What this covers
Toilet repair means fixing what's already there — a flapper that won't seal, a fill valve that runs all night, a wobble at the base, a slow leak onto the floor, a tank that's hairline cracked, or a bowl that clogs no matter how carefully you flush it. Toilet installation means pulling the old one and setting a new one, either because the old one's done or because you're remodeling and want something different — comfort height, low-flow, a different bowl shape for a small bathroom. We do both, and we tell you which one actually makes sense before you pay for either.
When you need this
- The tank refills on its own, off and on, all day or all night — that's water and money going down the drain.
- The toilet rocks slightly when you sit down. That's not cosmetic. It means the wax seal is breaking and water is getting under the base.
- There's water on the floor around the base, especially after a flush. Could be the seal, could be a cracked tank or bowl.
- It clogs often, even with normal use — sometimes the toilet itself, sometimes what's downstream (see drain cleaning and sewer camera inspection if it's a recurring backup, not just the fixture).
- You're renovating a bathroom and the toilet needs to move, or you just want it gone and replaced with something better. See bathroom plumbing.
- It's an old toilet — 3.5-gallon or older tank — and the repair math doesn't make sense anymore.
If water is actively coming up out of the bowl or running onto the floor and you can't get it to stop, shut off the valve at the wall behind the toilet and call — that's emergency plumbing, not a scheduled repair.
How the visit goes
We look at the toilet itself first — flush it, check the tank internals, check the base for movement or moisture, check the supply line and shutoff valve. If it's a running or rocking toilet, most of the time we can fix it that visit with parts we carry. If the base is leaking, we pull the toilet to look at the wax ring and the flange underneath — that's where Portland's older houses throw a curveball (more on that below). If the toilet itself is cracked, badly stained, or just old and inefficient, we'll say so plainly and give you the option to replace instead of repair. Either way you know before we start what we're doing and why.
What affects the price
No numbers here, but here's what moves the job one way or the other:
- Repair vs. replace — a flapper or fill valve swap is quick; pulling the toilet to reset a wax ring or fix a flange takes longer and costs more in parts.
- The flange condition — if it's cracked, corroded, or sitting below the finished floor (common after a tile or vinyl job was added over the years), that needs its own fix before a new wax ring will hold.
- Toilet type — a standard two-piece toilet is a straightforward swap; a wall-hung or in-wall tank unit is a different job.
- Access and floor — tile, uneven old subfloor, or a toilet crammed into a tight half-bath adds time.
- Shutoff valve condition — if the old shutoff is seized or the supply line is old copper or rubber, that often gets replaced at the same time so you're not calling back in a month.
What's specific to Portland houses and water
A lot of the Portland metro's housing stock — the bungalows and foursquares in inner Southeast and North Portland, older ranches in Beaverton and Milwaukie, farmhouses out toward Tualatin and Oregon City — has been through at least one flooring update since the toilet was set. Vinyl over vinyl, tile over vinyl, laminate over the original subfloor. Every layer raises the finished floor height, and the wax ring and flange don't move with it. That's the single most common cause of a rocking or slow-leaking toilet we see on these older homes, and it's an easy miss if someone just resets a wax ring without addressing the flange height.
Portland's water is soft, which is generally kind to fixtures and fill valves — you don't get the mineral scale buildup that hard-water cities deal with. But older galvanized supply lines, still present in some pre-1970s houses in inner Portland and Milwaukie, corrode from the inside and can restrict flow to the tank or fail at the shutoff when you go to turn it. If your toilet's shutoff valve hasn't been touched in years, we'll check it before we rely on it.
Why Sheltons Construction
We're a licensed Oregon plumbing contractor working the Portland metro — Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties, down to Salem for larger jobs. A toilet repair or install is usually a same-visit job: we look at it, tell you what's actually wrong, and either fix it or replace it in the same appointment. No pressure toward the most expensive option — if a fifteen-minute fill valve swap solves it, that's what we do.
What to do now
If it's leaking onto the floor or won't stop running, shut off the valve behind the toilet and contact us. For a planned repair or a replacement as part of a bathroom update, request a quote and we'll set a time. Related work: leak detection & pipe repair, water pressure problems, kitchen plumbing if you're doing more than the bathroom. Common questions are on our FAQ.
We serve Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Tigard, Tualatin, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Oregon City, Milwaukie, Happy Valley, and Clackamas.