Toilet Repair in Bowie, MD

Signs the toilet needs attention

• A hiss or trickle from the tank long after the last flush
• The handle has to be held down or jiggled to finish a flush
• Damp or darkened flooring right around the base
• The bowl drains slowly or needs a plunger every week
• Gurgling from the tub or a floor drain when the toilet is flushed
• A bowl that shifts when someone sits down

Bowie's two utilities and your toilet

Bowie is split. The City of Bowie runs its own water and sewer systems for the sections Levitt built in the early 1960s, including Belair-area neighborhoods such as Kenilworth, Somerset, Tulip Grove, Yorktown and Whitehall, and WSSC Water serves the rest of the city. Your bill shows which one you have. In the City sewer area, the City maintains only the sewer mains; blockages or breaks in the house connection that runs from your home to the main are usually the homeowner's to fix, and a backup inside the house is a plumber's job. For City water or sewer problems call Public Works at 301-809-2344, or after hours the Police Communications Center at 240-544-5700. WSSC customers report sewer emergencies to 301-206-4002.

City water comes from five wells in the Magothy, Patapsco and Patuxent aquifers and is treated to remove naturally occurring iron and manganese; WSSC areas get treated river water. The median Bowie home was built in 1981, but the Levitt sections are older, so toilets, shutoff valves and closet flanges in those houses may have been through several rounds of replacement.

What affects the price

• Inside the tank or under the bowl: a flapper or fill valve swap is quicker than pulling the toilet to reset the wax seal.
• The flange: a cracked or sunken flange in an older Belair house adds parts and time.
• Clog depth: a blockage in the trapway is simpler than one in the house connection.
• Supply valve: an old angle stop that won't close is often replaced during the same visit.
• Repair or replace: a new toilet costs more up front but can end repeat calls.
• Timing: nights and weekends generally cost more.

When you call

The number on this page connects you with an independent plumber who works in Bowie. Say what the toilet is doing, whether water reached the floor, and whether your water comes from the City or WSSC. In Prince George's County, permits are generally not needed to replace existing fixtures, with exceptions such as water heaters and testable backflow devices, and WSSC Water issues plumbing permits when one is required.