Toilet and faucet repair in Laredo, TX

Running toilets

A toilet that runs, hisses or refills on its own usually has a worn flapper or a failing fill valve. To check the flapper, add a few drops of food coloring to the tank and wait 15 minutes without flushing. If color shows up in the bowl, water is leaking past the flapper. The EPA’s WaterSense program recommends this same dye test.

If the water level in the tank rises above the top of the overflow tube, the fill valve is not shutting off. Adjusting the float may fix it; if not, the valve needs replacing. Mineral scale from hard water can keep both parts from sealing.

Toilets that rock, leak at the base or clog often

Rocking

A toilet that moves when you sit can break the wax seal underneath. Tightening the floor bolts may help, but if the seal is already damaged, the toilet should be pulled and reset with a new seal. On uneven tile, shims keep it from rocking again.

Water at the base

Usually a failed wax ring, a cracked bowl or a leaking supply line. Water that seeps under flooring can rot the subfloor in raised homes or stain grout on a slab, so have it checked soon. If the water smells like sewage, it is the seal.

Frequent clogs

Older low-flow toilets from the first generation of water-saving models often clog more easily. Modern WaterSense-labeled models must meet flushing performance criteria while still using less water.

Dripping faucets

Most modern faucets use a cartridge or a ceramic disc. Mineral scale and worn seals cause drips and stiff handles. Replacing the cartridge often solves it, and matching the exact part is much easier with the brand and model, which is often printed under the sink or on the faucet body.

A drip from the spout means the cartridge or seat is worn. A leak from the base of the handle usually means an O-ring. Water under the sink may be the supply line, the shutoff valve or the drain, not the faucet at all; dry everything and watch where the first drop appears.

Showers and tubs

• Low shower pressure is often a clogged showerhead. Soaking it in white vinegar dissolves mineral buildup. If pressure is low throughout the house, the cause is elsewhere; see repiping and water lines.
• Sudden hot or cold bursts when someone flushes point to a shower valve without pressure balancing. Newer pressure-balancing or thermostatic valves prevent that.
• A drip from the tub spout after the shower is off usually means a worn cartridge or a diverter that is not sealing.
• Water behind the wall around a shower valve or showerhead arm can rot framing. Stains on the other side of the wall or on the ceiling below are worth a call.

Shutoff valves: test them before you need them

Each toilet and sink should have its own shutoff valve. Old multi-turn valves can seize, or start leaking at the stem, the first time they are turned in years. Replacing them with quarter-turn valves makes future emergencies easier. Test yours once a year by turning them off and back on, and replace any that will not close fully.

While you are under the sink, check the supply lines. Braided stainless lines are standard today. Old rigid or plastic lines, and any that bulge or show rust at the nuts, are worth replacing before they burst.

Garbage disposals, ice makers and washing machines

• A disposal that hums but does not turn is usually jammed. With the power off at the switch, many units can be freed with the hex key that fits the bottom. If it trips the breaker or leaks from the bottom, it likely needs replacing.
• Ice maker lines are small and easy to kink or crack when the refrigerator is moved. A slow leak behind the fridge can ruin flooring. A dedicated shutoff box behind the refrigerator helps.
• Washing machine hoses fail more often than people expect. Braided hoses and an easy-to-reach shutoff reduce the risk. Many people turn the washer valves off when leaving for a trip.
• Outdoor hose bibs need a vacuum breaker. Under Laredo’s cross-connection rules, all external faucets and hose bibs must be protected by a hose bibb vacuum breaker, which needs no permit or inspection to install.

Upgrades that save water

• WaterSense-labeled toilets, faucets and showerheads use less water while meeting performance criteria set by the EPA program
• Pressure-balancing shower valves to prevent sudden temperature changes
• Quarter-turn shutoffs and braided supply lines at every fixture
• Faucet aerators, which are inexpensive and easy to clean of mineral scale
• A pull-out kitchen faucet with a ceramic disc cartridge, which tends to hold up better against scale than older washer-style valves

Laredo moves through drought stages based on storage in the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs. Under the city’s drought contingency plan, failing to repair a controllable leak from a faucet, hose, sprinkler, backflow preventer or meter within 5 days is prohibited during restrictions. Fixing drips and running toilets keeps households within the rules and lowers the bill.

Doing it yourself, or calling a plumber

Texas law lets a property owner do plumbing in their own homestead without a plumbing license, and many people replace a flapper, a showerhead or an aerator themselves. Work done for someone else, including for a landlord or a neighbor, requires a licensed plumber. Rental properties, gas connections and anything inside walls are good reasons to call a professional.

Sources

Official and primary sources used on this page. Rules change, so check the source before acting on a detail.

• EPA WaterSense program
• EPA WaterSense: Fix a Leak Week
• City of Laredo Ordinance 2025-O-103: cross-connection control and backflow (Sec. 31-115)
• City of Laredo Ordinance 2024-O-095: water conservation and drought contingency plan
• Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1301 (Plumbing License Law)