket needs replacing rather than just tightening?…more
Why Is My Toilet Tank Sweating? Causes & Fixes
Tank Problems Easy 1–2 hours (plus drying time for foam liner adhesive) 9 👍

Why Is My Toilet Tank Sweating? Causes & Fixes

Nobody can seem to give me a straight answer on this. My neighbor says it's a leak from the tank bolts, the guy at the hardware store told me I need some kind of anti-sweat valve, and every YouTube video I watched went in a completely different direction. All I know is that every summer morning I walk into the bathroom and the outside of my toilet tank is dripping wet — there's even a puddle forming on the floor around the base. At first I thought the toilet was leaking, but I wiped the tank dry and the water came back without even flushing it.

I've got an older home and the bathroom doesn't have great airflow. I'm not sure if that matters. Is this actually condensation, or could it be a slow leak I'm missing? And more importantly, what do I actually do about it — is this a serious problem or just annoying?…more
How to Stop a Sweating Toilet Tank
Tank Problems Easy 1–3 hours (mostly drying time for liner adhesive) 6 👍

How to Stop a Sweating Toilet Tank

My toilet tank is doing something strange — it's constantly wet and dripping on the outside, even though I can't find any cracks or loose connections. At first I thought it was a slow leak from somewhere, but when I dry it off with a towel the moisture just comes right back within an hour or so, even without anyone flushing it. The floor around the base of the toilet is starting to feel damp too, which has me worried.

The toilet came with the house when we bought it a few months back, so I don't know its full history. A neighbor mentioned it might just be 'sweating' but I'm not sure what that means or if it's actually something I need to fix. Is this a real problem and what's causing it?…more
How to Replace a Toilet Fill Valve (Step-by-Step)
Fill Flush Valves Easy 45–60 minutes 24 👍

How to Replace a Toilet Fill Valve (Step-by-Step)

Found that my toilet tank starts making a constant trickling sound whenever the temperature outside climbs above about 85°F — during cooler months it works perfectly fine. I popped the lid off the tank and it looks like the fill valve is the culprit, maybe warped or worn from the heat cycling, because water just keeps creeping past it. The toilet is about eight or nine years old, two-piece, standard builder-grade setup.

I've never swapped out a fill valve before and I want to make sure I do it right the first time without cracking anything or ending up with a leak under the tank. What's the correct process for pulling the old valve and getting a new one seated and adjusted properly?…more
Why Does My Toilet Keep Filling With Water?
Running Toilet Easy 30 minutes 8 👍

Why Does My Toilet Keep Filling With Water?

Found myself staring at a toilet that won't stop cycling on and off after all that heavy rain we had last week — the tank fills up, I hear it click off, and then a few minutes later it kicks back on again like it's topping itself up. My house is older, probably original plumbing from the late 70s, so I wasn't sure if the wet weather had something to do with it or if something finally gave out inside the tank. It's been doing this around the clock, and I can hear it from the hallway at night.

I haven't touched the toilet at all, and nothing looks obviously broken when I lift the lid. The water level seems normal, but the fill valve just keeps cycling. Is this something I can sort out myself, or am I looking at a bigger problem?…more
Toilet Tank Not Filling? Here's Why & How to Fix It
Fill Flush Valves Easy 30–45 minutes 9 👍

Toilet Tank Not Filling? Here's Why & How to Fix It

Nobody wants to discover that their vacation home toilet is struggling to fill the tank — especially when you've just arrived and you're already dealing with a list of things to check on. My toilet is running through water like crazy trying to refill, or sometimes barely filling at all, and it's making the whole flush cycle take forever. I noticed it right when I got here this trip, and the tank just sits there making a hissing noise without ever reaching a normal water level.

I'm not sure if it's something that happened while the house was sitting empty or if it's been a gradual thing I missed on my last visit. Either way, the toilet is burning through refill attempts and either running constantly or just not completing the fill cycle at all. Would love to know what's going on and how to keep it from happening again.…more
Toilet Tank Slowly Draining Into Bowl? Here's Why
Flappers Chains Easy 30–45 minutes 7 👍

Toilet Tank Slowly Draining Into Bowl? Here's Why

Found something strange happening with my toilet — after every flush, the tank seems to refill okay, but then I notice the water level in the bowl is slowly dropping, like the tank is quietly leaking into it. Or maybe it's the other way around? I honestly can't tell. I'm retired and I've owned this house for a while now, but I've always just called someone for plumbing stuff and never really learned it myself.

I opened up the tank lid to take a look and I can see the water is definitely trickling down into the bowl even when nobody's flushed. There's a rubber flap thing at the bottom of the tank and some kind of float and valve setup, but I don't really know what any of it does or which part might be causing the problem. The toilet doesn't run loudly — it's more of a slow, silent drain that I only noticed because my water bill ticked up a bit this month.…more
Why Is My Toilet Always Running? (DIY Fixes)
Running Toilet Easy 30–60 minutes 10 👍

Why Is My Toilet Always Running? (DIY Fixes)

My toilet has been making that constant trickling/hissing sound for what feels like forever, and my water bill is starting to show it. It runs pretty much non-stop — sometimes it stops for a little while and then kicks back on again even though nobody's used it. Can't afford a service call right now — is there a way to diagnose and fix this for under $20 or so? I've heard it might be the flapper or something in the tank, but I really don't know where to start.…more
How to Stop a Running Toilet for Good
Running Toilet Easy 30–60 minutes 9 👍

How to Stop a Running Toilet for Good

Three times now I've come home to that maddening hissing sound coming from the bathroom, and I'm completely over it. It's the same toilet in the main bath, and every time I jiggle the handle it stops for a while — but within a few days the running starts up again. I replaced the flapper myself last month thinking that would fix it for good, but here we are.

As a first-time homeowner I'm trying to handle as much of this myself as possible, but I honestly don't know if I'm just buying the wrong parts or if there's a bigger issue hiding inside the tank. The toilet is probably original to the house, so it's not brand new. Is there a systematic way to actually diagnose what's causing this so I can fix it once and for all instead of slapping a bandage on it every few weeks?…more
Why Does My Toilet Run Every Few Minutes?
Flappers Chains Easy 30–45 minutes 7 👍

Why Does My Toilet Run Every Few Minutes?

Looked up a video on how to stop a toilet from randomly running and ended up making things worse than when I started. The toilet in my apartment refills by itself every few minutes even when nobody's used it — it's like it briefly kicks on, runs for 10–15 seconds, then goes quiet again before starting the cycle all over. The landlord is slow to respond, so I figured I'd try to sort it out myself.

Followed a tutorial that said to adjust the float by bending the arm, but this toilet has a newer-style fill valve, not the old ballcock type, and now I'm not sure I adjusted the right thing. The running seems about the same if not slightly more frequent. I can hear it clearly from the hallway at night, which is getting pretty annoying.…more