Toilet overflowing right now
Do not flush again. Every flush sends more water into a bowl that cannot drain. Take the lid off the tank and lift the float, the plastic ball or cup that rides on the water. Holding it up stops the tank from refilling. You can also close the supply valve, the small oval or round handle on the pipe behind the toilet near the floor. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
Then put towels around the base and wipe up what has spilled. Toilet water from a clog is dirty, so wear gloves and wash your hands afterward. Keep children and pets out of the room. If water is reaching outlets, stop and stay out of the area.
Do not use chemical drain cleaner in a bowl that is full of water. It rarely opens a solid clog and can splash back. If the water is down and the clog is in the bowl, a plunger is the safe first tool.
Our line is open nights, weekends and holidays, and a licensed plumber is dispatched for same-day appointments when available. We do not promise an arrival time.
Toilet will not stop running
A running toilet is the most common repair and usually the cheapest. The tank holds water that drops into the bowl when you flush. A rubber flapper seals the hole at the bottom, and a fill valve refills the tank until a float shuts it off. When one of those parts fails, water keeps flowing.
You can tell which by watching and testing.
- Water trickles into the bowl after the flush ends. The flapper is not sealing, or the chain is too tight or too loose.
- The tank keeps refilling and you hear hissing. The fill valve is not shutting off, or the float is set too high.
- Water pours into the overflow tube in the tank. The float or fill valve is letting the water rise above the safe level.
- A phantom flush every few minutes. A slow leak from the tank into the bowl is dropping the level until the fill valve opens.
To test the flapper, add a few drops of food colouring to the tank without flushing. If colour reaches the bowl within fifteen minutes, the flapper is leaking. Flappers wear, harden and warp, and replacing one is a small repair. A fill valve is a bit more work, because it connects to the water supply and has to be sealed and adjusted.
Weak flush or incomplete flush
A flush works by sending a rush of water into the bowl that starts a siphon in the trapway. The water enters through rim jets under the rim and a larger siphon jet at the bottom of the bowl. If those openings are blocked, the flush is weak.
Mineral buildup is a common cause. Water leaves a crust around the rim holes and the siphon jet, narrowing them. A plumber can clean them with a brush or a descaling treatment. Another cause is a low water level in the tank, which means the flush has less water to move. A chain that is too long or a flapper that closes too early can also cut the flush short.
A partial clog can mimic all of this. If the bowl fills high, drains slowly and then clears, something is restricting the trap. The next sections cover how to tell and what to do.
Wobbly toilet or water at the base
A toilet sits on a flange, a ring fixed to the floor and the top of the drain pipe. A wax ring or a rubber gasket between the toilet and the flange seals the connection against water and sewer gas. Two bolts hold the toilet down.
If the toilet rocks, the bolts are loose or the floor under the flange has moved. A rocking toilet will eventually break the seal. If you see water at the base after a flush, or smell sewer gas, the seal has failed. Water can seep under the floor, so a leak at the base should not wait.
The repair is to shut off the water, drain the tank and bowl, lift the toilet and clean off the old wax. The plumber checks the flange for cracks and for the right height, since a flange that is too low will not seal even with a new wax ring. Then a new ring goes in, the toilet is set and the bolts are tightened evenly without cracking the porcelain.
Rotted or soft flooring around the base is a bigger finding. The plumber can tell you what is needed before anything is installed.
Leaking supply line and shutoff valve
The supply line is the braided or plastic tube that runs from the shutoff valve to the tank. It can leak at either end, and a braided line can burst when the inside fails. Look for drips at the connection, damp spots on the floor and corrosion on the fittings.
The shutoff valve, often called the angle stop, can leak at the stem or refuse to close. If it will not close, you cannot isolate the toilet for repair, so the plumber replaces it too. If it is a valve you cannot turn at all, do not force it. Tell the dispatcher, and if water is escaping, close the home main shutoff.
A slow-filling tank can come from a partly closed valve, a clogged or worn fill valve, or sediment in the line. The plumber checks the valve first, then the fill valve, and replaces what is worn.
Toilet clogs, plunger or closet auger
Most clogs sit in the toilet's own trapway, the curved passage built into the bowl. A flange plunger, with a rubber flap that fits into the drain opening, works better than a cup plunger. Push gently first to seat it, then plunge with steady strokes. Use hot, not boiling, tap water, since boiling water can crack porcelain.
If the plunger fails, a closet auger helps. It is a short cable inside a rigid tube with a curved end that protects the bowl. It reaches the trapway and can hook or break a plug. A heavy snake from a hardware store can scratch porcelain.
Call a plumber if the plunger and auger do not work, if the toilet clogs repeatedly or if other drains gurgle or back up. Repeated clogs, or clogs together with a slow tub or sink, suggest that the problem is deeper in the drain line. That is a job for clearing the drain line, not the toilet.
Toilet overflowing or leaking at the base?
Call the 24/7 line. A licensed plumber is dispatched, and you get a clear price before work starts.
What the plumber finds and fixes
| What you notice | What it usually means | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Water runs into the bowl after flushing | Worn flapper or a misadjusted chain | Replace the flapper, adjust the chain |
| Hissing, tank keeps refilling | Failed fill valve or float set too high | Adjust or replace the fill valve |
| Weak flush | Clogged rim jets, low tank level or partial clog | Clean the jets, adjust the water level, clear the trap |
| Toilet rocks or water at the base | Failed wax ring or loose bolts | Reset the toilet with a new ring and check the flange |
| Drip at the supply connection | Worn supply line or failing angle stop | Replace the line or valve |
| Bowl fills and will not drain | Clog in the trap or the drain line | Plunge, use a closet auger, or cable the drain |
Honest limits apply. A plumber can fix the plumbing parts of a standard toilet. Bidet seats, electronic seats and smart toilets have electrical and software parts, and we do not claim to repair them. Ask the dispatcher whether the plumber can help with your model before the visit.
When to replace the toilet instead
A cracked bowl or tank cannot be repaired. Hairline cracks that weep, glaze that has worn through or a flush that stays weak after cleaning are signs the toilet is at the end of its life. Replacement also makes sense when you are fixing the same toilet more than once or when the toilet is old and uses a lot of water per flush.
Replacement is not a large job in the right conditions. The plumber shuts off the water, removes the old toilet, checks and replaces the flange or wax ring if needed, sets the new toilet and tests the flush. The size of the rough-in, the distance from the wall to the drain centre, must match the new toilet, and most are 12 inches.
Planned installs of a new toilet, a different height or a new bathroom layout are covered under planned fixture installation. If the sink faucet is also dripping, the page on fixing a dripping faucet covers that.
What affects the price of toilet repair
The failing part
A flapper or fill valve is a smaller repair than a new wax ring, flange or toilet.
Homeowners insurance usually covers sudden and accidental water damage, such as an overflow that ruins a floor, but not wear and tear on the toilet itself. Ask your insurer. You get a clear price before work starts.
Before the plumber arrives
Stop the water
Turn the supply valve behind the toilet clockwise, or lift the float. If neither works, close the home main.
Clear the floor
Take up rugs and mats, wipe the floor and move anything you do not want wet.
Note the symptoms
Write down what you notice, such as running, weak flush, a leak at the base or a rocking toilet, and whether other drains are affected.
Clear the room
Make space around the toilet. If you know the brand or have spare parts, set them out.
Toilets in Cibolo, TX
The City of Cibolo enforces the 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC), and permit rules vary, so ask the City of Cibolo building department before moving a toilet or changing the drain. Replacing a toilet in the same spot is simple. Relocating it is a bigger job.
If several drains back up together, the cause may not be the toilet. Sewer billing in Cibolo changed in November 2025, and according to the City, Green Valley Special Utility District now adds the sewer charge. For a suspected sewer clog, GVSUD lists (830) 914-2331. The 24/7 line is for the plumbing in your house.
We repair toilets for neighbors in Selma as well, and the same checks apply.
Common questions about toilet repair
A toilet that clogs or will not stop running late on a Saturday is still worth a call, because the line is answered every night and weekend and a licensed plumber is dispatched with same-day appointments when available. The dispatcher does not state an arrival time and will tell you how to hold things steady instead.
Lift the tank lid and raise the float, then turn the oval supply valve behind the bowl clockwise to stop an overflow. A clear price comes before any parts are swapped.
Do not flush. Lift the float in the tank or close the supply valve behind the toilet. Turn it clockwise. Then put down towels and call.
Yes. The water goes down the drain, and the problem tends to get worse. The repair is often a flapper or fill valve, which is a small job.
We repair the plumbing parts of standard toilets. For smart toilets and electronic bidet seats, ask the dispatcher before the visit.
Loose bolts or a floor that has shifted. A rocking toilet breaks the wax seal over time, so it should be fixed before it leaks. The plumber can reset it with a new ring.
If only the toilet is affected, it is likely in the toilet's trap. If the tub or sink also gurgles or backs up, the clog is further along, and the drain cleaning page explains what happens next.