Toilets - Types, Installation, Replacement and Repair - Stanley Lewis Plumbing and Heating

A toilet (called a water closet in plumbing code) is a
fixture that receives waste and discharges it into the building sanitary drainage
system. In NYC, toilet work ranges from a quick repair — replacing a flapper,
fill valve, or wax ring — to code-sensitive work like relocating a toilet,
replacing a closet bend, installing a wall-hung carrier, or adding a bathroom. The
key first step in most toilet problems is figuring out whether the issue is the
fixture itself, the shutoff/supply, the
flange/seal, or the building drainage system. In
NYC, DEP matters because running/leaking toilets waste water and raise bills, and HPD
matters in rental housing when a toilet is broken, leaking, or backing up.
This article is general information, not legal or engineering advice; confirm
your specific situation with a NYC Licensed Master Plumber.

Types of toilets #

Tank (gravity) toilet — stores flush water in a tank; common in apartments and homes; parts include the fill valve, flush valve, flapper, trip lever, and supply/angle stop.
Flushometer toilet — flushes directly from pressurized water piping via a flushometer valve; common in commercial, school, public, and high-use restrooms.
Dual-flush and pressure-assisted — separate liquid/solid volumes for water savings, or a sealed pressure vessel for a stronger flush.
Wall-hung toilet — mounted to a wall carrier with a concealed tank/flushometer; common in commercial, accessible, and tight-space renovations; more extensive plumbing review.
Floor-mounted and rear-outlet — the common residential floor type, or a wall-discharge type used where floor drainage isn’t practical.
ADA / accessible toilet — meets seat-height, clearance, grab-bar, and flush-control requirements; important in commercial, public, and common-area bathrooms.
Macerating / pump toilet and smart / bidet seats — macerators pump waste where gravity is difficult; smart seats need GFCI power and backflow protection.

Common toilet problems in NYC #

Clogged — a local blockage (wipes, products, objects) or a drain/main-line issue if recurring; auger and investigate the drain.
Runs constantly — a bad flapper, fill valve, chain, or flush-valve seal; replace/adjust tank parts (wastes water and raises bills).
Leaks at the base or rocks — failed wax ring, loose bolts, cracked/low flange, or uneven floor; reset and repair the flange/floor.
Weak flush or double flush — low tank level, clogged rim jets, wrong flapper, blocked trapway, or poor venting.
Flushometer runs or flushes weakly — diaphragm/piston, control stop, debris, handle/sensor, or building supply-pressure issues.
Sewer smell, bubbling, or gurgling — failed seal, dry trap, cracked fixture, or a vent/drain/main-sewer restriction.
High water bill — a running toilet, leaking flapper, stuck flushometer, or silent leak; repair promptly.

NYC code, permit, and water-efficiency requirements #

The 2022 NYC Construction Codes took effect November 7, 2022; the Plumbing Code
governs fixtures, water supply, sanitary drainage, venting, traps, clearances, and
accessibility. Section 425.1 requires water closets to have a flushometer valve,
flushometer tank, or flush tank that provides enough water and flow to flush, cleanse
the fixture, and refill the trap. Where automatic (sensor) flushing devices connected
to external power are used, at least one water closet in the bathroom must still be
able to operate without external power for two weeks — via manual operation or
battery backup. Modern toilets are far more efficient: EPA WaterSense-labeled tank
toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush or less, while older toilets can use up to 6
gallons, so replacing an old or leaking toilet can lower NYC water/sewer bills.
(NYC DOB)

Toilet work can be ordinary repair or permit-sensitive plumbing. Simple repairs
(flapper, fill valve, supply line, wax-ring reset in place, clearing a local clog)
generally don’t require a permit — but installing a new toilet where none
existed, relocating a toilet, altering waste/water piping or a closet bend, converting
to wall-hung, or doing commercial/accessibility work is plumbing alteration that must
be supervised by a Licensed Master Plumber, who obtains permits and arranges
inspections. DEP is relevant to water waste and high bills; HPD is relevant in rental
housing where a broken, leaking, or sewage-backing toilet is a habitability issue that
can lead to a 311/HPD complaint; and DOHMH matters for public/food-service restrooms.
(NYC HPD)

Frequently asked questions #

What is the difference between a toilet and a water closet? #

They usually mean the same thing. “Water closet” is the plumbing-code term for a toilet.

Why is my toilet running? #

A running toilet is often caused by a bad flapper, fill valve, flush valve seal, chain adjustment, or water level. It can waste water and increase DEP water/sewer bills.

Can a running toilet really increase my water bill? #

Yes. A silent toilet leak or stuck flushometer can waste a lot of water. In metered buildings, that can cause a noticeable increase in DEP water and sewer charges.

Why does my toilet keep clogging? #

Recurring clogs may be caused by wipes, paper products, objects in the trapway, poor toilet design, low flushing performance, a blocked branch line, a stack issue, a venting problem, or a main sewer issue.

Are “flushable” wipes safe to flush? #

No. Even wipes labeled “flushable” can contribute to clogs, especially in older NYC plumbing systems.

Why does my toilet leak at the base? #

A base leak may be caused by a failed wax ring, loose toilet bolts, broken closet flange, rocking toilet, cracked bowl, or drain backup. The toilet should be removed and inspected if the leak continues.

Why does my toilet rock? #

A rocking toilet may be caused by loose bolts, uneven flooring, a damaged flange, or floor deterioration. It should be corrected because movement can break the wax seal and cause leaks.

What is a wax ring? #

A wax ring seals the toilet outlet to the closet flange. If it fails, water or sewer gas can leak around the base.

What is a closet flange? #

A closet flange is the fitting that connects the toilet to the drain pipe and anchors the toilet to the floor.

What is a flushometer toilet? #

A flushometer toilet uses a pressurized flush valve instead of a tank. It is common in commercial, school, public, and high-use bathrooms.

Why does my flushometer keep running? #

A running flushometer may have a bad diaphragm, piston, handle, sensor, solenoid, control stop, or debris inside the valve. It should be repaired quickly to prevent water waste.

Why is my toilet flush weak? #

Possible causes include low tank water level, clogged rim holes, a bad flapper, an old low-performance toilet, a blocked trapway, a drain restriction, poor venting, or low flushometer supply pressure.

Should I replace my old toilet? #

Replacement may make sense if the toilet is cracked, clogs often, uses too much water, has obsolete parts, rocks because of damage, or performs poorly even after repair.

How much water does a modern toilet use? #

WaterSense-labeled toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush or less. Older toilets may use much more water, and some older inefficient toilets use up to 6 gallons per flush.

Do I need a permit to replace a toilet in NYC? #

A same-location fixture replacement with no piping changes may be simpler than a renovation, but DOB requirements depend on the scope. If piping is moved, altered, rearranged, relocated, or permanently removed, Licensed Master Plumber supervision and DOB permits may be required.

Can a toilet be moved to a new location? #

Sometimes, but toilet relocation is more complicated than replacement. It involves waste piping, venting, water supply, floor structure, slope, rough-in dimensions, and possibly DOB filing.

Can a handyman replace a toilet? #

A simple same-location toilet replacement may seem straightforward, but leaks, flange damage, shutoff issues, and drainage problems are common. Piping alteration, relocation, commercial restroom work, and multifamily renovation should be handled by qualified licensed plumbing professionals.

What is a comfort-height toilet? #

A comfort-height toilet has a taller bowl than many older standard toilets. It may be easier for some users to sit and stand, but accessibility requirements should be checked for commercial/public restrooms.

What is an ADA toilet? #

An ADA/accessibility toilet is installed as part of an accessible restroom layout with proper seat height, clearances, grab bars, approach space, and flush control location.

Can I install a bidet seat? #

Usually, yes, but it must be connected properly. Electric bidet seats may require a GFCI-protected outlet, and water connections should be protected against leakage and backflow concerns.

Why does my bathroom smell like sewer gas? #

Possible causes include a failed wax ring, dry trap, cracked toilet, vent problem, drain issue, or sewer backup. A plumber should identify the source.

Why does my toilet bubble when another fixture drains? #

Bubbling or gurgling can indicate a drain blockage, venting issue, branch-line restriction, stack issue, or main sewer problem.

What should tenants do if the toilet does not work? #

In rental housing, tenants should notify the owner or management immediately. A broken, unusable, leaking, or sewage-backing toilet can be a habitability issue and may justify a 311/HPD complaint if not corrected.

What should I ask before approving toilet replacement? #

Useful questions to ask before approving the work:

Is the toilet tank, flushometer, wall-hung, rear-outlet, or pressure-assisted, and is this repair, same-location replacement, or relocation?
Is the rough-in 10, 12, or 14 inches, and is the toilet elongated, round-front, comfort-height, or ADA?
Is the shutoff valve working, is the closet flange sound, and is the floor level and structurally sound?
Is the drain clear, and is the toilet WaterSense-labeled?
Will any piping be moved or altered, and is DOB filing or Licensed Master Plumber supervision required?
For commercial bathrooms, are accessibility and fixture-count requirements being met?

When toilet repair is not enough #

A fixture repair won’t solve a building problem. Look deeper when the toilet
clogs repeatedly, multiple fixtures back up, or lower-floor toilets overflow when
upper floors run water. A toilet that bubbles or gurgles, keeps producing sewer
smell after resetting, or rocks because the flange or floor is damaged points beyond
the fixture — as do repeated wax-ring failures, water on the ceiling below, a
cracked/sagged/blocked/poorly pitched drain, a wrong rough-in, a flushometer starved
by building supply, or an old toilet that wastes water or performs poorly.
Renovations requiring relocation, wall-hung conversion, a new bathroom layout, or
accessibility upgrades are plumbing-alteration projects, not simple repairs.