How to Fix a Loose Toilet Handle

A loose toilet handle isn’t an emergency, but it is a problem. Mainly, it’s a sign that your toilet’s insides may need to be repaired or replaced. Customers often live with loose toilet handles until they have some other reason to call us in for a service.

Then, when we show up, they ask us to “just look at one more thing.” Of course, we’re always happy to help, but we encourage you to call sooner. Otherwise, a faulty handle could lead to flushing problems and wastewater issues.

Have you ever wondered how to fix a loose toilet handle? Here are the steps we take:

Tighten Your Toilet Handle

Sometimes, your toilet handle simply needs to be tightened a bit. This is a pretty easy fix, and it won’t take us very long.

Accessing your Toilet Tank

The first thing our plumbing technician will do is remove the back cover from your toilet. Then, they’ll turn the water valve to the off position and flush the toilet to drain out any water. That will give them access to a dry work area.

Adjusting the Toilet Handle Bolt

There’s a bolt that attaches the toilet handle to your toilet. If this piece is loose, that could be the culprit. Our plumber will use an adjustable wrench to tighten that up. They’ll test the lever to ensure that it works properly, too.

Replace your Toilet Handle

If tightening your toilet handle doesn’t fix things, there’s something else going on. That’s why learning how to fix a loose toilet handle can be more complicated than people think.

No worries! We can still take care of the problem for you. Chances are we’ll have to replace your toilet handle with one that works properly. Here’s a basic run-through of what we will do:

Getting the Right Hardware

We want to replace your old toilet handle with one that looks great and functions well. In most cases, that means looking up your toilet to find the right part. Chances are we have the right part on hand. If not, we can get it quickly and bring it to your home in Springdale, AR. If there is a problem finding the handle made for your toilet, we can always acquire a universal model.

Detaching the Toilet Handle

Before we can replace your toilet handle, we have to detach the old one. That starts with detaching the chain that connects the flush handle to the flapper. Then, our plumber will loosen the toilet handle bolt until it can be removed. This may require a pair of pliers and a bit of muscle if the bolt has been stripped or is rusty. Finally, we’ll remove the old handle and throw it away.

Inserting the New Toilet Handle

The next step is to position the new toilet handle where the old one was. That can be a bit tricky because we want to make sure we seal the handle properly.

Once we do this, we can attach the new bolt that came with your flush handle. After that, we attach the chain to the new flush assembly. We’ll turn the water back on to your toilet and verify that it flushes correctly.

Check for Other Problems

Learning how to fix a loose toilet handle is a pretty simple job. However, we understand that this small problem can be a sign of other issues. For example, your flush handle may be loose because you’ve had to jiggle it constantly to get your toilet to flush properly.

While we fix or replace your toilet handle, we’ll also take a closer look at the inside of your toilet. If your toilet assembly needs to be replaced, we can take care of that, as well.

No Job Is Too Small

You may be tempted to do this repair yourself, but beware! It’s more complicated than you think. Fortunately, you don’t have to google “plumbers near me.” Instead, Stith Plumbing & HVAC is always available to help. Every technician we hire knows how to fix a loose toilet handle.

If you live in Lowell, Johnson, or Springdale, Arkansas, all you have to do is call. Contact Stith Plumbing & HVAC for any plumbing job, no matter how small.