Toilet Replacement (like-for-like)

Inspect the closet flange before the new toilet sets

The closet flange is the brass or PVC ring that the toilet bolts to and the wax ring seals against. A wobbly toilet, a stained base, soft subfloor felt underfoot — every one of those is a flange problem until proven otherwise. We pull the old toilet, photograph the flange, and tell the homeowner what we see before the new toilet comes out of the box. A sound flange means a clean swap. A cracked or sunken flange means a handyman flange extender ($120 add-on) or a licensed plumber for a brass-flange replacement ($250 typical plumber sub, passed through transparent).

New wax ring, new bolts, new supply line on every job

Every toilet replacement gets a fresh wax ring sized to the new toilet's horn (or a wax-free seal like a Korky Universal where the new toilet specifies it), new brass or stainless steel closet bolts (the old bolts usually have corroded heads from sitting in a wet zone for 15 to 30 years), and a new braided stainless steel water supply line. None of those parts get carried forward to a fresh install — they are inexpensive, they fail in known ways, and they belong in the swap scope.

Set the toilet straight down, never rock it side to side

A wax ring seals only when the toilet sets straight down onto the flange and stays there during bolt tightening. Rocking the bowl side-to-side to position the bolts deforms the wax and breaks the seal before the toilet is even tightened. The result is a leak at the base that surfaces weeks later when the wax cures fully. We set the toilet straight down once, position-check it before any rocking, and tighten in alternating quarter-turns to spec.

Multi-cycle flush test before sign-off

Multi-cycle flush test (at least three flushes) checks for three independent leak modes — tank-to-bowl leaks at the gasket, base leaks at the wax ring, and supply-side leaks at the fill-valve connection. Anything that drips, weeps, or stays damp gets diagnosed and re-sealed before the visit closes. The bowl base gets caulked with 100 percent silicone with a small rear drain gap left so any future leak surfaces where you can see it.

Honest plumber handoff on the in-wall scope

Anything inside the wall — a cracked closet bend below the flange, a drain pipe that needs to be relocated, a flange that has dropped because the cast-iron drain stack underneath has corroded — routes to a licensed Washington L&I plumber. We name the sub scope on the quote with the typical sub-fee range so the homeowner sees the all-in number before the install is booked.

Insured, background-checked, 30-day workmanship guarantee

Every Handis tech carries liability insurance and has cleared a background screening. 30-day workmanship guarantee — if the toilet rocks, leaks at the base, the supply line backs out, or the tank gasket weeps within 30 days because of our install, we come back and fix it at no extra charge. The guarantee covers our install scope — it does not cover the toilet's internal valves or flapper failing months later (known wear parts on their own lifecycle), a flange that fails downstream from our work because the in-wall drain was already compromised, or hairline cracks in the toilet from someone sitting on it at an angle.