My toilet stopped working this morning. How do I fix it? (need answer reasonably fast!)

Factual Questions
1

I went to go flush the toilet this morning and nothing happened. The handle was completely loose. Under the lid, it appears that the handle was no longer connected to the “flush valve” (I Googled that). The handle has a long rod coming off of it, and then a little hook piece that was just hanging there. It looks like it just broke in half. Is there some part I can buy at Home Depot to fix all this?

Here’s a few pictures of what the inside of the toilet looks like and the piece that broke off:

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8116/img20120520095747.jpg
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/2407/img20120520095754.jpg
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/2236/img20120520095832.jpg

2

Cut a piece from a coat hanger and bend to shape. A big paper clip or two might work, or a chain of plastic twist-ties.

3

Reconnect the flap valve to the handle with a chain/whatever just long enough that pushing the handle makes the flap valve lift and float.

Long term, you can buy a replacement handle assembly or flap valve assembly that includes the chain or something similar. (In some places they have a plastic strip instead, which means it is easeri to break next time…) Looks like it happened a while ago and someone used the coathanger trick. You can use anything that can connect the handle arm to the flap valve… As long as it does not break easily.

Note when replacing the flush handle, if that’s what it takes to get a new chain/whatevr - there are front mounts, side mounts, and angle mounts. Yours looks like a bit of an angle mount, I think?

4

And clean the toilet.

5

And, if you want to replace any of these parts, when you go to the store, take the items with you, as there are a wide variety of those things.

First, close the valve under the tank.

6

Thanks all, I used a paperclip for now until I can run out to the hardware store. Seems to work better than it did before.

7

If you need to flush it real quick in the meantime, just reach in and pull up that flapper valve (the black thing at the bottom of the tank) until the tank empties and then just drop it back into place.

And wash your hands afterward.

8

A regular steel paperclip will work fine. However, it will eventually rust and you’ll need to replace it. It should last you a couple months, though. The rusted pieces could go down, I don’t know if that’s bad. The arm/lever/chain assemblies had for cheap at Home Depot or even Walmart, and are pretty easy to install.

Wash your hands because there could be mineral or chemical buildup. It should not be poop water unless things are really wrong with your toilet.

9

The lift arm is what you need, but that term may not ring a bell in a Home Depot employees head. The flusher assembly is called the ballcock, so if you can’t find it in the store, ask an employee where their ballcocks are and they should be able to point to them.

I’m kind of disappointed that no one else mentioned it yet.

10

“I got ya ballcocks right here, buddy!” Grip